Written by Kit Falvey

Election years are often characterized by a general decline in civility and a certain amount of polarization, both on the part of candidates and those who support them. As a society we’ve come to expect, and sometimes accept, this dynamic. But, more and more, it seems that the decline in civility has extended beyond the realm of politics into our everyday lives, including our business interactions. Who hasn’t been on the receiving end of less than polite emails or struggled through contentious meetings? We may have done some offending ourselves.

Written by Kit Falvey

The way marketers think of “brand” has evolved over the years. While the average person may think of “brand” primarily as a company’s logo or name, savvy marketers understand that the concept extends far beyond a simple visual representation. Brand encompasses how your customers perceive your products and services, and how you communicate who you are and what you offer as a company – it’s what distinguishes you from the competition. Your brand is communicated visually and literally in your print materials, website, emails, and social media pages – it’s also communicated experientially through the way your company conducts sales calls, handles customer service issues and even answers its phones.

“There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.”

– Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray

We live in a world where Oscar Wilde’s aphorism has become a personal philosophy for a lot of people. These are folks who – through social media, online videos, reality television and every other way they can think of – clamor to be famous for no other reason than to be famous. They just want to be talked about, and most don’t really care if what’s being said is good or bad.

Written by: Bill Steele, Founding Principal of Steele Group Architects

When I started Steele Group Architects several years ago, my partners and I spent a great deal of time developing our core values, discovering who we were as partners and discussing the values and business objectives we shared in common. We’re very different people with different personalities and talents. We’re also creative people, with egos that go along with that. That being the case, it took some work, but we finally felt we knew who we were as a company, and what we needed to do to make our firm grow.

Written by Kit Falvey

The components of a good story are as ancient as the art of storytelling. Interests and audiences change over time, but a good story always delivers a unique and memorable message. A good story changes readers’ perceptions. A very good story motivates their actions.

Allan Younger, Director, Forsyth Tech Small Business Center

In working with small business clients at the Forsyth Tech Small Business Center, one of the key practices we focus on is marketing communication. Small business owners often find it difficult to distill their passion about and knowledge of their business into effectively articulated communications. Below is a list of specific challenges that many of our clients face on a regular basis: