COMMON GOALS. A candid conversation with Tim Connor, President of The Shamrock Companies.

Interviewer:

What has shaped your business philosophy?

TC:

Before I came to Shamrock, right after college, I worked a little over two years for a large corporation. I was green; didn't know much about business. Luckily, it was an organization that believed in staying focused on quality and service, and expected me to follow that path, too. That has been my mantra from the start: "Provide customers with quality, service and deliver plus one."

Interviewer:

Would you say that your prior experience helped you get a job at Shamrock?

TC:

No doubt. I've been at Shamrock for 20 years, and it's the entrepreneurial spirit of this company that's kept me here.

Interviewer:

What motivates you to come to work every morning?

TC:

What first attracted me to Shamrock, and what keeps me here is the goal to always put the customer first. And it's not just something written on a mission statement; we truly live through customer service. I saw from my first day on the job that the people at Shamrock live, die and breathe for our clients. It's much more evident here than in larger, less family-oriented businesses.

Interviewer:

Did you come to Shamrock with a Customer First philosophy?

TC:

I guess that philosophy came through in my first interview, and it's probably what got me in the door. But I honed this skill from the master. Bob Troop, our CEO, has always conducted business with a trained eye to keep customer needs as our top priority. If that means staying at the office late to complete a job or staying abreast of technology that will serve our customers' best interest, we have all been trained to, as the saying goes, "Just do it!" Or, as Bob always says, "Just figure it out," which, to me, means you've got to be able to roll up your sleeves to take care of the client. That's the goal for each person who works at Shamrock.

Interviewer:

How is Shamrock using technology to help customers?

TC:

We are focused on data and data analytics. This means different things to different people, but at Shamrock we view it as a way to examine all the details of a customer's campaign. We help customers analyze their data in order to become smarter and more profitable marketers; ensure that they not only make money, but save money, while squeezing the best and most positive results out of every campaign. We help build brands by delivering their marketing message through different channels, including print, email, social media and other resources, and then determine which is working best. Each customer is different, so there's no cookie-cutter approach to what we do.  

Interviewer:

Why does Shamrock place such great emphasis on technology?

TC:

The utilization of technology helps us with the ability to understand our customers' business better. It will always be true that new, emerging technologies will drive business for us -- and for our customers. Shamrock has always been able to adapt and incorporate new technology into the marketing mix. Helping customers grow their business is our mission and we instill this in every employee. We continue to evolve and remain innovative to serve our customers' needs. We don't stop until we see that we can take part in helping their business grow.

Interviewer:

How has the economic downturn affected your ability to deliver for customers?

TC:

Our customers have become smarter about utilizing marketing dollars. For example, before the downturn a customer might spend $100,000 on a program. The downturn made that nearly impossible. Now, I see customers willing to spend $50,000 or $100,000, but they want to do it wisely. The difference today is that, while customers are coming back to spending $100,000, they're being smarter about allocating their dollars. They tell us, "If I'm going to spend $50,000 or $100,000, I want to be able to measure the data and look at my ROI." There's a demand for culpability. That's where data analytics plays a big part. Since the downturn, we're much more methodical with our strategic marketing and planning. Our goal is to help customers be smarter, and new technology plays a big part in that.

MY MOMENT WITH CAPTAIN KIRK (AND OTHER MOMENTS). A first-hand account of the Content Marketing Conference from Shamrock's Account Manager and Social Media Specialist, Kasey Crabtree

Yes! I did speak with the Captain Kirk (William Shatner), at the Content Marketing World Conference. But bear with me, and I'll share that moment at the end of this post, since there were many special moments that occurred during this conference that I would also like to share.

The conference was held in Cleveland on September 9 through the 13th, and I was lucky enough to be among the 1,750 people from 40 nations to hear hometown hero Joe Pulizzi, founder of the Content Marketing Institute at this third annual conference. 

First I'd like to tell you about content marketing and why it rates a major conference. Simply put,
content marketing is not focused on selling,
but on simply communicating with customers and prospects. Instead of pitching your products or services, you are providing information that makes the buyer more intelligent. The essence of this content strategy is the belief that, if a business delivers consistent, ongoing and valuable information to buyers, these buyers will ultimately reward you with their business and their loyalty.

Content marketing isn't new. The first practitioner was the John Deere Company. Back in 1895 John Deere launched a magazine that provided information to farmers on how to become more profitable. The magazine, considered the first custom publication, is still in circulation, reaching 1.5 million readers in 40 countries in 12 different languages! That's the power of content marketing. And, why is content marketing having such a Big Moment today? With the rise of online choices to purchase, content marketing removes the clutter from the buying decision and gives the buyer a chance to get to know more about a potential purchase to buy. Through a business' website, social media, print collateral, email and video marketing, content marketing delivers honest, helpful, and factual information to help the consumer make a wise choice.

My Big "Aha" Moment at the conference was learning that 60 to 70 percent of the purchase decision is made before a sales person is contacted! And this hold true for business-to-business and business-to-consumer purchases. So, the content you put out there is really, really important (monitoring what is said about your products and your company is also important). Consistency is also important. Your messages should be connected, engaging and compelling. They should be honest and offer real, valuable information at all touch points, to help the buyer make a decision. Finally, I learned that pages with video draw two to three times more people than those without.

That said, here's a video that explains the Coca-Cola Content 2020 Initiative on Coca-Cola's emerging content marketing strategy as they transition from one-way messaging via advertising excellence to content marketing excellence that makes their marketing content optimized for audience interaction (customers, partners, employees, enthusiasts, stakeholders, etc.) It's amazing to watch, and is an excellent example of content marketing in theory and in practice.

Content marketing may not be new, but it is more relevant today than ever before. After attending this conference, I can see why it should be a critical part in any marketer's toolbox.

So about “Captain Kirk”…. The highlight of the conference for me may have been when I had a “moment” with Keynote Speaker, William Shatner. During the Q&A portion I asked him a question and relayed to him a true story about how he used to be in a reoccurring dream of mine – after taking me out for pizza he would walk with me through the halls of my high school and everyone thought I was so cool because I was with William Shatner! (It was your classic high school revenge dream).  

Just another example of the fact that everyone has a story (AKA “content”) to share!

If you want details on that or more info about content marketing, feel free to call me at 440.250.2243, email me at kcrabtree@shamrockcompanies.net or tweet me @KaseyCrabtree.

Always happy to share!
Kasey
 

WHAT IT TAKES TO BE WORLD CLASS. This week Bob explores what it takes to be a world class business.

People throw the term world class around a lot. But, what is its true definition? Curious, I went to the web site www.businessdictionary.com to see what was considered business world class, and here's what they state: "Goods, services, and processes that are ranked by customers and industry-experts to be among the best of the best. This designation denotes standard-setting excellence in terms of design, performance, quality, and customer satisfaction and value when compared with all similar items from anywhere in the world."

Pretty good. Even better, for the fifth year in a row (since we've been submitting entries), The Shamrock Companies has been a winner of the World Class Customer Service Award, sponsored by Smart Business, a multi-media company that includes Smart Business Magazines, a network of national journals focused on C-level executives of fast-growth, middle-market and large companies.

Why do we win this award each time we submit an application? I'd like to think it's because we live as we preach. Our Value Statement indicates the following: Customers are Paramount. Customers come first. Meet and exceed customer expectations. Deliver superior products and service. Deliver Value by building brands with integrated marketing solutions. Strive to make every customer a "Raving Fan". At Shamrock, we live the philosophy of the Raving Fan each day.

An integral part of the World Class Customer Service Award is customer testimonials. Of course, if your customers are unable to support all the great things you say about yourself, you obviously won't win this prestigious award. We are fortunate to have customers that appreciate how we provide our services and more than a handful came forward to provide testimonials. I won't list them all, but one stands out among the rest. This customer said, "Never before (and likely never again) have I found an organization so deeply committed to make me a Raving Fan. The Shamrock Companies is single-mindedly focused on this... Shamrock Delivers Plus One... I truly wish Shamrock could teach my other business partners how to better service our business. They are all Rock Stars!"

FINAL THOUGHT:

I believe that the reason each and every employee at Shamrock is a "Rock Star" is because our culture dictates that every employee realizes that they have a vital role in our success. Employees are proud to be a part of the Shamrock team, working together for common goals, sharing successes, and lending a hand when needed are all in a day's work. We couldn't win this award without the backing of each and every one of our employees. Thank you, all!

A FATHER'S DAY TRIBUTE TO VERY IMPORTANT MENTORS. During this month of Father's Day, guest blogger, Tim Connor reminisces about the good men in his life.

The month of June means more to me than just Father's Day. Of course, my dad is, and always will be, the special man in my life. But, in addition to dad, there were two other significant men who helped me become a man, a husband, a father, and a mentor to other young people. Just as dad was the one who taught me right from wrong and what it was to be a man, my college wrestling coach, Kerry Volkman, and Bob Troop, the CEO of Shamrock, also helped shape me and the way I conduct business on a daily basis.

In fact, each June, I get together with dad, Kerry and Bob for our annual golf outing and dinner. It brings all these important mentors in my life together for one helluva' day. It's not really a Father's Day celebration (that is reserved for dad)  but more a celebration of the respect each of us has for one another --  a recognition of our passages through life together.

Without a doubt, I learned my core values from dad. And these values still carry me through the roughest and the finest spots in life.

But it was coach Volkman who taught a tough group of college wrestlers about teamwork, camaraderie and resilience despite the odds against winning. When you're young, you think you know everything. And coach knew this. He let us experiment, fail, and learn from our failure. It was through coach Volkman that I learned I didn't know it all, and I had to rely on others to accomplish my life goals.

My  finest business mentor of all has, and will always be Bob Troop. Bob has been with me throughout my career. Like coach Volkman, he allowed me to experiment -- and sometimes fail --  but he also taught me how to succeed. Bob would often say, "it's OK to fail, but you're measured by how you overcome that failure in order to succeed the next time." (Another one of Bob's sayings is, "Figure it out!" I'd guess at least half the people at Shamrock have heard that remark from him at least a thousand times.) Often I learned about success just by watching Bob, who always makes it look so easy.

From each of these men I've taken away one important lesson: Realize your strengths and weaknesses and always try to surround yourself with people who can minimize your weaknesses. But the most important thing they've taught me is that if you work hard and work smart you will always be head and shoulders above the competition!

I hope Father's Day 2013 has been good to each of you.

Good cheer,
Tim Connor

KASEY CRABTREE ON SXSW. This week Kasey is a guest blogger. She tells us about SXSW and its importance for business.

First let me tell you a bit about South by Southwest (SXSW). It's a set of film, interactive/technology, and music festivals and conferences that take place every spring in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987, and continues to grow in size every year. If I could sum up SXSW in two words I would say it's a trendsetting conference (for example, Foursquare was introduced a few years ago at SXSW).

Shamrock's interest in SXSW is quite simple: We want to know what the next big trends in interactive/technology will be so that we can prepare to have it, as needed, available to our clients. We always want to keep ahead of the interactive/technology curve to see how new trends can apply to our clients' needs. Actually, I think it's important for any business to know what's ahead in technology and interactive since it affects all our lives.

While I didn't attend SXSW in Texas, I was fortunate to attend a recent luncheon of the American Advertising Federation's Cleveland Chapter, where guests heard from three Northeast Ohio-based speakers who spoke about their experience at this year's SXSW and the future trends we may expect in interactive and technology.

Among the speakers at the Cleveland Ad luncheon was Chad Milburn, who attended SXSW, and introduced his startup. It's called Plotter (http://www.plotterapp.com/), and it won top prize at this year's SXSW Accelerator for interactive, which is a pretty big deal, since you have to be approved to even join the competition. Hooray for Cleveland!

Essentially, Plotter organizes multiple locations onto your phone to plot the locations on your own custom created maps. For example, if you're going on a trip and want to see all of your stops, you can plot out the trip in advance right on to your phone so you won’t be constantly searching for locations. The Plotter app is downloadable at the app store.

Another speaker at the Cleveland luncheon was Markus Vogl, Assistant Professor of Art, Graphic Design Area at the University of Akron. Vogl discussed a project he is working on, called Coded :: Fashion, which he describes as being at the intersection of new media and fashion design. Coded :: Fashion was premiered at the international BIFT/ITAA (Beijing Fashion Institute/International Textile Association) conference in Beijing, China, and you can find out more information about it at coedfashion.com.

The third speaker was Margarita Benitez, an Assistant Professor and fashion technologist with the Fashion School at Kent State University. Benitez talked about computer integrated textile. Her passion lies in interactivity and interaction design with an emphasis on interactivity in textiles and fashion. Her recent research involves working on OSLOOM (http://www.osloom.org/about), designed to create an open source electromechanical thread-controlled floor loom that will be computer controlled. The software will allow anyone to simply weave a photo, import weave ready files from other software (such as Bhakti/Alice photoshop method), and then post the software on a repository for others to further develop or customize into their weaving. Benitez successfully used the "KickStarter" fundraising website to raise $10,000 to fund the OSLOOM project, which is presently in pre-production.

I think Benitez summed up the 2013 SXSW conference nicely when she said, "It was an honor to present at this year's SXSW. It truly is an overwhelming event where all the latest innovation is showcased. We were representing Ohio's academia with a progressive agenda as artists and by doing so we are strengthening Northeast Ohio's position on the forefront of innovation."

I couldn't agree more. Not only are Northeast Ohio entrepreneurs gaining great benefits from the exposure they received from SXSW, but, thankfully, with the help of the American Advertising Federation Cleveland chapter, we're gaining more exposure for the tremendous talent right in our own backyard!

Best Regards,
Kasey

NEITHER RAIN, NOR SLEET... This week Bob talks about keeping positive, whether it's the Cleveland Indians or the workplace.

This year's home opener sold out in 6 minutes on Feb. 25, marking the 21st consecutive home opener sellout and the 20th at Progressive Field, which opened in 1994. It was one of the fastest sellouts in Indians history.

Was it playing our nemesis, the New York Yankees that created this sellout frenzy? Maybe part of it was, but Cleveland fans are always there, giving one for the team. We've sat through home openers that were held in biting cold weather, snow, rain, sleet. You name it, Indians home openers are always flooded with fans.

And even if you're not a baseball fan, you likely heard the Tribe lost to the Yankees. But knowing Indians fans, and being a fan myself, I'm quite sure we'll be back there cheering the team -- and some really good players such as Michael Bourn (OF), Nick Swisher, (1B/OF), Brett Myers (P), Drew Stubbs (OF), Mark Reynolds (1B), Trevor Bauer (P) -- on, up until the last pitch is thrown at the end of the season.

That energy, that enthusiasm, is contagious. I'll bet everyone who was in town for the Tribe's home opener felt it, and was pumped up by the activity around them. That's Cleveland fans. That's who we are.

Now, I challenge you to take that same energy and enthusiasm into work every day. Can you imagine what that might create?

ONE FINAL THOUGHT...

Believe me, I know that every day can't be a home opener, or a solid winning streak, and sometimes it's going to "rain" on your well-planned campaign. But I truly believe that attitude plays a big role in creating a positive outcome -- even if it's something as simple as being in an encouraging environment with your co-workers.

WHY TED IS GOOD FOR CLEVELAND. This week our guest columnist is Kasey Crabtree, social media specialist at Shamrock -- a true fan of TEDxCLE and what it stands for.

Last Thursday I attended TEDxCLE at the Cleveland Museum of Art. I attended TEDxCLE when it first came here in 2010. This one was their fourth and it was worth attending. I'd like to tell you why.

First, let me tell you what TED is. TED was founded in 1984 and had its first annual conference in 1990, in Monterey, California. TED brings together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment and Design, and there are two annual conferences, one on the West Coast, and the TEDGlobal in Edinburgh UK.

TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience, which is what I attended at TEDxCLE.

We had 8 outstanding speakers. Among them were Cleveland innovators who highlighted areas where Cleveland excels. The whole theme was about repurposing, reinventing, and collaborating to be stronger than before. In fact, Joy Roller, President of Global Cleveland summed it up nicely when she said (and I'm paraphrasing here): "...We're called a rust belt city, but let's remember that rust only forms on things that are strong and durable..."

All the speakers were great, but four really touched me, and lent great credibility to Shamrock's Gung Ho! Management Philosophy of collaborating, promoting a positive spirit, and making the world a better place.

I really enjoyed Global Cleveland. Their initiative is to increase the population of Northeast Ohio and promotes the region as a welcoming place for all. Since I'm a boomeranger, someone who lived here, left, and returned to Cleveland, I could appreciate Joy's remarks about Cleveland, which she calls the authentic American City.

Greg Harris, President and CEO, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame & Museum, spoke about icons, and how we associate different artists with specific icons. He told us about speaking to Yoko Ono and asking if she would loan to TEDxCLE John Lennon's guitar from the famous Bed-In in 1969. He persuaded her to do so, since she's a fan of TED and Cleveland. It was amazing to see that icon on the stage.

Mansfield Frazier, Executive Director, Neighborhood Solutions and Founder of Chateau Hough, told us about his organization's competitive grant, won in 2010, which established the country’s first inner-city vineyard. It's a three-quarter acre called Vineyards of Château Hough, located in the inner-city Hough community.

I was fascinated by Jen Margolis & Scott Simon, founders of Thrive Cleveland. It's considered a radical new “happiness incubator” that designs experiences, rooted in science, leading to greater individual and communal happiness.

Jen spoke of the 40% theory of happiness. She said that 50% of our individual level of happiness is determined by our DNA, 10% of our happiness is determined by external circumstances, such as food, water, shelter, etc. According to Jen, 40% of our potential individual level of happiness, which is determined by our intentional thoughts and actions.

Overall, TEDxCLE was an exhilarating experience and displayed the diverse talent and enthusiasm that's making Cleveland one of the most talked-about emerging cities in the country.

Here's to a thriving Cleveland,

Kasey