Why Project Management is like driving a school bus

An interesting thought occurred to me today while dealing with the daily  project management grind.

Project managing is really like driving a school bus. You have people of various ages, cultures and experiences forced together on a inescapable journey.

As PM you are responsible for getting everyone to the destination at the scheduled time.

You often have to stop the bus to ask the teenagers in the front seat to stop their frantic kissing. You have to pull the big kid and the small scrappy one appart before they start hitting each other and explain to the boy lying under the seats crying, that its not their fault and that in life not everyone is going to like them.

At other times you need to kick everyone off the bus and tell them to start pushing else they not going to make it home in time for their dinner.

The worst is when the kids want to get on an off  at unscheduled stops, often jumping through the windows when you not looking.

Occasionally an inspector turns up and you have to amuse them with answering endless questions about subjects they wont understand in anyway, just for them to make a few notes and wander off at the next stop.

From time to time it might look like the wheels are going to fall off, but you learn to spot the warning signs and pull into the depot to get the nuts tightened, gas tank filled up and the wheels inflated.

And just when the nothing else can go wrong, you get a flat tire... everyone gets off the bus running around shouting and starting fights. So with  one had lugging a tire, the other holding a wheel iron threatening to knock sense into the next kid who tries picks up a rock.

In the end everyone arrives safe and sound and the kid who you though hated you the most, even though you could not care less, thanks you greatly.

Things to consider when designing System Generated emails

When dealing with system generated emails it is very important to keep the messages as plain and as simple as possible.

The email should be in Plain Text and minimal to none HTML should be used. This will increase the deliverability of the email and decrease the chance that the email will be flagged, rejected or quarantined as spam.

When a URL is to be embedded, use the full URL and do not use URL shortening services.

Http://www.full-url-link.com/unshortened-and-no-redirection-services-used

It should be mentioned that the email is an automated response to a query or submission and that the mailbox is not being monitored. An alternative email address or contact mechanism should be given. For example "Please contact info@an-approprite-domain.com"

Disclaimer:

Disclaimers could be added if required but there is no US or EU legal regulations that enforced it. What is legally required is a valid opt out mechanism and full company registration details. http://www.out-law.com/page-5536

Unsubscribe: A valid opt out mechanism must be included in the email. Please see for a list of anti-spam laws http://www.spamlaws.com/world.shtml

Or if the email is of a serious critical nature include an email / mailto (no automatic) opt out method, for example: “This is a system generated message and is of a critical nature. If you feel you have received this message in error please contact info@domain.com”

Company Reg Details:

Your company's registered name (e.g. XYZ Ltd)

Your company registration number;

Your place of registration (e.g. Scotland or England & Wales); and

Your registered office address

What exactly impacts on the success of an email campaign?

What exactly impacts on the success of an email campaign?

I've often had people coming to me trying to understand why a certain campaign worked or why it was a failure.

I decided to shed some light on what your stats actually mean and why most of them is not worth the paper it's printed on

I want to look at the 4 main elements of any email blast / eshot:
1. From email address
2. Subject line
3. Creative (Images)
5. Layout
6. Body Copy (message you are trying to get across)

I also want to use the following success criteria's:
1. Delivery rate
2. Open rate
4. Click rate

I deliberately left out any website / landing page success criteria's as I want to focus on email.

Ok so lets first look at delivery rate.

Delivery Rate.
A successful delivery is when the email sender's server gets a "message accepted" from the receiving server. However this is often a false statistic as accepted by no means mean delivered.

Between acceptance and delivery a number of  firewalls, anti-virus and anti-spam devices can intercept and quarantine your message.

This is one of the few places that the creative and bad design can have a major impact. Most anti-spam devices uses "spam signatures"and various holistic scanning methods, first it looks at the from address,   subject and the body text. Some will also weigh the content of your email with the amount of coding (HTML) and the ratio of image to text.

So if you have a spam like subject from an invalid email address with  overly complex HTML or big images with very little text... well then there is a high probability your message will not be delivered.

So Pretty much all of our configurable can directly impact on the delivery, however a good compliant design will not, but bad inexperienced design will.

Open Rate.
So lets say your email made it past all the anti-spam an anti-virus gauntlets, now we can look at open rates.

Yet again, open rates is a red herring. Why you may ask? well lets look at how you measure an open rate.

Most images are linked in an email, that means the image is stored on the sending email server and a URL link to the image is embedded into the email. Each image will have a unique URL. The moment you open up the email and the image is downloaded the sending server records an "open".

Where is the red herring?

Some people have their email clients set up to automatically download images. So if they have the preview pane on, it will count as an open.

Others, myself included, have automatically download images turned off, so I get a "please click here to download images" message. I often read the email but hardly ever download the images.

So here is the problem, we have some people flagged as an open that never reads it and others flagged as non-openers that actually reads it.

What makes me open the message and download the images? A good, strong, relevant and informative subject line which ties in with the body copy. It does more to get me to open an email than any other single element.

Ok so does the following elements help with the open rate:

1. From email address? yes, fake, nonsensical email address will get your email deleted.
2. Subject line? Yes beyond a doubt. Its the single most important element in an email as its often the only element a person will see.
3. Creative (Images)?  Not at all, as you need to actually open the email to see the Images.
4. Layout? Only if the layout presents the information clearly and concisely in text. A layout that's reliant on imagery to deliver the message, will not help at all.
5. Body Copy? Plays a big factor, its the second most important element, after subject line, that will get someone to open the message. Rule of thumb, an email can do without  images, but not without text.


Click Rate.
Click rate is probably the only and most reliable measurable you can have in an email campaign.

When someone clicks, it means they're actively engaged and willing to take the next step to find out more.

Everything in an email should be focused on achieving the perfect balance. I have listed them in order of importance.

1. Clear concise messaging.
2. Clear layout with strong intuitive call to actions.
3. Strong, interesting, memorable imagery

The biggest mistake marketeers make is wanting to use new call to action delivery methods or imagery, thereby breaking away from the industry standard approach, In the hope of standing out. Unless your one of the big boys setting the web user interaction standards (facebook, google, twitter etc), stick with what they are doing.


Ok so does the following elements help with the Click rate:

1. From email address? Not really. It might impact on trust and thereby increasing the likelihood that the recipient might click.
2. Subject line? Again, it wont have such a big impact on a click.
3. Creative (Images)?  It will help to capture the recipient's attention and draw them into the body copy.
4. Layout? Absolutely, clear message layout with intuitive and visible call to actions will get you those clicks.
5. Body Copy? Yes! why would the recipient even bother clicking if your body copy did not engage them enough to want to take further action.




In conclusion. 
As you can see, each success criteria is dependant on various elements. The trick is to get the balance just right. Big strong jaw dropping graphics is useless without engaging copy, and the most amazingly engaging copy is useless if the recipient does not know how to take the next step.

Spend as much time as possible getting the copy and subject lines right and let your designer worry about the pretty pictures. Your copy is the most important aspect of it all.

Should you change or evolve your brand?

Brand is a living breathing visual language that evolves and changes as your company and the world around it changes.

Like all dead languages, if a brand is rigid stoic and not open to change it will eventually fade into obscurity.

This does not mean you should give a designer free reign. No, it means careful observation of the company, the world,  the people who interact with your brand and the communication channels and platforms they use.

The secret is to evolve the brand instead of trying to retrofit and adapt it.

A lot of the times a brand is strong enough or your designers clever enough to retrofit a brand. Sadly this is often not the case and it has led to some great brand blunders.

So do I need to change or evolve my brand?
That is often a very difficult question, but let me ask you a few questions:

1. Does your brand reflect the current values and focus of the company?
2. Does your brand reflect the current issues or conciousness of the world?
3. Does your brand inspire you? 
4. BUT More importantly, does it inspire, create confidence and pride in your target audience? 
5. Does your brand work in new media and new media channels?

So keeping all your answers to the above in mind, what do you think?

Should you make a change?

Still not sure? ok let me ask a few more questions:

1. Can your brand be transferred to different mediums and communications channels?
   
2. Can you see your brand working on Facebook?
3. How about on Twitter, Linkedin, YouTube or on one of the hundreds of popular on-line channels?
4. What about in an email or enewsletter?
5. At a tradeshow?

See where I am going with this?

At the end of the day, your brand should reflect you,  it should resonate with your target audience and be usable across multiple channels and formats.

The "You can't rush perfection" fallacy

I had a conversation recently in regards to a creative image, where I was told "you can't rush perfection" and it reminded me of a long standing argument in my creative circle.

To me perfection is totally subjective and is something that can never be achieved. True perfection can only be created by the creator of that perfection.  Ok that sounds a bit of a mouth full but let me try to explain.

If I create an image or painting or movie, I will work at it till I can stand back and say "it's perfect" (which often is never). The first person I show it to will then say "but why is the little red line skew" or "your perspective of the hand is wrong" or "what is it?".

 In their subjective view it is not perfect but suffers from a number of flaws. Thus leading them to form opinions that often clash with the opinions of the creator.

Ok so let me bring it back to the "you can't rush perfection" fallacy.  My biggest flaw with the statement is that you can never reach perfection, all you can do is reach a stage where if creates a desired emotion.

After all, all art and life is about the creation and flow of emotion, and that to is subjective.

5 things creatives need to keep in mind when dealing with a client

I recently found myself in the unfortunate position to be on the other side of the design table and was shocked at the ineptitude of how I was dealt with as a client.

Then again I must say, myself and my co-workers are not the easiest people to work with. Our drive, passion, creative ability  and attention to detail often catches people off guard.

Ultimately I am responsible for all creative in my company, so know very well the various personality types, tastes and management styles of the various departments and managers.

I thought I'd list a few points to consider when you as a designer or an agency deal with difficult demanding customers / people.


1. The customer is always right.
Misinformed, opinionated, rude, demanding… but never wrong.

Yes, I have done a number of years in retail in my early years so had this drilled in to me.

Look at it this way, do you truly know their business, their challenges and the people they report to, as well as they do?

Have you spent years in their business marketing to their target audience?


2. Know who you are talking to.
A lot of aggravation, confusion and conflict can be avoided if you take the time to find out who the key stake holders are and what they have done in the past.

This way you will not be surprised or caught off guard by an angry reaction when you marginalise procedure, principles and techniques the client has been using for years.


3. Listen and understand.
This is probably one of the biggest points. Listen to them, take their ideas and shape them so that the original idea they gave you is still visible in the final product.

If they point out something very specific, listen to them. There will be a reason why they take the time and effort to make the point

Nothing irritates people more than you trying to bully them into using your idea when they do not like the idea or have told you not to use it.


4. Adapt non critical procedures to suit customer workflows
Everyone company is different, they work different, they have different procedures and workflows.

Do not force all your procedures and workflows onto the customer. The client / contractor relationship works best when there is a certain give and take.

So keep your critical procedures but change your non critical procedures and workflows to suit the client.

for example if a client wants to receive a document for review before a meeting, but your procedure is to present the document at the meeting. Send them the document, its a non critical procedure and by sacrificing it you show your willingness to adapt to the customers needs.


5. Collaboration
This is a difficult one, from time to time you will find clients who give you complete free reign, enjoy these times, they are rare.

Other times clients come to you wanting to collaborate and work with you, they want to share their knowledge and pool resources and ideas. They do not want to be forced to use your ideas because you and only you thought it a good idea.

Key in all of this is to listen and adapt.

Summary
Know who you are dealing with, listen to what they are saying, don't underestimate their knowledge and experience and adapt to their needs.

Breaking the hold of your brain so you can be creative

Breaking the hold of your brain

Believe it or not, your brain is an evil dictator, often forcing you to behave, write or create in a predictable manner. So how do you break the brain's hold on your creative work?

One of the most important lessons I learnt while studying art was the need to untrained and retrain the brain from it's preconceived, past experience icons and phrases.

Even though it was an art exercise I have used it time and time again to help with writing or any other situation where I seemed to have a 'mental block'.

Brain symbols 
So what is brain symbols? The eeriest way to explain it is to ask you to draw a tree. Go on draw one then come back.

The chances are you drew a tree that consisted of two lines for the trunk and a circular shape for the leaves. What you drew is the symbol your brain sees as a tree, the 'icon' if you want, for the part of your brain that deals with trees.

Now if I show you a picture of a tree and ask you to draw it, your brain will keep trying to force your hand to draw the icon of a tree causing frustration and making you believe you can't draw.

It works the same with a message or any piece of writing. The brain would rather regurgitate past messages than try to form new links and new messages.

The problem gets worse the longer you have been exposed to s certain message. Eventually you will convince yourself that this is the only possible message that can be told. And even worst is that you believe this is the message people want to hear.

Breaking the hold of the brain: Change perspective.
Ok so how do we go about it? Well in art you change your perspective, you turn the subject upside down and suddenly your eyes can't tell your brain what it's looking at, the brain can then not force the hand to draw the icon.

With writing change the perspective of the writer. Try writing from the readers point of view, someone who has never heard about your subject. Someone who does not know the buzz words.

How about trying to write it so that a 10 year old can understand the message?

Please keep in mind these are merely exercises to help unlock the message that resonates.

Breaking the hold of the brain: Segmentation
Most of the grand masters use to fool their brain by segmenting their subject. They used a number of techniques. My favourite involved a wooden frame and wire creating s grid, they will then draw each part of the grid ignoring the rest of the image.

When writing, start anywhere but the beginning. Find the spot that resonates the most and write away, then move on to the next part that feels natural. You can always come back later and rewrite the bit you started with.

This is one of my favourite techniques, as I personally tend to see certain parts of the writing before I see the whole. For example writing this post I started with "clearing the attic" below.

Breaking the hold of the brain: Clearing the attic
Wonderful as the brain is, it can be a right pain at times. It will fight and distract you with thoughts and ideas that is not useful for what you are currently trying to achieve.

So just go with it but give it a bit of structure, draw or write everything out. No matter if it is relevant or not, the idea is to get the junk cleared out of the way so that you can get to the good stuff thats locked away in the brain.

People are often taken aback when in planning meetings I clear out the brain first with often ludicrous ideas. However 9 times out of 10 ludicrous ideas leads to a conversation or an idea that becomes a communal work of genius.

Conclusion
There are so many techniques that can be used and I'll update this posting as time goes by.

What I really just want, is that you have a look at your writing and see if it is truly the best you can do, or is it just a rehashed message because the brain refused to relent it's past experiences and writing


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