What Has Orbit Creative Been Up To?

We've created a slide show of a sampling of our work. Please take a moment to view the creative we have developed for our clients. By clicking on the screen shot, you can view an enlarged version of the slideshow with brief overviews of what we have accomplished for each client. By clicking on the labels in the index found in the lower left side of the blog, you will be taken to categories of your interest and there you will find individual stories and testimonials for some of our clients.
To view the expanded national experience we offer, through one of our professional partners, Glen Bentley, click to view his portfolio of work. gmbportfolio.com

Our Orbit Creative blog is the way we share the brand stories we create for our clients. . we hope you will visit us again!

Don't Experience A Failure To Communicate - Say "Hello!" To Hello! Marketing™

In good times, and challenging times, it is sometimes hard for small businesses to pull the trigger on a marketing plan. Sounds time consuming. . expensive. . and scary. Not true! Believe me, it is not genius and it doesn't have to be complex. But, small budget or large, to get the most out of the marketing dollars you spend, you should seek a professional that cares about small business marketing and that can help you craft a simple plan that includes a combination of marketing platforms that are relevant to your business - whether they be new media or traditional.

Just because everyone is Friending on Facebook, Tweeting on Twitter, e-newsletter campaigning and combining a myriad of other media items does not mean they are all relevant to you. . and maybe some of them are, but you don't even know it! That's where planning and process with a professional can help.

Even with all of the new communications tools available, remember, the basic tenets of marketing still apply:
- Create awareness with the right customers
- Encourage them to buy, become repeat customers and refer your brand to others that have the intent to purchase
- Increase the perceived value of your brand
- Make sure you play up your brand's comfort factor

And remember, saying "Goodbye" to your marketing in tight budget times is a sure way to sabotage your business growth. If nobody knows, nobody goes. . and relying on past perceptions does not work in today's marketplace. For, as many people that become lapsed consumers, there are new ones, and you have to grab them. That is why Orbit Creative is always innovating their approach to help small businesses to outsmart, not outspend the competition.

Don't experience a failure to communicate. Ask us about our Hello! Marketing™ program.

Keep Your Business Profile Strong With Brand Staging

We love the cable TV shows that deal with the subject of "staging" and makeovers. They're great entertainment. Who doesn't like to see a transformation from before to after? Whether it is your home, business, wardrobe, or your career, these "tweaks" are meant to optimize your assets with limited budget outlays creating results that can help lead to success in short time frames, while addressing specific challenges.

Believe it or not, the subjects of the staging/makeovers - house, business, wardrobe, career - represent your brand. And the way they are formed and presented say a lot about you. . and can determine your chances for consideration. . . and success.

Did you ever notice the key element to these makeover/staging successes? Outside help. . from people who are experts in those areas.

That's where we come in. In addition to our work for our larger corporate clients, we help a very critical segment of business - entrepreneurs, small venues, smaller non-profit organizations, retail businesses, and vendors that service other businesses. These smaller entities are passionate about what they do, but may not have the expertise in knowing how to market that passion. In many instances, they haven't even considered a small branding/marketing plan from an outside source, because they thought that was money they could not afford to spend. But it is actually the most important investment anyone in business could make.

Remember this: Your most valuable asset is your brand.

- Do you know who you are?
- Do you know your position in the marketplace or what your position should be?
- Does your current brand identity reflect all that you are and can be?
- Does your brand convey a no-nonsense, yet stylish, approach that is conveyed in a consistent manner across your entire system?
- How do you communicate your brand to your biggest fans (your employees) and on to your customers?
- How do you encourage brand loyalty?

A successful brand is original, authentic and delivers a differentiating brand promise. Defining and creating that is step one.

Step two is marketing that brand. Here are some items to consider:

- Your organization is the brand "Promise Delivery System" - market it.
- You need to have a premise of irresistible value.
- Everything about your brand image should match.
- Promotion has never been more important.
- Perception is reality - people like to be with "winners" and if your brand does not speak to success, people will steer clear.
- If nobody knows. . nobody goes. . have a brand story to tell and share your expertise.
- It's all about relationships - develop them, nurture them, value them - they will turn into your brand advocates.

Let us help you stage your brand so that you can focus on making your business as successful as it can be. Challenging times always offer opportunities. Stay in the game. Stay a contender in the business you are passionate about. Stay true to your mission of success.

Build A Better Relationship By Creating A Conversation And Ditch The Pitch - It's The Key Piece To Your Marketing Puzzle

If you believe in your business, wouldn't it be better to start a conversation with a potential client/customer, rather than pitch a pitch? It just seems more natural and more interesting. Developing the "30-second elevator pitch" is a great internal exercise that allows you to sum up what makes your business different, but most people cannot describe what they do in 30 seconds, resulting in an awkward attempt at introduction that does not come across as sincere.

These competitve markets demand methodologies that give customers the motivation to make a choice, not just information, and there is nothing better than a conversation to build up a relationship and encourage people to choose you.

When you become the engager of the conversation, people will naturally gravitate towards you and the next thing you know. . BOOM. . you become the LISTENER and before you know it you will know more about what they do, what makes them special and what they need. Your goal has been achieved and your "sell" becomes that much easier because you have naturally found a fit with your product or service offerings that you can extend into another conversation, bringing the business relationship to the next level.

At Orbit Creative, we believe in collaboration and dialogue, which is why we start each client relationship with our Brand Survey tool. This is an in-depth, relevant series of conversational questions that allow us to get to know a potential client better. We commence each project this way and it has proven to provide us with the basis to develop a road map that guides us to a successful journey on any project - large or small.

It's purpose is two-fold: (1) It helps the client engage in some serious self-analysis about where they've been, where they are, and why they are asking us to help them in the future. (2) It helps us to know the client's wants and needs, sets benchmarks and defines the budgetary and timeline goals for the entire project.

The last thing we want is to get to the end of the marketing plan puzzle and find out there's a piece missing, so we encourage each client, who contacts us to work on a project, to participate in this process. It's amazing how much you actually find out about your own business that you never knew!

We know you take your business very seriously. . and we do, too. . which is why we encourage conversations!

Ideas Matter. . .That's Why Thomas Edison Was Brilliant

As we "gear up" for ringing in the new year later tonight, human nature guides us to not only reflect on our past but to look forward, with optimism, towards our future. Sure, 2008 was one heck of a test of our mettle! But, listening to NPR this morning I was given this little tid bit of information: Today marks the anniversary of Thomas Edison's "invention" of the lightbulb in 1879. Well, actually, Edison did not invent the lightbulb, itself. There were many men tinkering with that idea, starting around 1809. But, what Edison did that the others could not was to invent a thermal regulator that made the light sustain itself for longer periods of time. He went on to invent and patent even more unique and life-changing tools in the areas of electricity, printing, telegraphs, photographic film for moving picture machines, screen projection, voting machines -- just to name a few.

That is why we think Thomas Edison is so important in our orbit of creativity. Not just for his inventions, but for his curiosity, inspiration and his drive to constantly strive to be better, invent better and improve upon ideas and inventions that may have been started by others. That is the process of creativity.

When it comes to your BRAND -- what you say, how you say it and how you present the brand image should inspire curiosity and drive clients to ask. . What can you do for me? We work with clients to invent, and reinvent - on budgets small and large - so that they can convey their inspiration for being the best in their area of expertise.

As Thomas Edison says: "My main purpose in life is to make enough money to create even more inventions. . ." So, as we ring in the new year and look forward to 2009, take a moment and visit one of the most interesting sites on the web - How Edison Are You? You will be inspired. .

Fulton Youtheatre Wins Prestigious Award

"Just wanted to personally thank you and your staff for the lovely work you did for the Fulton Family Theatre programs. They are the nicest materials we've had in a very long time."
- Barry Kornhauser, Director Fulton Youtheatre

We are so very proud of our client, Fulton Theatre, and their Youtheatre program, for receiving high honors in Washington, DC in the form of the 2008 Coming Up Taller award at a ceremony at the White House. It makes us feel so honored to be working with an organization that is making a difference! Congratulations to Barry Kornhauser et al for their tireless dedication to their craft.

ECON101: We Help Non-Profits Look Good On The Web And On A Budget

We are always looking for ways that we can make our clients maximize their budgets and look great in whatever medium they choose. When this non-profit youth organization, based in southern Florida, came to us with a conservative budget and needed an unlimited page web site with photo slide shows, event calendars, contact forms, and more. . we made it work for them. They couldn't be happier! We put the site together in 3 weeks and for less than the original budget parameters. Take a look and then ask us how we can build one for you! Mighty Chippewas.org