When we first conceived this blog, we really wanted it to be a place to talk about marketing, not a sales platform. However, we have learned that we also need a place to let people know about new services and products from Imagine Creative Communications. The blog seems to be the best place to put this information out there because we we want to give you the chance to comment – are we on the right track, can we improve it or are we missing the point? You can't do that with a news release. So, here's the first service update: Imagine Creative Communications has offered e-mail marketing service for a while: Enveo Smart E-mail Marketing. It is a pay-as you go service, ideal for irregular mailings - less than once a month. Now, to meet the needs of clients with regular and higher volume mail programs, we are pleased to add monthly subscriber plans. Pricing is geared to the size of your mailing list. For more information go to the Enveo Marketing web site. What do you think? Join the conversation.

Everybody is all aflutter over social media these days – blogging, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and a host of other bookmarking and sharing sites. For many, if not most businesses and organizations, it really is an effective way to engage your audience. However, if you are already involved with social media, don't think you can stop reading just yet. No longer is it a case of whether you are involved with social media, but if you do it with style. A consistent visual look to to everything you do is essential, right? We've certainly talked about that before. But does that consistency of your identity extend to you your social media outlets too? Do you still have the standard swirls and bluebird on your Twitter page or does it look like it belongs to your business or organization? Does your Facebook page look like any other Facebook page or YOUR Facebook page? It doesn't matter how you communicate with your audience, make sure they know it's from you. By the way, what do your e-mails look like? I hope people can tell at a glance that the message came from your business or organization. It doesn't have to be fancy, but it does need to use appropriate colours. Logos are optional, but there should be some style. Show you care about who you are. What do you think? Share your thoughts and join the conversation.

Here's a story that really talks to the power of a brand. I was recently part of a conversation where a colleague was horrified to find out that her internet service provider (ISP) subcontracted their e-mail service to Hotmail. Another person chimed in, saying that although they use Hotmail, they would never want to use an ISP that used Hotmail or it's competitor Gmail. I was astounded, not because of any opinions I have about Hotmail, but because their response was based wholly on perception. If my colleague had been told that her ISP contracted Microsoft to run its e-mail service, she probably wouldn't flinch - yet Hotmail is a brand of Microsoft. And she was horrified. Is it because Hotmail is a free service, because it has advertising on its web space? I don't know. In my mind, there's merit in an internet company using established e-mail service providers like that. One would think that Microsoft and Google know a thing or two about running e-mail services. Consider the volume of e-mail both those systems handle on a daily basis, with relatively few problems. If they can do that for their own service, no reason why they can't do it on a subcontract basis. This story really demonstrates to me just how we make so many decisions based on our perception of an organization based on their brand - not just the logo they use or the colours on their web site. A brand is a much more holistic experience. It involves the purchase or user experience, price point, who we associate with and how we interact with our community. In fact, our entire knowledge and perception of the organization or service. What do you think? Join the conversation. Leave a comment.