One of my favorite things about Austin is the strong sense of community, and the places I see that on a daily basis are at local coffee shops. Whether you’re looking for a creative, inspirational workspace or simply searching for a good drip, these shops present cool atmospheres that only Austin can offer.
What’s up? My name is Anna Vehslage and I am thrilled to join the team at HMG Creative as the new Marketing & Social Media intern. I am entering my senior year at the University of Texas at Austin and will graduate in May with a B.S. in Advertising Management and a Certificate in Business Foundations. Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, I made my way to Austin in 2014 as a 3rd generation Longhorn. Although the football team has been disappointing, I still have high hopes they will pull it together for my final season as a student #TeamHerman. I will be sad to leave my 40-acre home in nine short months, but I know “What starts here, changes the world.” When I’m not studying or at work, you can find me at pilates just before I scarf down my weekly cheeseburger—I’m all about a balanced diet.
With options like LinkedIn, Facebook, and the ability share contact info between mobile devices, we asked ourselves: Are business cards still relevant in presenting yourself professionally? To find answers, we chose to explore the two main positions one might take.
Can an old dog learn new tricks? The answer is yes, and with all due respect, your business may be an old dog. Just because your business has stood the test of time and remained strong doesn’t mean there is not room for improvement. The business world does not stand still, and in order to keep up with its constant need to move and change, your business needs to adapt to it. Among other elements of business, methods for attracting clients seem to shift rapidly in line with cultural and market forces.
Finding the right agency can be a difficult and stressful process, usually due to several factors simultaneously in motion. You may need help developing a branding strategy before it’s time to begin the web project, or you may need to coordinate ongoing marketing efforts, such as PPC or retargeting, within the scope of a much larger project that is already underway. It can also be tough to choose an agency that fully understands and harmonize your story, brand and culture consistently through every single project. However, the right fit is usually self-evident, meaning that you’ll know when you’ve found the right one.
Earlier this year, U.S. News ranked Austin, Texas the best place to live in the United States. The city is growing faster now than ever, and people are wondering what is drawing such a large crowd to Austin. Along with it being the Live Music Capital of the world, Austin’s job market is thriving and businesses are flourishing. U.S. News analyzed the cost of living, job market, quality of life and desirability to determine rankings which resulted in Austin being the most desirable place to live in 2017.
A great amount of research has gone into exploring the benefits of collaboration. In the talks listed below, seven experts explore where ideas can lead through collaboration and open-source solutions. They discuss how multibillion-dollar companies incorporate collaboration in the workplace today, where we could be as a society with increased daily collaboration and where human communication might go as technology advances. They also share personal experiences from using and contributing to open-source information, how it led to mass collaboration and their results.
Brand strategy as a concept can often be bit murky or esoteric. Whether you’re an established business or an individual searching for a more prominent way to self-brand, it can be difficult to identify a starting point and select a course of action. Social media offers endless opportunity for engagement, so maintaining a cohesive presence across platforms can be daunting. It’s important to remember that your strategy is your anchor, and keeps your team in sync with how your brand interacts with the world.
A strong relationship between client and agency is vital to creating the best possible work. In order to foster an honest, transparent working relationship, you should come to the table prepared and ready to discuss the needs and fundamental values that make up your brand.
In truly collaborative working relationships, no party is left in the dark. You should be made aware as new milestones are reached in the creative process, have opportunities to provide feedback, and have reasonable expectations set by the agency. In order to build long lasting relationships, there should be a healthy, back-and-forth flow of communication, with very little uncertainty. It is better to plainly explain what you mean again and again, than to assume you were understood.
Social media is not just an outlet to read about the political views of your “friends.” It is more than a channel for sharing your latest selfies. Social media is an integral part of business.
