The Roundpeg crew enjoyed a team building trip to the Super Bowl festivities last Friday. Have you had a chance to check out the fun?

Although it’s easy to get distracted this week we continue to publish at least one blog post daily. If you’ve been visiting Super Bowl Village on a daily basis you may have missed out. Now’s your chance to catch up.

Saturday - Faces of Roundpeg: New Characters – Jenna and Peter
We are a bit more polished, more professional and more grown up thanks to our newest cast members.

Sunday – What’s In a Theme?
Peter explains (to Romeo?) the basics behind WordPress themes.

Monday - Knowing When to Walk Away: Dealing with Anger Online
Always good to think before you respond whether in person or online.

Tuesday – Sometimes What’s Old is New Again
Sharing the love for WordPress plug in Tweet Old Post.

MTFW: Unfunded with Nick Carter
Listen to our talk with Nick Carter about his experiences growing his firm, AddressTwo as an “unfunded” venture.

Wednesday – Your New Truck is a Website
The inspiration for a client’s rebranding came from their original truck sign.

Thursday – Use FAQs as Blog Post Starters
FAQs and answers to questions make great content for blog posts.

Friday – Why Playing Hooky Can Help Your Business

Reflecting on our Adventure in the SuperBowl Village, Allison talks about why these types of outing are good for your business

Branding does not stop at the edge of the paper or the bottom of a website. True branding extends into all facets of your customer experience. How you answer your phone, greet guests as they visit and even furnish your office all combine to create a brand impression.

This week, we will be talking to interior designer James Kuster, specifically about how he works with clients to extend their brand into all facets of the customer experience.

Do you have any comments or questions? Post it here, send it to one of us on Twitter or Facebook, or call in during the show at (805) 285 -9865. Remember to use the hashtag #MTFW on Twitter, so we can find your comments during the broadcast.

The call will be live from 10:30 – 11:00 today, Wednesday, January 4. You will be able to listen to the program from our  station on BlogTalkRadio.com

So, I left to go to the store on my bike. I love bikes, don’t you? Biking is great, like that time I went biking through the foothills of Mount Everest. Did I ever tell you about the time I went to Peru? It was awesome, we ate guinea pig. It reminded me of the pet gerbil I had as a kid. But, anyway, I was on my way to the store...

Don’t you hate getting caught in a conversation with someone who can’t just tell you a straightforward story? You want them to tell you one simple thing, but they have to expound on every detail, get caught on every tangent. Instead of focusing like a laser on one narrative, they dart around from thread to thread, and the true story gets lost.

Many brands have this exact problem. Instead of honing in on their one selling proposition, they want to be all things to all people–and tell all the stories at once. They’re experienced–been around since 1665!–but still on the cutting edge. They’re the cheapest around, but they don’t forget about quality, no sir! And their customer service is the best in the industry, but it’s all no-pressure sales. It’s just what makes Company X unique!

With all that messy muddle in there, you can’t pick out what’s really important and what does differentiate your small business  from the rest of it’s competitors. We get it, you want to be good at everything. You want to be just all-around awesome and make sure everyone knows it. But your true essence is getting caught in that contradictory tangle and your prospective client walks away with a sigh–you’re just like everyone else.

So instead of trying to tell your entire life story in one sitting, tease out the one story that matters. Maybe it is your long tradition and experience in your industry, which allows you insight no one else has. Or maybe it is that incredible customer service, with your patient and friendly staff who are like family. Find what makes you different and embrace it. Sing that story loud and proud, and use it to get people in the door. Then you can wow them with all those other stories. But when it comes to your marketing, keep your stories simple and streamlined.

What story do you tell?

“I really like how clean and modern it is, but could we fill in all that white space and add these 16 product shots and all four of our tag lines?”

While this is not a direct quote from any of our clients, it is similar to some of the things I’ve heard in the past that have made me want to take my college diploma and light it on fire. One of the biggest challenges is striking a balance between what looks good and what the client wants.  There are definitely days when I think to myself, “If all everyone wants are gradients, drop shadows and Papyrus, why am I doing this?”

There are basically three reasons:

#1- Graphic design is what I love. Since my first visual communication class in high school, I’ve found myself noticing and analyzing design everywhere. As with most designers, the tiny details most people overlook stand out to me and usually either excite or irritate me. I can’t remember the last time I was able to eat at a restaurant without critiquing the menu. As much as this drives me crazy, it also makes me good at what I do and keeps me coming back to it everyday.

#2- Not all clients are nightmares. For the most part Roundpeg works with reasonable people who understand we have their best interests at heart and trust that we know what we are doing. I’ve had clients that would actually listen to me explain a design and the reasoning behind it, and come back with some great ideas of their own. These projects always turn out the best because we find the perfect balance of design aesthetic and communicating the message to the target audience.

#3- I know how to pick my battles. I can’t win every time, and fortunately I accepted that years ago. Sure, in my younger years you would have basically needed to pry the scorned design from my cold dead fingers, but these days I understand that some clients know what they want, and right or wrong I must give it to them. I know these pieces aren’t going in my portfolio and that makes me sad, but on the bright side, it gives Allison, Peter and I something to laugh about when we need to take a break from staring at our computers all day. Plus, I always keep my fingers crossed. Maybe someday that guy who tried to get me to create a bouquet of plungers in Photoshop will come to his senses and decide I was right after all.

My advice to anyone who is planning to work with a graphic designer is to bring any materials you find inspiring to the kickoff meeting, speak up and let your designer know your likes and dislikes and most importantly keep an open mind. It is our job to pay attention to design trends and styles and understand how to best convey your message.  Remember we’re here to help. We want you, and most importantly your customer, to love your design as much as we do!

The beauty of social media is that it gives brands immediate access to customer reactions. Today’s consumers aren’t shy about turning to social media to register their opinion about your company’s latest move. And usually, it’s an unhappy opinion. Fewer people log onto social media to share how awesome your new packaging design is or how fabulous that new video is, but if they dislike something, a torrent will be unleashed on your page.

Sometimes, this is a blessing. If there’s a genuine problem with your business, for instance, customer service issues or defective products, it’s a chance for you to become aware of the problem and fix it in a timely manner. But other times this “constructive criticism” can turn into a pointless, abusive whirlwind that distracts you from your real goals.

Let’s take Coca Cola, one of the biggest brands in the world. They recently decided to try something new: white Classic Coke cans for the holidays, with proceeds from sales going to save the polar bears. Cute, right? Apparently not. Customers expressed their outrage at the change of the classic red coke cans. Some complained the cans were too similar to Diet Coke’s silver look, while others just hated to see the red go, even temporarily. Some even claimed Coke tasted different in the red cans. So what did Coke do? They pulled the white cans.

This isn’t a matter of a bad product or bad customer service. This isn’t a “mistake” the company made–it’s a matter of opinion. Yet Coke almost immediately abandoned their long-term plans for the cans and changed them back to their trademark red. It’s almost inexplicable. Were people really going to stop buying Coke because of the color of the can?

To contrast Coca Cola’s acquiescence, let’s look at Facebook. Facebook constantly rolls out sweeping user experience changes, alterations to privacy policy and other tweaks to every part of the site. There’s always an outcry, furious petitions and people begging them to return to “old Facebook.” And Facebook (with a few notable exceptions), doesn’t. They expect their customers to adapt. And they do, to the point that they’ll beg for that old interface when a new one comes out and the cycle begins again.

The right path, as usual, lies somewhere in the middle of these two extremes. Listen intently to your customer. Take their thoughts and opinions seriously, and then choose what’s useful and what’s noise. Be true to who you are, but don’t be afraid to make changes when necessary. But don’t fold at the slightest whiff of trouble. Keep your  spine in tact.

Balancing multiple social media accounts can be difficult. But balancing different personalities on those accounts is even harder.  How can you manage it? Join us as we chat with Kyle Lacy, the author of  Branding Yourself about building a social media brand.

Also joining us in the house will be Leilan McNalley, or the Big Kahuna as he’s often referred to, about his experiences managing multiple brands. We will be talking about the good, the bad and the ugly of managing multiple brands.  Lorraine will weigh in as well, because she just made the jump from Roundpeg’s Twitter account to a personal one.

The conversation headed in a series of different directions as Leilan introduced #occupyroundpeg, and his own personal wardrobe during the podcast.  If you missed the program, you can still listen to it here:

About our guests:

Kyle is recognized both locally and globally for his knowledge of social media. He is author of two books: Twitter Marketing for Dummies (Wiley, 2009 / 2011) and Branding Yourself (Pearson, 2010).

He was recently recognized as Young Alumni of the Year from Anderson University (2010), Forty-under-40 from the Indianapolis Business Journal (2010), and Young Entrepreneur of the Year from TechPoint.

Leilan is an expert in juggling multiple social media personas. Foremost, he is a grad student focused on nonprofits and news outlets utilization of social media platforms, but his alter ego is a self-described narcissistic humorist and court jester of all social media.

What a fun week!  It included another trip for Lorraine and our first Pumpkin Carving Event.   If you missed some of the ups and downs, you can catch up on all the action here:

Saturday - The Faces of Roundpeg
As we approach our 10 year anniversary, we’ll introduce you to family, friends and employees who have helped shape who we are.

Sunday – My Roundpeg Story
In Rebecca’s first foray into the blogoshere, she tells how Roundpeg came to be part of her life.

Monday – What Changes to Facebook Mean to You and Your Business
Allison explains the pros and cons of Facebook’s new timeline.

Tuesday – Social Media Strategy and Budget
Further thoughts on the results of the 2011 Small Business Social Media Survey.

Wednesday -MTFW – Community Marketing with Steven Shattuck
With Lorraine on the road, Joe and Allison hosted guest Steven Shattuck for a discussion of community marketing tactics.

Marketing, Social Media and Pumpkin Carving Too!
If you’re reading this than you may have missed our pumpkin carving party and a special episode of Roundpeg radio.

Thursday – Indiana Acupuncture
Jenna’s recent redesign of Indiana Acupuncture brochures greatly improved both the functionality and the aesthetics.

I am having a bit of an identity crisis.  For the better part of the last ten years, Lorraine Ball and Roundpeg have been one and the same. Over the last few years the company has grown as I have hired some amazing and talented people.  While each one of them fits the Roundpeg mold: “creative and quirky”, each one is also a unique individual.  It has been awesome to see the brand grow and change because of their influence.

So where does the identity crisis come in?  It is on Twitter.  Four years ago when I first jumped in, twitter was for fun. I never expected twitter to be more then just an interesting way to stay in touch with friends.   I certainly never anticipated how integral to my business it would become. I choose @roundpeg as my handle because it was short and memorable. And since it was the name of my company,  it made sense.

And it has made sense for a long time.  With more than 5,000 followers,  I love when someone, even a total stranger stops me and says:  ”Hey!  You’re Roundpeg!” –  I like being Roundpeg.   – But today, Roundpeg is more then me.  It  gets confusing when you see tweets talking about me @roundpeg or the company @roundpeg.  To make things more complicated, I am  also Lorraine Ball, someone who has ideas, interests and opinions which don’t make sense coming from @roundpeg the company.

So now the hard question: How do I separate the two brands? This wouldn’t be a big deal if we weren’t a social media company, but we are. We get paid to answer tough questions about social media branding for others.  This is one we have to answer for ourselves … and the answer is simple, it is time for @roundpeg to represent the company overall.

Now my challenge is how do I make that migration? After four years, and more than 20,000 tweets, @roundpeg has quite a following. We will maintain the company account, but how do I start over with a twitter account that has 40 followers and just 13 tweets? (Fortunately, I was smart enough to grab my name a few years ago, just in case)

We tell people we can help them build real twitter communities, not just legions of spam followers, so it is time to put my money where my mouth is, and do it for myself.  In the transition, I will be writing from both accounts, moving the more personal content @lorraineball, but still maintaining a bit of fun and attitude @roundpeg (after all the company has a personality too).

How long will the separation take? I have no idea, but you can help by following both @roundpeg and @lorraineball on twitter.

Today’s blog post is by Randy Clark the Director of Communications at TKO Graphix, where he blogs for TKO Graphix Brandwire

First off, I’m not talking about Jon Stewart dissin’ your rep, on the Daily Show, or bad rap music. I’m talking about what you should put on your company vehicles: vehicle graphics, wraps or decals. A wrap covers a large area, while a plotter cut decal may be applied to just a panel or a door. It’s important to realize a vehicle graphic isn’t just vehicle identification — it’s advertising, and BAD advertising can hurt your company.

What Makes A Bad Wrap?

Poor Design:

• Busy graphics that hide the message: I recently saw a work truck with a beautiful full-color image; however, I had no idea who the company was — the message was lost.
• Poor layout, contrast, and color: For example, poor contrast can mean using a hue of blue lettering on a vehicle with nearly the same hue of blue.
• Offensive images:This is not a place for innuendo or scantily clad models. You will offend someone.
• Legibility :I’ve seen fonts, which may be pretty, but are difficult to read. - Who is this company and what is their message?

Poor Print Quality

Cheap material: This “savings” can lead to faded, worn-looking graphics in a short time. If it looks bad, isn’t that a reflection on your organization?

Color uniformity: Is the first vehicle graphic the same color as the fourth?

Resolution: The printer resolution should be matched to the application. Viewing distance, vehicle size, and the size of the graphic should be considered — SIZE matters.

Bad Installation :

Non-certified installers. This is important. Check the certification — 3M has an excellent program.

Vehicle not properly prepped:Not only does the vehicle need thoroughly cleaned, but all equipment such as headlights and taillights, mirrors, moldings, etc., should be removed by the installers prior to installation.

Shortcuts :Workarounds like not removing a taillight and trying to wrap around it, not aligning seams, or improper trimming will degrade your company’s image.

What Makes a Good Wrap?

I could go on and on, or I could just tell you, “Don’t do the bad stuff!” If you’re new to wraps and aren’t sure what to ask, read more with The 10 Questions You Need To Ask About Fleet Graphics.

Randy Clark is the Director of Communications at TKO Graphix, where he blogs for TKO Graphix Brandwire. Prior to TKO, he spent 13 years with Unique Home Solutions as Marketing Director and VP of Operations.

He is an avid flower gardener, beer geek, and he fronts the Under The Radar rock & roll band. Randy is husband to public speaker Cathi Clark, and father of Principal Dawna Bobersky and Educator Amanda Propst. Randy is a proud a grandfather of four.