While working for a similar agency to Atelier based in London I came across some cool websites which they had built for some pretty impressive brands. The daily commute I was making to London was fast becoming long, tiring and more worryingly, unproductive! I popped into the offices here on London Road and asked about a role. My first impressions were that the people here look like a great bunch to work with and I really want to become part of it.

2. And what exactly is it you do here?

If you ever visit us you will find me in the management team in the front office. My role here is quite varied. I like to get involved with the new enquiries that come into the office. Visiting our clients and discussing their projects gives me a real buzz. I also manage our clients accounts, provide helpdesk assistance, write articles for our newsletters and even make the odd cup of tea!

3. We always see you down the pub with a right dragon, explain.

I have some unusual pets at home, a trio of Bearded Dragons lizards who need good UV exposure to remain healthy. Being docile creatures a sunny beer garden does just the trick and they are certainly good conversation starters.

4. What makes you angry?
I don’t think I am an angry person really. People who are not punctual and who tell porkie pies tend to put me in a bad mood.

5. What’s you’re best achievement to date?

Professionally I am proud that for a previous employer I developed the highest volume of sales at the highest gross profit margin amongst a national sales team of over 100 executives.
On a personal level learning to speak French fluently ranks pretty high as does learning to play the guitar, something which when I first picked up thought I would never get to grips with let alone become any good.

6. TV is finally coming to and end, which movie do you want to watch on last time?

Good question – It would have to be a either Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas or the Die Hard box-set.

7. Please attach a feature photo and explain why it’s so important to you.

This picture is of Le Pont Du Gard in southern France. This stunning 50KM aqueduct runs between Uzes and Nimes and was built by the Romans in the middle of the first century AD. I’m always amazed at the scale of the design and how complicated it must have been to construct. I also have many fond memories of canoe trips with friends around this area and I most certainly recommend you paying it a visit.

8. Tell us an interesting fact about Tom that we don’t know about.

I always dreamt of flying jets with the RAF but I have too bigger feet to work the tail controls!

9. This world can be a wonderful place, where would you recommend?

I grew up in France and there are some truly beautiful places to see there but a Caribbean sunset has to top the list for me.

10. You seem to be wise young man, what’s your top tip in life?

Life for me is all about setting goals and measuring my achievements but more than often these goals are quite daunting and difficult to plan for. I breakdown my objectives into smaller steps which are measurable and realistic for me to achieve. This way I can see if I’m on track to achieving what I set out to accomplish and I get the buzz of ticking milestones off my list as complete.

1. Why have you joined Atelier?

I wanted to work in a company where it wasn’t a chore to come into work everyday or feel like an empty face sitting at a desk. Atelier caught my eye after seeing their Conkerthon on the blog, so I knew that’s who I wanted to work for. Being a 10 minute walk from my house is also a little bit handy as well.

2. What’s your background?

Bought up in Coventry, after a few years bumming around moved to Bristol and studied Marketing. Worked for a web design company where I quickly got into the wonderful world of SEO. Moved on to Sarrrfamption where I have been for about 3 years, optimising the world for the God we call Google.

3. Who’s your favourite celebrity?

It has to be Kylie, how can it not be Kylie, mmmmm Kylie

4. What team do you support?

I don’t really support any team, but when I was growing up you weren’t allowed to be in the house unless you supported Celtic, so its got to be them really.

5. What do you get up to at the weekends?

Mostly enjoy visiting all the places around Hampshire with my lovely girlfriend Abi, taking in the sights and discovering new places, with a moderate and responsible (!!) amount of drinking obviously.

6. What’s it like working at Atelier?

I really enjoy it, it a good bunch of people, who enjoy having a laugh and really care about what they are doing. There’s a plentiful supply of Tea as well

7. Tell us an interesting fact that none of us know about?

I once served Ian Beale and a Cranky in a shop, but obviously not at the same time as that would have just been weird. I can also move my eyes independently.

8. Please attach Feature photo and tell us why it’s important to you?

This is Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol where I lived for around 5 years and it was the best time of my life. I used to drive past the suspension bridge everyday on the way to work and was always amazed at what a sight it was.

9. What’s your top tip in life?

Never tell an Australian that you own them. They don’t like that apparently.

10. Who do you aspire to be?

Cheesy answer, but its got to be my Dad. Hard working, always provided and has spent most of his life making sure his kids get everything they needed and still does even though we are all grown up now. A really lovely guy.

11. What’s your favourite sandwich?

Two words – Sausage Sandwich – your life will always be fulfilled as long as you remember those two words.

Twitter is an ever growing social media platform. More and more businesses use twitter as a marketing tool, and if employed correctly it can be a very powerful one. Having said that, many companies are simply unaware of what an effective tweet is. So how do you go about using this tool to its true potential to engage with more customers?

Content is king! Most business I see using twitter are posting promotional tweets which link back to their website. Sure, you need to post tweets like these, but submitting a wider variety of content will get you further! For example, find an article on the web relating to your industry or area of expertise, write down what your thoughts/comments are and tweet that with a link to the very same article. Many businesses in the motor trade posted regular tweets concerning the fiasco Toyota were in recently. By doing this, you are casting a much wider net in the social pond so more people are likely to read your tweets and become your follower.

Stimulate interaction – posting a tweet which allows someone to respond is a great way to get customer insight but also to read and analyse opinions from other professionals within your industry. Writing tweets which encourage readers to give their opinions is what your approach to twitter should be. The core ethos of social media is to establish connections and to share information or opinions between people, so if your tweets are simply statements, they will not work to the fullest potential that this amazing platform has to offer!

Tweet regularly – log on to the twitter website and do your stuff there or you can use one of the automatic tweeters such as Twitter Adder. This will store your pre-written tweets and post them out at regular set intervals – great for busy businesses. Irregular tweets turn the online crowd off, people lose interest in what you say and become less conscious of your brand. Which is the antipode of what you’re trying to achieve! Likewise, over-tweeting will have the same effect – so don’t go crazy!

Watch your language! Clearly your audience must understand the content of your tweet, but at the same time you have to persuade readers to follow you, sign up to your fan page, visit your website etc… Can you do this in 140 characters or less? I think so. Here’s an example:

“How to reduce your energy bills….” vs “Some great examples of how you can save money on energy bills. Take a look and start saving now!….”

The first tweet is dull and boring – lets be honest, it doesn’t stand a chance! My second tweet encourages people to read whilst explaining exactly what the article/service is about. “Great examples” – I am recommending the article to you to read, so it in effect already has one positive review and thus you are more likely to read it. The tweet ends with “Take a look and start saving now!” – A very persuasive call to action, to start saving I must read on, so I do. Both these tweets allow room for a “Bit.ly URL” to be included. This clever tool, which is searchable on google, will shorten the URL or website address to a much shorter one e.g.: http://www.Atelier-Studios.com/ becomes: http://bit.ly/cV0Zyn

Twitter can be linked to your website and other social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook and many more. This offers a clear and distinct advantage. Your target audience will probably use a variety of social networking platforms. Now if you’re savvy, you’re going to want to reach them all simply and quickly, right? Well there’s some good news – when you post a tweet on Twitter it can be cascaded down to simultaneously update ALL of your feeds and statuses on each and every social networking site you use – all in one click. It’s as simple as that!

So in summary there are many factors to consider when tweeting for a business and here I only talk of a few. Never tweet for the sake of it or because a competitor does – not only is it pointless, but also a waste of time and good marketing space. By considering your tweets and analysing them once you’ve put them out there, you will get much better results.

By Tom Clifford

Lime Interactive has provided these clients with a full marketing consultancy service that has drawn on all the agency’s skills including Atelier Studio’s online expertise, to deliver branding planning and through the line advertising services. The agency’s activities have included brand development, direct response advertising, media planning and buying and door drops, as well as website design and search marketing via Atelier.

Director Matt Conrad commented: “Our launch campaigns have successfully brought together all the skills in the agency, and as such are great examples of how big ideas can be translated across the marketing disciplines to give smaller companies a good foundation from which to launch national brands. We are all very excited about this work, and although it is obviously early days, the response from our January 2009 on and offline advertising is extremely positive, with good quality enquiries coming in already.”

He added: “It demonstrates perfectly how companies can be both innovative and successful (even in difficult economic conditions) if the product is good, the brand is well positioned and the launch timely. It also shows how well Lime’s ‘nonline’ approach to marketing can work to deliver a creative, integrated, and economical approach to marketing in a digital age.”

View the campaign here.

So, when I was handed an article from last Sunday’s Times, it got me thinking that there are much more obvious ways to be greener, that doesn’t necessary mean putting all my paper waste in a special box, although I will do that as well!

Microtrends: the Ecofont
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/microtrends/article5452371.ece

This is such a simple idea. The Ecofont is simply a font which contains tiny circles inside the characters. “Why?” you may ask. Well, when printed it simply uses less ink and therefore reduces the volume of printing supplies used – so simple!

This idea was the brainchild of Dutch designer Colin Willems, and simply comes from a thought about how much of a letter could be removed while maintaining its readability. Small circles in the letters was the answer!

The result of the using the font is a reduction in ink usage of 20%! Now I know how much print cartridges cost, so that’s got to be a good thing, not only for a greener world, but for the pennies in my pocket.

It will take a while for it to catch on, but it’s up to us designers to ulilise this methodology and consider the impact of what we are designing.

Well done Colin.

The font can be downloaded from www.ecofont.eu.

This is our new London Marathon 2009 Channel.

To view our personal donation page please visit: http://www.justgiving.com/marathon09

To view more information on our chosen charity please visit: Multiple Sclerosis http://www.msrc.co.uk/