People often ask me how to get great ideas. It is pretty simple: you need to develop an ability to generate a lot of ideas. I estimate that 90% of my own ideas are bad, but they allow me to jump from one idea to another until I finally get the good concept. It sounds easy but I see during our creative workshops that most people prevent themselves from formulating ideas, for lack of confidence or fear of being ridiculous. Try to write down 10 ideas in 10 minutes and see afterwards how one idea leads to another and how the quality generally improves as more ideas feed your creativity.

There are two main ways to print a magazine or a document.

1. The offset technique works with “layers” of colors. For 4 color printing, you will hear about CMYK. (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Key (Black)) For each color, you need to create a plate, which will allow the transfer of each ink on the document. “Offset” means that the ink does not go directly on the paper.

In short, offset generates important costs for the first copies. After that, you only pay for ink and paper.

2. Digital printing is similar to what your home printer does. You enter a file and the machine prints. This technology is less qualitative than the offset technique but huge progress have been made in recent years.

In short, digital printing is great for small quantities, but its pricing structure is linear, so you need to identify the quantity where offset becomes more interesting.

It is funny how old agencies remind us all the time on Linkedin that Fast + Low cost = Bad (Have they ever heard of IKEA?) or Fast + Quality + low cost = Impossible. (Have a look at “Bullet Chess” videos)

That was surely true in the past. It is no longer the case today. Talent is now a commodity that many people enjoy and anyone can access professional tools and softwares for a few euros. Is this the end of agencies? Absolutely not, but the end is near for old fashion, slow, uninspired, expensive agencies. The market is booming for dynamic players and innovative solutions! Keep in mind the the market of luxury watches boomed when low cost Japanese watches invaded the world in the eighties! Clients today want to be involved, they want things done fast, for a fair budget without any compromise on quality. So be it!

Using a CRM today is critical, whatever the size of your company is. An excel sheet simply doesn't get the job done. (Remember how long it takes to 'merge' several excel sheets when sending christmas cards?). Salesforce is the american leader of the market: robust, complex, expensive and delivered in the cloud with an army of consultants ready to help you with the configuration. We've been using it for 10 years. Zoho is the indian competitor: intuitive, low cost, with a stunning free "Chat" with Zoho experts. You could call it the 'Wix' of CRM! Zoho CRM is also connected with many other apps. Difficult choice. Then comes the story of data protection and compliance. Vast subject! In Luxembourg for example, both softwares are not allowed by CSSF for financial companies. Good luck if you need to code your own CRM: it is like trying win an oscar with a self-made i-phone movie!

There are three main things that people get wrong with corporate photographies: 1. Expressions: companies think that working with a professional will guarantee good expression, but most professional photographers are so busy with technical details that they do not 'see' the expression of the people they picture. The solution: get a 'photo director' or just a third person to take care of this. 2. Details: hands, clothes and objects can easily pollute the image and send a wrong message. 3. Copyrights: make sure that you own 100% of copyrights from day 1. I hear horror stories everyday about big companies fighting with photographers about news invoices sent after publishing a picture in a brochure or a website. 360Crossmedia works with 50 photographers per year and never has any problem since things are clarified in the contracts from day 1.

2. Light 3. Copyright

Wix vs Wordpress

There is a lot of bullshit going on about wix and wordpress right now.

In short: Wix is the overwhelming leader for "do it youself" websites today. Easier to use, faster, less expensive. The solution was created in +/-2008. It was not reliable until +/-2013, but after that, they took the world (and the Nasdaq!) by storm. The system is amazing, but has 1 main limitation: you cannot set-up a database for the moment.

So… If you need a website which doesn’t require a database: use Wix. If you need a website with a database, for example to allow your clients/members to login. Use wordpress or combine wix with a wordpress module as we did with www.atel.lu for example for their Members directory.

For agencies, selling a wordpress website is more interesting. It is more complicated, takes more time, requires professional maintenance and therefore generates bigger budgets. So on this topic, agencies can hardly be a ‘neutral’ adviser. I hope that helps.