Tips to Keep Your Projects on Schedule

By Karen Preston-Loeb

Being organized in the workplace is an integral component of a company’s productivity and profitability. Missed deadlines irritate clients which can result in loss of business. Late work makes a company appear overwhelmed and incapable. However, keeping a streamlined process in place to deliver projects on time and within budget satisfies both clients and employees. Below are some project management tips to improve efficiency in your company.

Utilize a project management software system:

Various platforms exist that provide companies with job tracking, reporting capabilities, timesheets, and even invoicing, and most are accessible through the internet to allow for remote working. The system best suited for a company varies depending on the functionality desired. At Furia Rubel Communications we use Basecamp for all of our marketing, public relations, crisis communications, graphic design and website development projects. Every project is created and named, and a calendar is generated to schedule the milestones for each job. Milestones for every task that need to be completed are assigned a date and team member. Once each task is finished it is checked off and, as long as each agency representative completes work on time, the project stays on schedule.

Create a project naming system:

Keeping the workplace organized is more than filing cabinets and inboxes. With work being done on the cloud and remotely via the internet, organizing has taken a digital turn and a naming system is essential. Clearly labelling jobs allows every team member to be on the same page and easily access a project in the future. Oftentimes project management software systems will help organize this process by numbering jobs or prompting a job name field. Still, the company needs to determine a naming convention to be used internally. Acronyms for clients work well along with project titles and dates created. For instance, a 300 x 250 web banner created for ABC Corporation’s August website might be labeled: ABC_300x250WebBanner_8_2016. This would then be filed alphabetically by the client on a server. In two years, if the client wanted to re-run that web banner, it could easily be found.

Break out a project into tasks:

Looking at a large campaign or assignment can be overwhelming, but organizing the job into tasks that can be completed and checked off gives a feeling of accomplishment along the way. A builder who undertakes an addition onto a house doesn’t just dive in. The builder begins with a plan that may begin with blueprints, then demolition and removal of debris, followed by each individual step that needs to occur from adding plumbing to final coats of paint. Whether laid out on paper or in the experienced mind of the builder, a job has a sequence of events that occurs. The same holds true at any company. Every project has a succession of tasks that can be mapped out and completed by one or various team members. In a marketing and public relations firm, for instance, we might break out an e-Newsletter into steps from drafting content, editing, or proofreading, to obtaining client approval, adding web links, and scheduling distribution. These project tasks can also be added to your project management software as templates which leads to greater efficiencies and productivity.

Maintain Schedules:

How happy would a client be if a firm did excellent work but missed its deadlines? A press release announcing an event that gets distributed too late is no good to the client no matter how well-written. Staying on schedule is imperative to the long-term success of a company. Work backwards from the final due date and break the job into tasks. Each task should fill the calendar up to the final due date (and be sure to give your team some leeway whenever possible). Assign these tasks and due dates to appropriate team members, and track any missed deadlines. Once a milestone is overdue, the schedule needs to be adjusted appropriately to ensure the job stays on track.

Organization is essential to project workflow. Keeping jobs on track not only maintains client satisfaction that can lead to referrals and future business, but also promotes a healthy workplace of employees who feel proud to have accomplished goals and be a part of the company’s success.

Mobile Website Design and Development: Font Treatment and Readability

By Laura Powers

Responsive, mobile and dynamic are some of the terms used when discussing the development of websites to be viewed on screens smaller than a traditional desktop screen. Whichever term you use for your company's small-screen optimized website (and method you use to achieve the creation of it), in the end, it all boils down to user experience. You must ask yourself, "Are users being quickly served the relevant information on our mobile site that they are looking for? Are they able to read and navigate the site easily?"

One critical element in the design and development of a mobile site is the treatment of the text to ensure "readability" on small screens. Size, contrast, spacing and placement should all be critically considered during the planning phase when determining how information will be restructured for display. This article from designmodo.com, describes the importance of mobile typography and shows some great (mostly consumer website) examples.

We'll be posting more information on design and development considerations for small screen mobile sites in future posts.

In the meantime, how does your site measure up?

Cover Girls: Furia Rubel Executives Featured on Cover of W4 Magazine

In December 2012, the Central Bucks Chamber of Commerce featured several influential Bucks County, Pa. executives on the cover of its monthly member publication, W4. Gina Rubel and Laura Powers were highlighted for their dedicated service to supporting the organization through technologies such as websites, apps and promotions. Click here to see the cover in full.

PRSA Philly 2012 Pepperpot Awards - Furia Rubel's Awards & Acceptance Videos

As you may have already heard, Furia Rubel was the recipient of several Public Relations Society of America - Philadelphia Chapter 2012 Pepperpot Awards in December. Our agency compiled acceptance videos for two of our three honors in the categories of brand management and website design. Below see our animated acceptance videos - we are not only proud of the awards, but also our accompanying videos...

Furia Rubel has long been Philadelphia personal injury law firm Feldman Shepherd Wohlgelernter Tanner Weinstock & Dodig LLP's agency of record, providing strategic marketing and public relations counsel and services to the law firm. We designed a new website focused on increasing awareness of Feldman Shepherd’s successes while reinforcing the firm’s brand and national reputation through a myriad of communication tactics. The campaign resulted in more than 14 million media impressions and a consistent increase in visibility supporting business development.

Seeking top-of-mind awareness among existing and potential clients, Para-Plus Translations, Inc. contacted Furia Rubel for strategic assistance in 2011. In 2012, we designed and launched the new Para-Plus website, www.para-plus.com, garnering a top nod from PRSA Philadelphia. The website was designed to segment translation and interpretation services while providing more user-centric content and a streamlined experience. The results were increased site visits by 120 percent within 40 days, increased average length of visits and more online inquiries with less emphasis on phone screening.

We do hope you enjoyed these videos featuring illustrations by Pat Achilles and animation by TD Post & Animation.

10 Things Small Businesses Can Do to Increase Awareness and Generate Business

There are many hands-on tactics that your company can employ to grow its business. Use them to increase your visibility among target customers, establish credibility and demonstrate leadership as experts in your industry. By consistently and effectively executing the tactics outlined here, you can increase your company’s bottom line for years to come.

1. Create a great website. Simply put, if a company does not have a website, it does not exist. Like bringing your cards to a meeting, a professional website is a business basic. If you don’t have one, get one. 

2. Make sure your website is seen. A website is useless unless people visit it regularly. Your site should be search engine optimized (SEO), so that it receives Web traffic from the “free,” “organic,” “editorial” or “natural” listings on search engines. Your Web designer can build some of this into the site, however, there are a few things you can do on your own. These include posting press releases and blog entries that use searchable terms and link to popular articles to increase your search rankings. 

3. Create an effective blog. Blogs enable you to demonstrate your expertise about a particular business area. You can link your blog to your website or integrate your blog directly into it. Make sure that your visual branding and message is consistent. That way, people will more easily identify it with your company.

4. Have a strong voice on social media. It’s almost impossible to think of a world without social media. Yet, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and a slew of others have only been popular for the last several years. Like blogs, social media enables you to demonstrate your expertise and you can engage with a wide audience. Don’t think you have the time? Make the time. The days of sitting on the sidelines are in the past – be part of the conversation.

5. Engage in public relations. Local newspapers, business journals, industry publications and the ever-expanding world of business bloggers will write about new business wins and mention new hires especially in senior management. They also generate great content for your online posts. Send a press release to the target publication that reaches your ideal audience and focus on something exciting about the person (e.g., awards, accomplishments, civic involvement, etc.). Or, offer your expertise as a quotable source for a reporter so that they will include you in their coverage. Working with the media requires some insight and forethought so you may want to engage a public relations professional if you plan to go this route.

6. Share your articles. So, you got some media coverage in a feature story? Send it to your friends, business referral sources, clients, prospects, partners and employees. You can do this through social media, your blog and website; post a link in your email signature, or create reprints and include them in sales presentations.

7. Have a great voice mail message and email signature. It may sound like a no-brainer, but think about it. Your message is often the first time someone “interacts” with you. Make it friendly, energetic, informative and compelling. Say your company name and what it is you do. The same goes for your email signature. Restate your company mission, add a favorite quote, place links to your social media profiles and news articles about your company or just add your logo. Make sure to include your contact information, but skip the fax, it is obsolete.

8. Sponsor events. No matter your industry or interest, sponsorship opportunities abound. From sporting events to ethnic festivals, sponsorship can get you quality direct exposure with your target audiences. But don’t just sponsor – attend and have a branded presence so that people remember you.

9. Be an active member of industry associations. Professional associations can help you to gain credibility and name recognition. It is important for your peers to identify you as an expert for referrals, so be an active participant, speaker or volunteer. Your association will have resources to promote its members including press releases, member emails, blogs, social media sites and special events. Find out what resources are available to you and use them.

10. Identify business listing opportunities. Update your company’s business listings yearly. Many online listings are free and the more places that your company is listed, the higher your site will rank in search engines and the easier it will be for your audience to find your business.

Bonus Tip: High quality head-shots will help you and your staff to stand out in your social media and public relations activities. Make the investment – it is worth it!