Jim Richards, CEO of Total Security Solutions, accepts Michigan 50 Award

We’re happy to announce that our client, Total Security Solutions, has been named to the 2012 Michigan 50 Companies to Watch list!

Michigan 50 Companies to Watch is “an awards program honoring second-stage companies headquartered in the state of Michigan. These companies demonstrate high performance in the marketplace or exhibit innovative products or processes.”

Total Security Solutions designs and manufactures bulletproof glass and barriers, and its products help protect employees of banks, convenience stores, government facilities, and pharmacies across the country.  Investing in new manufacturing techniques and infrastructure has been important to the company’s success.  The company recently doubled the size of its facility to 24,000 square feet, and added new equipment to enhance the production and shipping of custom bulletproof glass  solutions.

The Whole Brain Group provides website design, development, and support to Total Security Solutions, and helped establish the company’s social media strategy & presence on Twitter and Facebook.

We’re excited to announce that Whole Brain Group’s Creative Director, Jamie Latendresse, (@JLDesignSF) is now a regular contributor to the Herman Miller Lifework Blog!

Posts on the Lifework Blog are focused on the theme of “where life & work meet” and feature cool office spaces, beautifully designed products, and the latest trends in how people are living & working today.

Herman Miller is a 100-year-old-plus company located in Michigan that places great importance on design, the environment, community service, and the health and well-being of their customers and employees. As a long-time fan of Herman Miller, Jamie is thrilled to be able to contribute his content to this great blog!

Read Jamie’s recent posts on the Herman Miller Lifework Blog.

Learn about search engine optimization, Google Analytics, social media, and pay per click advertising in these interactive sessions at The Whole Brain Group!

Classes & Dates:

• Donuts & Search Engine Marketing Basics (Friday, April 27th: 9:00-10:30am)
• Introduction to Google Analytics (Tuesday, May 8: 12:00 – 1:30pm)
• Introduction to Pay-Per-Click Marketing for Growing Businesses (Tuesday, May 22: 9:00-10:30am)
• Donuts & Search Engine Marketing Basics (Friday, May 25th: 9:00-10:30am)
• Half-Day Workshop: Social Media Strategies for Owners and Chief Marketing Officers of Growing Companies (Tuesday, May 29th: 9:00am-1:00pm)
• Donuts & Search Engine Marketing (Friday, June 29th: 9:00-10:30am)

Through our classes and events, The Whole Brain Group enjoys helping growing businesses develop and execute digital marketing plans that complement their strategic visions and provide measurable results.

In charge of marketing for your growing company?  It’s quite possible that your social media efforts are:

• Nonexistent: Decision makers in your company are confused about how to use social media for business, the potential ROI, or the investment required.
• Ignored: Accounts that haven’t been updated in months, no fresh content, and no customer engagement
• Overwhelming: You are posting to your social media accounts, but you don’t know if it’s worth all the time & money you’re spending

To solve these problems, you need to develop a comprehensive social media strategy that fits with your company’s goals, budget, and available resources. This half-day workshop is designed to help Owners, Chief Marketing Officers, and Marketing Directors of growing companies understand the social media landscape, and develop & execute an effective social media strategy with measurable results.

Half Day Workshop: Social Media Strategies for Owners and Chief Marketing Officers of Growing Companies

Where: The Whole Brain Group, Ann Arbor
When: May 29, 2012 from 9:00-1:00pm
Fee: $495 – including a full lunch, refreshments and takeaway materials. Bring a colleague from your own company for 50% off!

Seeking a #perfectionist #socialmediajunkie #multitaskingmaniac #goalsetter #greatlistener #clientwhisperer to join our firm

As a seasoned Digital Marketing Specialist, you’ll collaborate with our clients to  develop & execute smart internet marketing strategies with a strong focus on measurable results.

Interested in learning more?  Check out the full job description and apply online.

If you’re a marketing communications or design & video production whiz kid looking for a summer internship, The Whole Brain Group has two open opportunities to help us launch several ambitious marketing campaigns for our own company. We’re looking for juniors, seniors, and graduate students with strong writing skills and a passion for internet marketing to help us get things off the ground!

 Job Requirements:

• Excellent communication (written and oral) and organizational skills
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision, and also collaborate frequently with team members
• Knowledge of social media and online marketing
• Passion for internet marketing & helping businesses grow
• College Junior, Senior, or Graduate Student with GPA of 3.0 or higher

Apply Online before April 6, 2012:

• Marketing Communications Intern
• Design & Web Video Production Intern

Class Dates:

• Tuesday, January 24: 9am – 12pm (Twitter)
• Tuesday, February 7: 9am- 12pm (LinkedIn)
  
• Tuesday, February 21: 9am – 12pm (Facebook) NOTE: This date was originally set for January 10th and has now been changed to February 21st.

You will walk away knowing how to:

• Speak the lingo of the top three social media tools
• Choose and use those tools to help you grow or sustain your business
• Set measurable and reasonable goals for social media usage
• Establish healthy habits for making progress toward these goals
• Learn in a fun and collegial small group atmosphere where you won’t feel stupid asking questions!
• Following through on your plan with practice, practice, practice!!

Register now!

The Leadership Series event takes place November 17, 2011. Spend the morning with the editors of Inc. magazine, and the business leaders of the Small Giants community for an informative and inspirational program. In addition to the Choices & Challenges panel, enjoy breakfast and coffee, 2 keynote sessions, and roundtable networking. Click here to register!

Megan Cough joins the Whole Brain Group team in the role of Digital Marketing Specialist, managing integrated digital marketing campaigns, including social media, content development & blogging, search engine optimization (SEO) and paid search. Megan’s experience includes working in the Events Marketing Department for Borders Group, Inc., where she introduced the department to Twitter, and pushed the company into the world of social media for the first time. Since then, she moved from the brand side to the agency world, where she worked on social media and Pay Per Click (PPC) for clients such as MEDC Travel (Pure Michigan), Blio, National Association of REALTORS®, hiredMYway, and the Detroit Metro CVB.

Angelina Vergari joins the Whole Brain Group team as an Online Advertising Campaign Analyst, specializing in Search-Engine Marketing strategy and Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising. Through Pay-Per-Click account management & optimization, Angelina’s role is to increase web visibility for businesses, while improving their web traffic, and maximizing their ROI. Angelina has successfully developed & optimized PPC campaigns for a wide variety of local and national clientele, which has led to increased conversion rates, fresh leads, and increased sales for their businesses. Angelina has also worked for Eastern Michigan University, developing Google AdWords accounts for students and non-profit organizations participating in Eastern Michigan University’s hands-on search marketing courses.

“I’m really excited about adding these two great women to our team,” stated Marisa Smith, Founder of The Whole Brain Group, “Their skills and expertise have enabled us to offer more services that will drive even more business to our growing clients. Our right brains are energized by the results our clients are seeing from taking an integrated approach to their marketing efforts, while our left brains love seeing the numbers on their reports climb every month!”

About The Whole Brain Group

The Whole Brain Group takes a holistic approach to online marketing strategy, offering a variety of solutions to stay well positioned in the ever developing digital age. Our team of experts are committed to helping growing businesses develop and execute digital marketing strategies that complement company visions and turn them into sales results. We create websites that are mobile & search engine friendly, integrated with social media, and built with WordPress™ — so clients can control their own websites and quickly publish fresh content. We also provide consulting in social media, search engine optimization, and PPC advertising to maximize our clients’ website investment.

Using the Internet effectively is a critical piece of many small businesses’ marketing strategies.  The Michigan Small Business Technology Development Center (MI-SBTDC) is sponsoring “Marketing Malpractice: Avoiding Costly Web Marketing Mistakes” on October 11, 2011.  The event will include a panel of local experts, including web developers, graphic designers, and e-marketing professionals to discuss the do’s and don’ts of website design and e-marketing tactics:

• Megan Crosbie – e-Marketing Coordinator, Reinhart
• Alaine Karoleff – Project Manager, Inner Circle Media
• Ross Johnson – Owner, 3.7 Designs
• Joe Minock – Owner, Adrenaline Commerce
• Emily T. Penix – Project Manager, Whole Brain Group

Learn how to avoid costly mistakes and what a business owner can expect from their e-marketing.

Where: Quarter Bistro, Ann Arbor
When: October 11, 2011 4:30-6:30pm
Fee: $50 – including light refreshments and takeaway materials

For more information click here or contact your local Chamber of Commerce.  This informative session is part of a four part series brought to you in partnership with the MI-SBTDC of WCC and the Washtenaw Council of Chambers.