This deck discusses setting clear objectives through storytelling to attract both customers and investors.

2. TELLING STORIES AND
SETTING GOALS:
A STRATEGIC APPROACH
TO COMMUNICATIONS

4. Who is this guy?
•16+ years of design experience
•Owner of a successful firm for 6+ years
•President of a start-up that crashed and
burned
•Probably should be awarded an honorary
JD and MBA as a result.

5. Okay, so what’s Fifth Letter?

6. We believe when passionate people come
together, there’s no limit to what can be
accomplished. We are a multi-faceted design
studio working hard each day to make a
difference for our clients—and the people our
clients serve—by delivering tools and methods
that provide value through communication.

7. We believe when passionate people come
together, there’s no limit to what can be
accomplished. We are a multi-faceted design
studio working hard each day to make a
difference for our clients—and the people our
clients serve—by delivering tools and methods
that provide value through communication.

8. Ah, so you make stuff... Like what?

13. But we do much more than
just that...

14. Our services include:
Brand Development and Strategy
•Logo, Icon, Tagline and Wordmark Development
•Letterhead, Identity Systems and Graphics Standards
•Communications Plans (including social media strategies)
Print
•Book Covers, Book Interiors, and Editorial Design
•Viewbooks, Catalogs, Brochures and Annual Reports
•Posters and Point-of-Sale Materials
•Direct Mail and Advertising
•Product Packaging, Hangtags and Instructions

15. Our services include:
Interactive
•Websites and Web-Based Advertising
•Social Media
•Newsletters and Media-Rich Emails
•Videos
•App Development
Environment (Interior and Exterior)
•Signage Systems
•Murals and Large-Format Artwork

16. We help solve marketing and
communications challenges.

17. We tend to say “no” a lot. Sorry.

18. 1+1=3

21. Your goal is to get over the bar —
however you can do it.

22. Today we'll focus on two areas:
•Telling a compelling and genuine story to
people who care.
•Setting clear goals and understanding when
you've reached or exceeded them

23. But first, a bit of inspiration and
insight.

24. Study the unusually successful people you
know, and you will find them imbued with an
enthusiasm for their work which is contagious.
Not only are they themselves excited about
what they are doing, but they also get you
excited. — Paul W. Ivey

25. Now is no time to think of what you do not
have. Think of what you can do with what
there is. — Ernest Hemingway

26. The difficulty lies, not in the new ideas, but
escaping from the old ones, which ramify, for
those brought up as most of us have been, into
every corner of our minds. — John Maynard Keynes

28. No one knows your story better
than you.

29. Visuals and descriptions are great.

35. Make me care.

37. Errors Entrepreneurs Make
•No clear message regarding product or
service benefit (i.e. elevator pitch)
•Not being authentic or telling an interesting
story
•Holding the brand too sacred and not be
willing to partner with a complimentary
business.

38. Errors Entrepreneurs Make
•Selling features, not benefits
(burying people in details)
•Staying safe and sticking with what they know
(and thinking small)
•Following the latest trend

39. Errors Entrepreneurs Make
•Lack of capitalization, strategy and success
metrics (not having a plan or budget)
•Unrealistic expectations, often due to lack
of research
•Throwing money at the problem

40. Errors Entrepreneurs Make
•Not being in it for the long-haul (to build
relationships)
•No congruency (“The Shotgun Approach“)
•The “Field of Dreams“ mentality
•Not delegating when professional expertise
is needed

42. Develop a business plan
•The problem you're solving and the market
experiencing this problem.
•A marketing section
•A budget and breakdown of costs to start
your business and to keep it running

43. Develop a business plan
•Financial projections
•Include feedback loops and calls-to-action
•Timelines

44. Additional Thoughts
•Pull in advisors and hire professionals when
the time is right
•Actively listen both on- and offline
•Developing and managing a realistic budget
once things are rolling along
•Becoming an expert in your field

46. Magazines and Websites
•Inc. Magazine (Inc. 500/5000)
•Fast Company
•BusinessWeek
•Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE)
•TED Talks (ted.com)

47. Professional Organizations
•The American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA)
•The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)
•American Advertising Federation (AAF)

48. Your Networks and Your Idols

49. Fifth Letter
Elliot Strunk, Creative Director (or Ringleader)
336.723.5655 or elliot@fifth-letter.com