To read about the importance of business identity click here.

Practical, immediate actions can include:

• Developing information documents (such as white papers) of use to people in the target group, where the provision of quality information builds awareness and credibility. An example might be a "Jargon Buster Guide" for people in non-technical roles who have to interact with IT concepts and people.
• News stories. Placing news stories with statewide media is particularly difficult in WA with only one daily paper and spectacularly low news media standards. A PR approach must use specialist industry media, e-media and local papers to cut through.
• eNewsletters to target groups. An eNewsletter can be started almost immediately and can build over time, but success requires a major commitment to information quality and regular output.
• Information packs (including print, web-style and video). The task here includes identifying targets as well as developing information.
• Exhibition at industry events can be useful. For example, WA local government authorities hold annual meetings where firms can exhibit. Exhibition as a strategy is fairly high cost and produces mixed results: for some companies it becomes their life blood, for others it's a dud.
• Seminars can be a good option. The keys to success are being able to reach qualified participants and presenting a seminar they will want to attend, either because of the presenter or the content. You gain both awareness and an improved image by association and by judicious insertion of self-promotion into the proceedings.
• Ideally awareness can be built around a "big" concept that will maximize impact and can continue to build over time.

Developing this concept is part of the task we are taking on. It will reflect consultations with the Empired marketing department; we want a concept which resonates with Empired, not something that is layered over the top without any real connection.

As an example, an option is the adoption of an endangered species as a company symbol. This would be a major commitment possibly including research funding, a breeding program or habitat conservation, and it would be a long term position. Benefits however could be significant, including high impact on awareness. Environmental issues now cut across generations and all sorts of social/class divides, including by direct appeal and through the social pressure of children and work colleagues. Species preservation has wide acceptance and good news-story options. Involvement of staff as volunteers in such causes has been shown to improve morale and job satisfaction.

Other big idea options include sponsoring an award, sponsoring a community/charity project, sponsoring new education options and industry development ideas.

Glide task here is to develop, quantify and cost a range of options for Empired to consider, based on consultation with Empired marketing and appropriate research.

Internal identity

There is an ongoing task in shaping identity. We suggest it should start with an internal focus, to convey an aspiration view of Empired identity to new staff especially.

As a first step and in an environment of recent rapid influx of new people, this will necessarily be an autocratic approach in that management will decide values.

Important however is that it is not dictatorial in trying to say, "You will think this."

The aim is to provide staff with the information they need to be able to judge Empired in a positive light.

To do this we need an internal communication tool(s).

This needs to be authoritative, meaning that there is some strong encouragement to pay attention. It should come from the MD.

It also needs to be quick, light, interesting and easily absorbed. We suggest a conversational, anecdotal style focusing on recounting successes and the staff contributions that lead to them. This way the communication demonstrates the values we want and their contribution to success.

A "from the desk" newsletter is suggested. An e-newsletter format seems preferable, not so much for cost but for speed, immediacy and compatibility with the company's computer focus.

There are several tools available for producing and managing rich-formatted e-newsletters. Glide recommends and sells ShoutOut!, developed in WA by our technology partners F2.

ShoutOut! will make the process a little easier and it will be suitable later for outbound promotions. However, if an internal newsletter can be delivered via intranet it will be not necessary for this first step.

Glide's role here can include:

• Advising on and helping set up the delivery system, whatever that may be.
• Assisting with individual publications, including gathering material (including photos), editing articles, gaining internal approval, publication design and delivery.

Once set up, Empired could handle this internally if desired. The main advantages of using a consultant are making sure it happens regularly, freeing senior staff from writing tasks that are not their real job and professional finish.

Empired can elect to start with a managed service then take over once they are comfortable with the process; Glide will provide informal training as requested