THE CLIENT
For many years we have been working with Quiss Technology, a leading managed service provider based in Tamworth which has achieved Microsoft Gold competencies in 3 areas and prides itself on its strong relationships with leading technology partners.
Founded in 1988, the company now has more than 150 dedicated professionals providing tailored IT solutions to meet the specific needs and objectives of various organisations and the sectors in which they operate.
Our relationship with Quiss has found us creating an abundance of content in the form of website copy, press releases, blogs and brochures, as well as videos, animations and social media campaigns.
THE PROJECT
Quiss approached us with the idea of an email newsletter, which would be distributed internally to share news about client wins, new recruits, success stories and general information about the industry.
While email newsletters are common, we knew that people rarely open and read them. However, a nicely designed print magazine would be more engaging for their employees, being able to flick through during a coffee break or on their commute home.
A print magazine could also be left in the reception for visitors to see and could be sent out to potential customers to showcase the experience and expertise of Quiss. Thus an internal news update could become a versatile marketing tool with plenty of potential to grow.
We pitched the idea to the Quiss marketing team and they decided to try one magazine and see how it went.
The magazine has been well received from everyone at quiss and we can’t wait for the next one.
Tracy Armstrong, Marketing Manager, Quiss
THE WORK
It was decided that the magazine would be a 28 page, A4 publication. This would be small enough for a casual read, but big enough to reflect the scale of Quiss.
We sat with the Quiss marketing team and spoke to several people in the company to get a flavour of what the employees had to talk about and what they thought readers would be interested in reading about.
The main focus was to be on news such as client wins, appointments and things going on within the company. This would create a community feel within the company and emphasise the scale and nature of the company to both existing and potential customers.
There would also be informative articles on new technology, cyber security and other hot topics. Not only would this inform readers, but it would also show that Quiss are experts in their field and keeping on top of the latest trends.
We also, rather optimistically, planned regular features, including a profile of selected employee, a case study, and Quiss people – a name we were very pleased with – which was a brief summary of appointments, promotions and qualification achievements within the company.
Once we had a general feel for the content, we spent a few weeks researching and drafting the articles, working with employees at Quiss to take advantage of their knowledge.
The style of the magazine was a combination of corporate brochure and consumer magazine, giving it a professional look, but keeping it engaging for readers. We made it very visual, with vibrant images and a bold use of colour.
We tried to incorporate some more incongruous images to get away from the overused cliché imagery associated with technology. After presenting a few ideas, we settled on an image of metal chains for the cover, as it tied in with the ‘weak links’ headline whilst being something you wouldn’t expect to see on a technology magazine.
Finally, we arranged printing and a mailing service to send out the magazines, meaning Quiss didn’t have to worry about the distribution side of things.
THE RESULTS
The magazine was incredibly well received by employees, management and customers alike. It has now become a quarterly publication.
As the magazine has continued to grow and develop, more people have expressed interest at being a part of it. The senior management team have suggested ideas for content and submitted their own articles for inclusion in the magazine.
The design of the magazine has also evolved, with a less corporate approach and a more flexible layout, allowing for articles of different sizes to appear alongside the regular features. Caricatures have also been added next to the author accreditation on each article, adding a personal touch and helping make the senior management team become familiar faces.
Quiss has also been able to sell advertising space in the magazine, meaning that what was once imagined as a simple internal newsletter is now a profitable magazine that people look forward to reading every few months.