Fall is literally blowing by and the end of the year is in sight. Now is a great time to consider efforts around year-end giving. As we look at our budgets and bottom line in preparation for the end of the year, finding a non-profit to donate to not only helps the community and makes you feel good, but it can help with those pesky taxes too.

Giving Tuesday is the charitable giving day that has been designated (by the people who determine these things) the day after Cyber Monday. You know THAT day because it's the online shopping day that follows Small Business Saturday and Black Friday (that's the day after you were thankful for eating too much, right)? Thank goodness we took a break on Sunday. We did take a break on Sunday didn't we?!

All kidding aside, it's important for company's to be engaged and give back to their communities. Good for you if your company has aligned itself with a nonprofit this year! If you haven't, consider finding a non-profit or organization that is accomplishing things that are in line with your values as a company or an individual and give back.

Brand. To the Bone.

What is your brand and why does it matter?

Note: This is the first of a three part series

Marketers are all about advancing the brand. But what does that really mean? Your brand is more than just a logo. It’s also a tagline or slogan and your mission and values are certainly also part of a brand. Your company’s brand also includes how your customers and the public at large view you. It is your product, service, employees/associates combined.

It’s important to define and in some cases, defend your brand from competition and damage. Part of the defense is staying consistent. It’s tough to stay consistent if you haven’t defined who you are.

So, who are you? Are you reliable, quick and courteous? Are you high quality and local? Be realistic here, just because YOU think you are responsive to your clientele, would your customer agree? And maybe just as importantly, will they tell others? Even the greatest marketers concede, word-of-mouth advertising can be your biggest marketing tool. This is where consistency will reveal how much it matters.

If you’re not consistently who you say you are in look, actions and words, it is only natural that people will eventually lose confidence in your brand.

Featured Client: Alternative Excavation

Alternative Excavation specializes in difficult terrain with much help from a Menzi Muck all-terrain walking excavator that can work in water, mud, on steep hills or in rocky terrain, where traditional excavators are unable to travel. The unique machinery gets the job done without costly, time consuming preparation and reclaim. Because of its unique walking capabilities, the Menzi Muck can literally "walk" right through difficult terrain without leaving much of a footprint. It does not generally require special access to be built to get to reach a difficult location. This makes it not only faster and more efficient, but also environmentally friendly.

Alternative Excavation's unique capabilities allows jobs to get done much faster than traditional excavators. They can get in, get the job done and get out in less time and with less impact, allowing you to move your project forward.

Owner Tom Magalsky of Terry, Montana learned about the capabilities of the Menzi Muck while living and working in Switzerland. When he moved back to his native Montana, he invested in the equipment for use in the rugged terrain of Montana and North Dakota where he is licensed to operate.

The Project

Alternative Excavation draws a unique clientele in a primarily rural area, requiring them to have a solid brand and web presence, so high on the list of marketing priorities was a great logo and a great website. They reached out to Markouture for help.

AE wanted the logo to reflect the unique properties of the Menzi Muck and it's ability to literally "walk" up hillsides and through rough terrain. Markouture designed a logo based on their actual machine. From there, we designed and developed a clean, imagery rich website that incorporated content to help them get found online, and ensured that wherever they appeared online was cohesive and maximized their SEO.

Combined with business cards, signage, banners, and vehicle graphics, Alternative Excavation is prepared to run their construction business with clarity and style.

When we first showed Rachel our old business cards, asking if she might be able to do something with this, she said: "oh yeah, I can do something way better than this! This could definitely be improved!..."

I couldn't quite imagine what she would do, and thought our old ones looked pretty good. Until I saw the new design and especially when the box arrived... Huge difference! So much more professional and attractive! A simple but sharp design, to point, modern, special enough to stand out but not crazy!

Same with the website and the logo she made for us. For the logo, she was able to build an "animated" excavator from a photo we gave her. It looks really cool! The website has a professional look and is easy to run.

Rachel has a good way of honoring your request but making a counter offer, of how to improve your idea and make it really professional and "marketing smarter". I like how she will do what you ask for, but not shy back from letting you know there might be a better way. She is very patient while you "figure out what you want" and helps by presenting and quoting different options.

She was also very generous with tips on how to use social media and lots of other business know-how, which I am very thankful for!

She helped me to be able to do as much as possible myself, but I still sometimes feel like just letting her do it all.

After working with Markouture, I definitely understand why businesses​ hire professionals to do their marketing!

Joanna Magalsky, Alternative Excavation

Spur Line Calendar Contest

The Spur Line is one of our great clients and we are once again helping them design and print their annual custom calendar that they use to give out to customers. And for the 2nd year in a row, we are facilitating a photo contest to gather images to use in the calendar.

Information about the contest is below and full details can be found here.

It’s time for the 2nd Annual Spur Line Calendar Photo Contest! We are seeking your best photos of life and times in Park County throughout the seasons. Preference will be given to images that showcase the expressive faces and characters that make our colorful corner of Montana such a great place to live. (So, no strictly landscape photos, please!)

Fifteen selections will be chosen for our calendar and winners will receive untold local fame as your photo is on display in calendars across the county (for at least a month!), along with some great Spur Line gifts.

Deadline for submissions is November 3rd so get your photos submitted today!

3rd Annual Spread the Warmth Winter Clothing Drive Kicks off Next Week

Clean out those closets and donate your gently used or new winter clothing. Montana Matriarch’s 3rd Annual Spread the Warmth Winter Clothing Drive is kicking off November 3rd and runs through December 1st at locations throughout Park County.

Donations of winter clothing for infants, children, youth and adults are being accepted to help spread the warmth in our community. Items for infants and children are in high demand and have run out very quickly in previous years. If you have children’s items to spare, please consider donating them this year.

Donations will be collected November 3rd through December 1st at locations throughout Park County. Distribution of the donations will take place on December 9th from 9:30am-12:30pm at the Livingston Civic Center.

For a list of donation items needed, donation locations or for more information, visit www.montanamatriarchs.com/spreadthewarmth.