As the director of business development, it’s often my job to talk about the work that we do at Elliance, helping potential clients to understand how we might approach their challenges. To make sure I can truly represent the expertise of my team, I’m always trying to learn from them. And because they are (in my opinion) brilliant at what they do, there’s a lot to learn. Here are some of the things they’ve taught me in the past two years…

Storytelling works. Stories move mountains, change minds, inspire action, build bonds. And it’s not just important in a homepage feature. It’s just as important in a tweet, in an advertisement, even a single image. Every touch point with your audience is an opportunity to tell your story.

Brands already exist. I often hear from prospects interested in creating a new brand. In fact, the best brands can’t be created. They’re already part of the soul of an institution or an organization. It’s a question of identifying and then articulating the brand in a way that resonates with key audiences.

Search engines matter. Page one rankings are the most important way for potential students or customers or donors or friends to find you — and to justify all the hard work you’ve put into your website. But your rankings aren’t accidental or incidental. Success is possible, but it takes work and deliberation.

Look closely at the numbers. There’s an enormous amount of data available to you about digital communication: traffic to your website (when and from where) search rankings, social shares, conversion, etc. Pulling out meaningful data takes expertise and time. There is so much we can learn, but we have to be willing to work for it.

There is no formula. It’s tempting to look for a template or a formula for success. Working with my team has taught me that every client is going to require a unique approach, and even that approach that might evolve and change over months. In fact, it should evolve. That’s a mark of constant improvement.

Every day and every client bring new lessons. Working with my colleagues at Elliance always helps me understand them in new ways. As always, I look forward to seeing what may come next.