identifying, creating, telling and measuring stories.
in stories?
that rock n’ roll grandma
who crushed her bucket list.
in stories?
on the moon
in stories?
Jobs to bite the apple
in stories?
It would just be called Mc
Tell Your Best Story
in stories?
To become your last agency, we provide strategy, solutions and amplification.
Mainland is your one-stop shop for storytelling and amplification. We position, find, amplify and measure each level of communications we are engaged to handle on your behalf, all with the mindset of creating a forever relationship. How?
This model gives you a full-service approach to getting your story told on way to accomplishing your brand’s growth goals.
Inquire About Services
Do you want your brand story to be amplified? Better awareness, traffic, leads, sales, and agency
relationship? Fill out this form for a free consultation.
Ready for a Better View
of Your Brand?
We feel many brands are stuck on the ground with a limited view of what is a story and what is the why them, why now. However, with Mainland, we welcome you into our hot air balloon, lift you off your metaphorical brand ground, and give you a spectacular view of your brand – and the wonderful stories therein. Then, of course, we will figure out how to tell those influential stories to the right audiences in the right markets.
After we get through the proposal process, ideally, when kicking off a relationship, we start with a full assessment of all marketing – so that we can best strategize a game plan, create a playbook and execute against it for the greatest chance at success in supporting your goals.
We are confident we can find your why you, why now; build your story; tell your story in a consistent and relevant way; and build upon your successes. We are confident that we are the agency that can help you achieve your goals and, in win. How? Strategy (the why you/why now); Owned (the supporting assets – Content (link to all), Creative, Video, Social, Web); Earned (PR); Paid (Digital, Marketing, Owned Distribution); and Data (what worked, what can we improve).
Three Ways We Stand Out
Brands don’t sell brands,
people do.
In 1978, Nobutoshi Kihara shook-up the world with his creation of the Sony Walkman. The inventor then created the video recorder and the digital camera. Genius, yet no one knows him.
On the other hand, Steve Jobs shook-up the world with the creation of the i-, in the form of Mac, Pod, Pad, Tunes, Phone. Genius, and everyone knows him.
Difference: One brand pushed brand, one pushed people.
Coincidentally, both died in 2011. One left the world remarkable, one left the world forgotten.
Dos Equis, Nike, Gatorade, all get it. And soon, your brand will, too.
People will be the most important element of all forms of outbound communications. We will build stories about INSERT BRAND that feature people. We will use a blend of owned, earned and paid media to drive awareness for the brand.
Connection of the
Communications Silos
At Mainland, we have built an operational storytelling conveyor belt: Strategy > Owned > Earned > Paid > Data & Analytics. Within the strategy and amplification portions, we have proven that when a campaign is connected across all of your storytelling target points (Website, social, digital, content, PR, and marketing – paid & owned), you have a better chance of impacting the right buyer with the right amount of impressions.
In all of our communications efforts on behalf of brands, we strive to connect the silos — meaning, when we create a piece of content, it should extend across all channels. A press release can be turned into a media pitch, repositioned into an article to use on one of our two content marketing platforms, serve as the foundation of a social media campaign and be visually represented in an infographic.
At Mainland, we are committed to creating a wide breadth of your stories while also maintaining consistency. This approach gives us and you the tools to maximize your budget, increase your reach, and ultimately help set you up for the best shot at winning.
The Art of Data
There are certainly some types of sales that can be correlated directly to an action. You buy a PPC campaign, user goes to your Website, they purchase. But, in many sales, the data is complex. Why? Every person’s life creates a different number of impressions and pathway they will need and take to buy into your brand. However, data can help us create a path of least resistance. We study story interactions, Google Analytics, consistency of content, and sales KPIs to strategize the best path toward winning.
Armed with our principals (people, silo connections and data), we define your strategy into several buckets of storytelling, all around people stories, humanizing your brand as much as possible because brands don’t sell brands, people do. We do this with:
1) Brand Positioning Stories (national, larger content, thought leadership)
2) Milestone Stories (new openings, sales achievements)
3) Localized Consumer + B-2-B Positioning
4) Research Support Content
With a humanized positioning and an understanding of what winning is for your brand, now, we can prepare to launch your brand. Climb onboard Mainland.
Integrated
Storytelling Model
Types of Brands
We Work With
We have become somewhat industry agnostic. How? Because we started by building models designed to sell one of the toughest things to sell – franchises. Our model was simple, yet effective – define the why you/why you; build the assets to support the story; amplify the reach and gain credibility through PR; further amplify through paid methods; and measure. Additionally, we applied three key tactics to the positioning of stories that motivate people to buy: Brands don’t sell brands, people do; connection of communications silos to maximize budget; and the art of tech, data & analytics. Armed with these approaches, we have created hundreds of brand wins for these industries:
Explore How We Have Helped Brands in These Industries
Newest Blogs
& Stories
We never stop thinking — and writing — about the people, news, trends, and events
shaping our industries.
Your Last Agency
Hire Mainland
Work For Mainland
We love working with awesome brands and awesome people. Are you one?
Senior Account Supervisor
Chicago
Do you love working with people? Is client relations your thing? Do you have experience pitching the media? Do you love the idea of helping a company grow? Then you may be the right person for us.
Account Executive
Chicago
In the Account Executive position you will be the agent for achieving concrete public relations results for our roster of clients.
Account Manager
Chicago
We’re looking for a client services pro, with experience managing cross-channel marketing activities. Knowledge of PR, digital marketing and content; the ability to build strong relationships with...
Writer
Chicago
As an agency driven by the written word, we do countless writing projects for our clients every day, including but not limited to: press releases, bios, bylined articles, pitches, website copy, advertorial copy, blog posts, social media calendars and more.
SEO Manager
Chicago
This position will be responsible for the following: Managing the SEO content arm 1851franchise.com, estatenvy.com, and newly launched digital publications); managing Google Analytics; supporting project management; writing content and working with clients.…
Director of Social Media
Chicago
The Director of Social Media will be responsible for creating valuable and engaging content across our clients’ social media platforms. The Director of Social Media will work closely...
