3Points’ Highlights of 2016

2016 is just about in the books, and if social media is any indication, many of you will no doubt be thinking one word: “finally.” From the passing of numerous iconic celebrities, to a divisive U.S. presidential election, to continuing tragedies in the Middle East, people seem ready to completely move on from 2016.

While we may not be able to offer solutions to any of the above-mentioned problems, we wanted to take a moment to reflect, in the spirit of optimism, on parts of 2016 that we actually enjoyed. It wasn’t a perfect year for 3Points either (you’ll see some “new year’s resolutions” from us, based on lessons learned, in another post soon), but there were plenty of good moments in all the work we did. Here is each 3Pointer’s highlight of the year, with reflections on some of the client projects, events and internal milestones that stood out in 2016.

Chuck Mackie — Content and Business Development

I joined the 3Points team this year and it’s a case of coming full circle for me. I intended to pursue a career in PR when I came out of college, but I discovered the financial markets instead when I took a part time job as a runner on the trading floor as a stopgap measure. That stopgap turned into a multi-decade journey that now finds me back at what I intended to do in the first place! We have a great team here — young but experienced and relentlessly dedicated to creative customer engagement — and I’m looking forward to 2017.

Drew Mauck — Principal

I really enjoyed driving the “Wizards of Today’s Markets” blog series for our client Trading Technologies. It’s quite enjoyable when you have a client that not only wants your big ideas, but puts you in a place to successfully execute. The first three interviewees — Don Wilson, Blair Hull and Ray Cahnman — are absolute legends in trading, and getting them to open up and candidly reflect on their careers and the future of the markets was a remarkable experience. I believe these pieces of content will have a very long shelf life and, most importantly, they connected the Trading Technologies brand with proven winners.

From an in-house perspective, we started helping our employees cover their medical insurance costs and instituted a 401k program. These are giant leaps forward in the context of a boutique communications company. I was also very pleased with our contributions toward making T4Youth a success, as we have put $101k directly into the coffers of the Chicago Tech Academy and brought the local tech community together for the common good.

Katie O’Shea — Analyst

2016 has been an exciting year (not least because it was my first year at 3Points!). There have been many highlights, though two stand out. Helping set up the 3Points 401k program, acting as a liaison between the company and our payroll vendor, was a major one, both because of the value it adds to the business, and also because it provides a clear benefit to the whole team. My other major highlight has been writing and editing blog posts for 3Points and various clients. Getting insight into client needs, then creating a blog post and honing the message to meet those needs is always an enjoyable and rewarding challenge, like solving a puzzle. There’s something so satisfying about finding the perfect word.

Lorna Kiewert — Account Partner

2016 was a pivotal year in my professional development. The year began with STAC’s Mid-Winter Meeting, where I had my first experience as a moderator of a panel. This specific panel was right in my wheelhouse, exploring the rise of social media in trading. I was able to take my expertise in social media and apply it to a larger discussion centered on the trading industry. For those of you who were unable to attend, you can find my tweet that “broke the internet” below.

I also helped in making history for 3Points this year, as — for the first time — we partnered with two brand new clients with no prior relationship to anyone at the company. I’ve had the pleasure of managing one of those clients, and have learned some new skills in the process — most notably, email marketing. Email marketing is said to be one of the most effective marketing tools for B2B, providing access straight to your audience’s inboxes. After spending some time learning about this marketing tool, I was able to help build a strategy for a customer newsletter, create a customized template and execute a successful campaign.

Sam Svoboda — Content Strategist

In terms of public projects, my highlight had to be the T4Youth recap video I put together this past month. It was a fun way to expand my video production skills, and it’s promoting a great event that supports an important cause.

But I think the real highlight of the year for me was a project that I can’t actually showcase any work from: building out a marketing analytics dashboard for a client using Domo. I served as the link between the client’s marketing and data teams, determining which metrics were important to view, finding the best visualizations for those metrics and then customizing the charts and underlying calculations to maximize our insights. I’ve put together numerous analytics reports in my time at 3Points, but actually building out a full dashboard from scratch was very cool.

Taylar Ramsey — Account Partner

I really hit the ground running when I started with 3Points this past year — both with client relationships and with planning the 2016 (and most successful yet) T4Youth. I was especially excited to have a leading role in organizing a charity event, as event logistics and giving back are both near and dear to my heart. And the outcome was indisputably amazing; we beat our goal, grew the event as a whole and further solidified our footprint as an influential (must-attend!) tech event in Chicago.

Another highlight worth mentioning is my first onboarding of a new client, HUB International. I was fortunate to inherit a few clients when I first started with 3Points, but having the experience of initiating a relationship from the get-go and working together towards “wins” is a great feeling. We’ve worked hard to introduce the smart and talented HUB Midwesters to local and trade media, and while that can be a slow and challenging process, we’re already starting to see the rewards of those efforts.

Will Ruben — Account Partner

I experienced a lot of firsts this year. My first placement. My first time in New York City. And my first conference. And as far as the highlight of my year, I would have to say that it was traveling to SoCal (more specifically Rancho Palos Verde, CA) to this year’s Options Industry Conference (OIC) in May with our client OptionsHouse.

While the weather was unseasonably cool (low 60s and foggy), it didn’t affect my experience. Being at the conference with OH really helped improve our overall relationship. Not only did it give me the opportunity to organize interviews for them with media at the conference, but it also allowed us to talk about things outside of work and get to know each other as people. As an account partner, relationships with clients are extremely important to me. After this trip, I definitely felt that my client trusted me more, and I felt an immediate, positive impact from attending the conference with them.

We have a lot from 2016 to be proud of, and we’re looking forward to building off that and making 2017 even better. We wish you all a healthy, happy holiday season, and we’ll see you in the new year!