Does Your Advertising Agency "Get" Your Business?

One of the most difficult things for a business to do is create and the consistently present a brand image. In order for an advertising agency to properly hit the mark with their work, then they need a solid understanding of who you are, your ideal customer, and who you want to become. With those three things as a platform, they can develop a spot-on campaign for your business.

During the interview stage and the first few meetings with an advertising agency, it is important to share your branding guidelines, business vision, and general expectations. Don’t worry about hurting feelings, because without this information, they will never be able to properly represent you with their creative content. Once they have a solid understanding of your company, they can begin the work you need. It is also a good idea to schedule regular monthly meetings, to be sure that all work is on target and to provide a forum for discussing ideas and feedback. If at any time you believe that something is not quite right, it is important to speak up immediately.

A level of tension or disagreement can be expected for any relationship. Often, the best advertising campaigns ask their clients to step out of their comfort zone a bit, so that a truly original ad can get you the attention you deserve. Your potential customers are constantly bombarded with traditional advertisements. They might look pretty and be what you expected, but they won’t garner the attention that your sales team craves.

However, even the zany and off-the-wall ads should still be in line with your brand guidelines and general business feel. A professional services agency probably shouldn't have their name printed on clown shoes, no matter what kind of positive reaction it gets from the public. While your agency may ask you to take a risk, the format of the ad should still represent you fully and speak to your ideal customer.

If you would like to learn more about an advertising agency in Austin, click here.

5 Ideas to Help You Craft a Guerilla Marketing Strategy

Some companies, especially smaller ones, don’t have the multi-million dollar marketing strategy budgets. That doesn’t mean they can’t use another resource to get noticed, namely their creativity. Guerilla marketing is any unorthodox, unusual, and memorable marketing tactic that gets lots of attention, for little money

1. Get creative

The only thing you need to design and orchestrate a guerilla campaign around your business or products is a great imagination. Start by thinking of your best customer, what they like, and where they go. Then, let your imagination go wild. Think of a cleaver action or installation that not only promotes the brand, but also speaks to the customer.

2. Traditional marketing doesn’t count

When it comes to true guerilla marketing, traditional marketing efforts don’t count. Television advertisements, print media, and billboards aren’t what this type of marketing strategy is about. You want some kind of action, like a sweater manufacturer covering lampposts in yarn, or an unexpected stunt at a public gathering.

3. Push the envelope

The idea for an alternative marketing strategy is to push the envelope. You want to shock people, take them a little out of their comfort zone, or make them laugh out of an unexpected confusion. A successful guerrilla campaign requires a company to have a thorough understanding of their customer and their market.

4. Don’t make anyone angry

While the point may be shock and awe, you don’t want to offend. This can be a fine line, so do plenty of research on the message you want to send and the impression you want to leave. When you have a thorough plan, run it by a marketing professional to make sure it doesn't’ cross the line.

5. Go for newsworthy

The point of the marketing strategy is to come up with something that is newsworthy. That gets local, and sometimes national attention for very little money upfront. You want to make a bold statement that gets noticed instantly. This method might not be fitting for a professional services type firm, but almost any small business can find some type of guerilla marketing to suit their needs.

If you would like to learn more about a marketing strategy in Austin, visit Screamer Co.

5 Tips to Help You Build Your Branding Book

A branding book is a listing of all guidelines necessary for proper promotion of your brand. Depending on the strength of the brand, it could be only a few pages long, or be a thick volume. International powerhouse companies use them, but they also benefit small, mom and pop companies, and everything in between. The book outlines everything about your logo, colors, feel, tag lines, and anything else needed in order to post a logo, write about the company, or make any type of marketing piece. The first step to a solid brand campaign is to create a book to house all guidelines.

1. Typography

Branding includes what you say and where you say it, but also how it looks. Certain fonts should be consistently used, as should font color, size, and styles. Different rules may need to be made for use in print and digital applications, because of how typefaces show in those different environments.

2. Images

Pictures help draw attention to your content and providing rules on how to place images and which kinds to use is helpful to maintain a consistent look in your marketing collateral. Decide if they should all have people in them, or be places. List how they should be displayed, in sepia, full color, a particular size, with a box around them, or anything else to help set a distinctive tone.

3. Tone

The tone outlined in the branding book refers to the type of language used to represent the company. For instance, a marketing firm should be smart and playful, while a law firm is better with straight-forward and descriptive verbiage. The tone should always be professional, but can include a wide range of preferred words and content structure. The tone works to underline the characteristics that the brand works to promote, such as hip, playful, smart, reliable, classy, or trustworthy.

4. Color

The colors used to represent your company can have a big impact. A lot of research likely went into your branding stages picking which hues and tints best represent you. Protect that work and keep the color palates to a minimum and have strict guidelines on how to use them. Give clear names to the colors for both digital (RGB) and print (CYMK), and use Pantone numbers when applicable.

5. Logo

The most important step is to perfect your logo. It should be easily viewed small or large, and there should be formats usable in various applications (for the printer, for the newspaper, for posting in emails, etc.). Then there should be rules set for how it should be placed and how it should relate to the other things around it. It is also smart to develop a list of acceptable changes that can be made. Your logo is the main identifier of your brand and should be protected.

If you would like to learn more about branding in the Austin area, click here.

Before You Write Your Marketing Plan

Do as any advertising agency would. Before you write your marketing plan, make some effort to research the process and the business you would like to create. By investing time beforehand, you can have a better understanding of how viable your idea is and how to best express it in a marketing plan. Although some like the do it yourself approach to business, don't hesitate to reach out to a professional to provide guidance and advice.

Know the goals

Before you spend money and time on a marketing plan, make sure you understand all of the components. Your idea and vision is important, but don't forget to think about logistics and operations involved. Various channels should be considered, along with a clear idea of your goals. An advertising agency would do it, and so should you.

Understand your target

Outline a clear example of your target audience. You can even create a few characters with names, histories, jobs, and lifestyles to personify your best or target customer. Let your marketing efforts speak to them, rather than simply promoting what you need to sell. By being solutions oriented to your customers, rather than sales oriented, you establish yourself as a more trustworthy business.

Crunch the numbers

Have a clear and accurate idea of all of your numbers. Know your market and demographics. Understand where your business currently stands and what kind of ROI you expect from the marketing plan. Knowing what you want beforehand lets you build in metrics by which to measure success.

Find a mentor

You can probably write a decent marketing plan with a little Internet research and a lot of revisions. However, it is best to simply consult the professionals in some instances. An advertising agency knows the ins and outs of various industries, along with all of the hot new marketing channels and how to maximize them. They also know how to handle the most important component, the marketing analytics.

If you would like to learn more about an advertising agency in the Austin area, visit Screamer Co.

Is It Time to Fire Your Advertising Agency?

An advertising agency can be an integral part of your business plan. Continuous development and effective promotion of your brand takes professional know-how. The job includes helping you develop a plan, working to fill in the creative blanks, executing the plan, and analyzing the results to make changes as needed. The relationship between an agency and their client is typically one full of great productivity. Unfortunately, sometimes it grows stale, or worse, sour.

It is no small task to help a modern business with everything they need in the way of advertising and marketing. Search engine optimization, content marketing, social media, print, interaction with trade industry organizations, even billboards are all part of the advertising picture. Finding new ways to make you stand out against your competitors, while effectively coordinating all channels to attract old and new customers alike is quite a feat. The most successful agencies keep in the game by always being up for whatever problem you provide for them to fix.

Since one of the key components of any relationship with an advertising agency is that of challenge, you should be giving your marketing challenges to them and they should be challenging you with innovative solutions. If you are merely frustrated with them because you can't understand why they simply won't do just as you ask, then maybe it isn't time to fire them, but rather just have a good talk. They are doing their job if they are coming up with ideas that you haven't thought of, whether you want those new ideas or not. Perhaps speak with them to help lead the focus back where you want it, so their new ideas hit the mark better. On your part, it is good to be open to things that haven't been done before. That is how great marketing is achieved.

If the advertising agency has become complacent with your account, or no longer offer gutsy solutions to your problems, then alarm bells should be signaling that there is a problem. Bring up the issue and give them a chance to flex their creative and organizational muscles. If they still can't deliver, it is best if you simply take your business elsewhere. Your dollars are dedicated to an end purpose and if that isn't being achieved, then it is a waste of your money and time.

If you would like to learn more about an advertising agency in the Austin area, click here.

5 Surprising Benefits of Working with a Marketing Agency

If you are considering whether or not to work with a marketing agency to help you with your marketing needs, there are a few benefits that might not have crossed your mind. Cost is a concern for any business' bottom line. However, weight should also be put on those things that an agency can bring to the table that you likely don't have or can't do in-house.

1. Special Skillsets

For the same reason your doctor will send you to a specialist for some procedures, some marketing projects should be outsourced to the professionals at a marketing agency. Staff there will have specialties in various areas, such as brand development, marketing strategy, or creative design. Quality work is done by those with experience.

2. Fiscal Favor

Often, it is less expensive to hire a marketing agency to handle high-end marketing needs, rather than hiring someone to handle them in house. Not only do you pay by the project, rather than with a salary, but there is no benefits package to cover. Also, many marketing projects require specialized tools to be used by people trained how to use them. Creating graphics or analyzing metrics are not skills that the average marketer has.

3. External Eye

Sometimes the best thing that a marketing agency can offer is a fresh view. Even if your staff is capable and willing to handle special projects, sometimes they are just to close to the situation to create innovative solutions to your existing problems. Agency staff typically work with a variety of companies across a number of industries. They have likely already developed inventive strategies for problems just like yours.

4. Brand Building

Building a brand is a lot of work, even for professionals that do it every day. The complex research, projections, number crunching, and design can easily overwhelm the average marketing staff, despite their capabilities. It is not an area for mistakes or redone work. For a brand to be properly developed, an agency is typically the best bet.

5. Creative Content

Of course, no list of agency benefits is complete without mentioning the wide array of original ideas and content they can create for your company. From logos, to copy, to overall design, agency staff can often provide the spark that marketing campaigns have been missing.

If you are interested in a marketing agency in the Austin, Texas, area, click here!

3 Best Practices for Health Care Advertising

Health care advertising has a few characteristics that set it apart from promoting brands in other industries. Not only are there specific legal guidelines that must be followed, but other best practices should be part of any health care advertising plan. The health care consumer can be particularly vulnerable, since illness, affected reasoning, or emotions could have an impact on decision making. Likely, the facility being represented has ethics mechanisms in place to help adhere to guidelines, but it is good to have a solid understanding, based on education and research, before a project begins.

1. High standard of ethics

Since health is what those in the health care industry are selling, common sense dictates that any marketing plan should be approached with only the highest code of ethics. Local, state, and federal laws offer a structure for protecting the health care consumer, but a good agency should help take things to a higher level of respect. The approach should be tailored to the particular context of the facility.

2. No conflicts of interest

There can be no conflicts of interest in health care advertising. Many health care groups already have codes of conduct to help self regulate. An agency representing those groups must help keep the message black and white, with no gray areas. Medical institutions need to profit in order to keep their doors open, but anything that sways medical professionals in the way they perform their job is unacceptable.

3. Quality control

No advertising should contain incorrect information. Anything less than grammatically perfect is a failure. However, with the myriad of advertising approaches, there is always the risk for something that fails to hit the mark. For health care advertising, a poorly worded social media post could cause confusion or injury. It is imperative that everything be correct as it is rolled out during the campaign. From printed materials, to websites, to social media, special quality control measures should be used.

If you are interested in information about health care advertising, click here!