Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What can an advertising or marketing firm do for my company?
They can significantly help with your company’s branding, by making it undeniable clear what you do, what problems you solve, and what group of people or industry you can help with your product/service. They can also improve your image, so that you look professional, an expert in your field. Another way is to get you better organized – take this heavy load called marketing and put it on someone else’s shoulders – the budgeting, talking to advertising sales reps, ad negotiating, creating advertising schedules, creating concepts that are creative and effective – and doing all of this in an organized, professional way.
Q. What mistakes do you see a lot?
People stop before it starts to work. They don’t give their marketing or advertising enough time. Or they run an ad once (yes once!) in a newspaper and claim that newspapers doesn’t work. Or they mailed out 300 postcards one time (yes, once!) and have now decided that postcards don’t work either. Or they create their own flyer for an event – which looks amateurish – and decide that hand outs don’t work. See the pattern?
Q. What’s the one thing that a marketing firm can offer that a business can’t get on their own?
A. Perspective. A business owner is usually surrounded by people who are also experts in their specific industry. So there’s no one who can be objective and see things through the eyes of the customer. Or be objective. When I visit with a new customer, it’s as an outsider and with no preconceived ideas. I tell it like I see it – most likely, how others see your company too.
Q. Anything else?
Yes, with that same outside perspective, I can discover what makes you unique. I can see more clearly than you what makes you stand out from your competitors. I’ve met many companies who really shine, and are doing some outstanding things, but they fail to promote themselves. So instead, it’s left to the customer to discover them. Sadly, that means lots of missed opportunities.
Q. What can a professional designer do that I can’t?
A. First, the technical reason – a professional designer uses design software that is specifically created to design marketing collateral, such as brochures, postcards or websites. For example, the program I use to create brochures is the same one that Time Magazine uses to create the layout of their magazine each week. Unlike Publisher or Word, there are no limitations – whatever we can come up with in our minds, we can create. I also understand the way print and web work – if I’m creating a brochure, I know not to use 18 custom colors – it may look great, but it will cost a fortune to print. It’s important to be creative, yet practical, with a careful eye on the customer’s budget. See portfolio.
Q. Give me an example of a successful marketing campaign.
A. We did a campaign for a company that sold promotional products. There are lots of companies doing the same thing, selling the identical products as our client, so it was important to find out what made her unique. We decided we needed market research, so we did a survey that interviewed her customers – and discovered that what people liked best about our client…was her! They liked her bubbly personality and the ideas she came up with to help them. So our creative concept was all about the owner – she had a big personality, so we did a photo shoot portraying her promotional products as “larger than life” – we photographed her leaning up against a giant pen, or sitting underneath a humungous flashlight. The headline read, “Sometimes bigger is better.” And we talked about how big ideas make a big impression. This brochure was mailed out to her select target audience multiple times, along with a letter and a small gift. The mailing was followed up with phone calls. The results? She got the city of Delaware and the Philadelphia 76ers as clients, as well as many others. Why did this work? Frequency, creativity, follow up and research. Read the case study.
Q. Are there things that I can do on my own to promote my company?
A. Yes, there are a lot of things. One that is free is to register your company online’s local listings, such as on Google and Bing. This helps get your company’s name to the top of the searches.
For more ways to promote your business, go to our blog.
Q. How are services priced?
A. Services are offered either on an hourly basis or flat rate for a bundle of services. If we don’t have an hourly, bulk or retainer option that meets your needs and budget, we will create one for you. That’s what we do: solve problems that get results – so we can get out of your office – and off your budget until you need us again.
