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Do
you have any experience
in my industry? How will
you know what to say about
my business?
Over the years, we've helped our clients
generate hundreds of millions
of dollars in revenue
for diverse businesses
selling products ranging
from tourism
to fast
food and services
covering the gamut from
software to credit
counseling. Our campaigns
consistently perform well
in tight budget situations
and in highly competitive
arenas.
Like
many ad agencies, we boast
a talented, award-winning
staff; however, the secret
to the consistent persuasive
power of our messages
lies not just in our talent
and experience. The key
to our ability to come
up with strategically
sound, memorable advertising
time and time again lies
in a little-used archaic
discipline - Aristotle's
principles of rhetoric.
Utilizing
this framework, we have
devised a copyrighted
method of gathering the
information we need from
our clients to do our
job - to tell the truth
and to tell it well. Because
we know (regardless of
the industry or market
we are currently working
with) what questions to
ask, we also know how
to get the right answers
when it comes to persuading
your target audience.
The
end result is a message
that is memorable in no
small part due to its
emotional impact - a key
factor, research shows,
in determining how well
your message will be remembered.
How
long will it take to complete
my project?
Most projects take from
six to eight weeks to
complete. Often, the critical
factor in the timely completion
of an advertising project
(be it print,
web
or broadcast
related) is the client
and their busy schedule.
Typically, we schedule
the entire project, including
progress and presentation
meetings, at the onset
of your project. This
allows you to plan ahead
- and make the meetings
- and it also allows us
to finish your project
as quickly as possible.
The quicker we finish
your project, the quicker
it will be out there making
you money. That's good.
How
much should a company
my size be spending on
advertising and marketing?
Advertising done correctly
is an investment, not
an expense. A good rule
of thumb: most companies
spend between 4-10% of
their annual revenue on
advertising. Lower percentages
represent maintenance
mode while higher budgets
point toward growth spending.
Where
should I spend my ad budget
- on the hot new product,
or the old standby?
A common mistake made
by many company owners
is to decide to spend
their ad budgets on developing
a market for a new product
instead of supporting
their current sources
of revenue. Though dangerous,
this is a very common
tactic. Conventional wisdom
suggests a safer approach.
Your advertising and marketing
dollars should be spent
in direct proportion to
your current revenue.
That means if the "Old
Faithful" product
is generating 75% of your
sales, it should receive
advertising and marketing
support equal to 75% of
your advertising budget.
It is also wise to segregate
a separate budget for
new product or market
development in order to
safeguard your business.
In this case, the old
saying "dance with
the one that brung ya"
holds true.
What
does your price include?
One of the ways we're
different than most other
ad agencies, freelancers
or other kinds of suppliers
is the way we price our
product. The price
we quote you is turnkey
and includes everything.
Then, when the project
is finished, you own it.
We don't play any of those
"royalty" or
"usage" games
you may have probably
heard horror stories about.
Our
print projects (brochures,
catalogs,
direct
mail, folders,
inserts, etc.) include
not only the cost of creative
development but also printing.
Frankly, that's one of
the ways we know our prices
are so competitive - by
the number of times a
client sees our estimate
and then asks us how much
more it will cost to print
the job. They are always
pleasantly surprised to
hear that the price they
already like INCLUDES
the printing.
Similarly,
when we do photography,
custom
illustration, motion
picture, video, audio
- or anything else for
that matter, we'll happily
make a copy of the masters
for you when we are finished
for your own use. Isn't
that the way it should
be? We think so.
How
can I keep from wasting
money on advertising?
This is a complicated
question, but one that
is asked (in different
ways) almost every day
in advertising. Here are
a few helpful hints:
1.
Buy a gun before the war
starts
One of the most common
mistakes companies make
is to wait until the battle
is well underway before
they start arming themselves.
In an attempt to "save"
money, they spend none
and then are forced to
overspend to catch up
later (if they can). A
little money spent early
on the right advertising
and marketing strategies
can stave off what could
later become a major war
with a competitor over
market share. But don't
be discouraged. If you
have already waited too
long to get started, take
comfort in this - we have
a great deal of experience
successfully fighting
uphill.
2.
Start small and test
Another wise and frugal
method is to start small
(a brochure
maybe, a direct
mail piece here, a
web
marketing campaign
there) and learn what
works for you and your
target market. Then, when
the road to success is
clear, more costly strategies
can be implemented (and
the rewards commensurately
increased).
3.
Remember who the boss
is
You are not the boss.
Your customer is. To increase
the effectiveness of your
advertising and marketing
spending, be sure you
are looking at the communication
pieces that comprise
your business growth strategy
from the point of view
of your target audience,
not yourself.
4.
Find someone trustworthy
who has done it before
There is nothing new under
the sun. Really. Someone
has done it before. When
it comes to advertising,
it was probably us. Over
the years, we've helped
hundreds of clients
generate hundreds of millions
of dollars in revenue
for their businesses.
Chances are, we've seen
the issues you are facing
now before.
5.
Don't give up
So that direct
mail piece you did
five years ago with your
brother-in-law didn't
work for you and you haven't
tried anything since?
We understand (we have
brothers-in-law too).
But don't give up. The
only way that money was
truly wasted is if you
didn't learn from it.
Was the message wrong?
Did you have the right
audience targeted? Was
your list on target? Did
you differentiate your
product successfully from
your competition? Did
the sales department really
track the thing accurately?
Sometimes platitudes are
somewhat useful. Here
are two: "The only
way to lose is to quit;"
AND "You can't win
if you don't race."
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