Small Business Advertising

Transcription

1 design[move s ] Your Guide To Small Business Advertising Producing the results.. Protecting yourself Pricing Standpoints Time lines of Production Common Myths Establishing Relations Tips and Tricks Making Goals and priorities Working Quality over Quantity Working Smart Get Excited! Tips for the Do-it-yourselfer s 1

2 2 This E-Book is based on design [moves], a visual design firm, that has exhibited real life situations and stories to better help businesses everywhere, especially those who are starting a business and unknown about advertising industry. The context of the text is solely reflective from general material and may be subject to change furthermore as the advertising industry is consistently evolving. Categories that we will be brushing over: Web Design Print Mediums Advertising Agencies Free-lancers Internet Marketers Marketing Agencies Payment types Concepts above are what every business will encounter in their future endeavours throughout the many years to come and some things that you may find interesting. All of the writing has been broken down into subsections and easy reading formatting so that you can have handy whenever you have any doubts about a particular subject. Although this is purely for educational purposes, any companies without permission from design[moves] using this material will be subject to litigation of copyright infringement.

3 3 Why design [moves] (a design company) has created this for you: * The purpose of creating this company was to help as many businesses grow as possible. Stopping terrible wannabees who don t give you the full result that had originally paid for. The Founder had started graphic design years ago, because of a family member that had been ripped off of a marketing company. * We are extremely up front with you * We are people too, and have much experience within our fields to inform you of important aspects of your business that can ultimately improve your bottom line * Regardless of whom you go to with your advertising design needs, at least you have a better grasp of what you are doing. * We hope that this E-book will build trust and education between who we are and what we can do for you in the future. *We also know that you guys are relatively newer to business procedures as compared to the Morgan Stanleys of the World. *Honestly, we would hate to see you get ripped off. Now lets get to the Nitty Gritty...

4 4 Producing results that you would like It is not all rainbows and butterflies. Success takes time...so lets get real! + Developing a business model takes months + Developing Ideas takes months, and months to implement + Goals are a must! (long term and short) + Align your goals with what you would like to improve + Record your problem areas, and arrange the simplest solutions to implement. +Determine Budgets + Be realistic with yourself, Don t get too pessimistic, but also realize that even great ideas need implementation... No one is going to do the dirty work for you. (unless you pay them) + Save time and try to do things right the first time. + Always protect your assets and your business (or what we call our baby ) This E-book is based on the basics of Advertising.

5 5 How to work with a Graphic Designer: Tips for non-creatives If you re starting a business, already have a business, or are a consultant part-time, you may have been thinking about hiring a freelance graphic designer to help get you started with your marketing materials. Ultimately, a graphic designer communicates your company s message to your customer. But how do you go about landing a graphic designer you ll be happy with? The tips below can help get you on the right path for your next freelance graphic design job. 1. Identify Your Needs. First decide what you need. If you ve written a marketing plan, that will help a great deal. If not, don t worry. Just make a list with your short term marketing needs and your long term marketing needs. For example, if you re a start up business, a short term need might be your company s logo. A long term need might be a print advertising campaign. And, you might want a website somewhere in between. Defining your needs (and how much money you can spend on those needs) will help narrow your search for a freelance graphic designer. 2. Do some research. Take a look at marketing from businesses similar to yours, including competitors. What type of logo do they have (and why)? What type of content do they use on their website? What type of look do you want to convey? Bookmark some sites so you ll have some resources to send along to your designer when the time comes. Usually your designer will have more questions about what you want, but the more information the better. 3. What Type of Designer Should You Hire? If you are looking to have a logo designed for example, your first instinct might be to hire someone who specializes in logos. This approach has its pros and cons. You may get a great logo designed, but when it comes time to do your website, brochures or direct mail campaign, your logo designer may not deliver the strongest product. One alternative is to find a great logo designer, then a great web designer, then a great direct mail marketer. The problem with this approach is that your materials may have a disjointed look and feel because each designer will probably have differing styles and sensibilities. Not to mention it requires more work on your part. Another alternative is to seek a well-balanced designer who has had experience in many different areas. There s a better chance of maintaining a consistent look and feel across all of your marketing materials. Even better if they have an overall focus on brand development. So which method is best for you? Well, it depends on your business. What will be the most important aspects of your marketing plan? Is brand most important? Will your website be most important? Is your print advertising campaign most important? Weigh all aspects of your business out to determine which type of designer or designers are best for you.

6 6 5. You ve found someone, how do you know if it s the right designer? Rate is certainly an issue, especially if you re a new business looking to keep costs low. There is no certification for graphic designers (at least in the United States - other countries such as Canada, may). Judging their work is subjective. So if you ve narrowed your choice down to a designer, here are some things to check for: Their portfolio. This is one of the most, if not the most, important thing to measure a designer s skills and sensibilities by. Do you like their work? Do the pieces communicate successfully? Or are they too busy or too dated? See what type of companies they ve worked for, at what capacity (e.g, designer, art director, intern, etc.) and for how long. Do they have references or testimonials? Check their online profiles, reviews, and their own website for testimonials or press. This will vary depending on both the designer and how much you have budgeted. It may also depend on your region. Hourly rates can range anywhere from $25/hr for students and interns to $200/hr for seasoned art directors and master Actionscripters. Do they provide a flat fee or an hourly rate? Will they give you a discount in exchange for hiring them for multiple projects? All good questions to ask when talking about rates. Time is important. If you re like most clients of graphic designers, you wanted that logo done last week. Obviously, that s unreasonable, so be sure to start your search early enough to give your designer time to research, organize, and be creative while still making your deadline. The project timeline is a matter between you and your designer, so make sure to discuss when each phase of the project is due when. Use your judgment. Remember you want someone who can think creatively, not just someone who can use software. Graphic design is more about communicating ideas than being able to create something gaudy with Photoshop. Also, don t be discouraged if your candidate doesn t have a degree at all. It s all about the work. So, you ve got a project, you ve found your designer and are happy with the rates and timelines. What next? GET EVERYTHING IN WRITING! Also, be prepared to pay 50% of the estimated cost up front. This is standard industry practice. If the timeline has been agreed on, there s no need to hound your designer every 4 hours asking if he s got something to show you. Remember to be patient, and let that creativity breathe. Your project deserves it!

7 7 Industry Standard Payment Types Advertising Agencies: + Charge a retainer for their services Advertising Graphics Freelance Graphic Artists: + Charge a flat rate + Charge an Hourly rate Graphics Company: + Has standard Packages + Charge a Flat Rate + Charge An Hourly Rate + Run by a particular Budget Print Shop + Standard Rate + Depends on prints ordered + Usually collects payment on the final product Web Design Online Companies: + Standard Packages + Quote depend on specifications Freelance Web Designer: + Charge an Hourly rate + Quote depend on specifications Programmer + Graphics Designer: + Has standard Packages + Charge a Flat Rate

8 8 Things to Consider when choosing a person or company to work with your business to produce Graphics and Web Design. Note: **It all depends on your Situation! Print Shops: - Less expensive - Are known for lesser quality graphics Advertising Agencies: - Usually more expensive - Geared towards large ad campaigns - Produce good to Mediocre Graphics depending on their art department Free-lancers: - Have more ability to negotiate pricing - May lack professionalism - May have very little experience within the field ( on a case by case basis) - Works well with budgets Companies: - Usually work with businesses who are more serious about producing results - In some cases use several individuals to produce 1 piece of work - May be difficult in scheduling, and maintaining communication - Work well with professionalism - Pricing Varies - Some may contain a niched field of work Online Companies: - Are usually not located nearby your location - Are most difficult to communicate over the phone - May not be a legitimate company - Might be charged the entire project cost up front Specialized Programmers + Graphic Designers - Are highly knowledge in their fields - User functionality on websites is pristine - Allows for more flexibility in Web Design - Is perfect for those who need something very specific to be made - May become costly depending on the situation

9 9 Pay attention to: Do NOT pay the entire payment up-front! Look at their portfolio of work before starting an assignment. (you will most likely receive the relevant quality of work, if the person is being honest about the work that they have produced) Make sure you have everything in writing and have all documents signed. If you pay in cash, ask for a receipt. Keep records of payments. Ask as many questions to the person you are consulting with before entering into a contract with them. Read their General Policies. Make sure the business has a physical location and credible contact information. Try to consider a budget for the amount of work that you need to get complete, this will help you choose the type of person or business would be perfect for your situation. Align your business goals with the advertisement / web design that you are paying for. Try to be as specific as possible. Give them a deadline, something reasonable depending on the size of the assignment. Do not ask for too little or too much once the contract / invoice has been agreed upon. The designers job is to be as specific as possible entailing what work will be done for your situation. Asking for things outside of the contract will most likely result in extra charges. If the designer decides to do that extra work for free, please also note that the designer may carry resentment towards yourself and that the quality of work will most likely not be the same because of the feeling of resentment. Keep lines of communication as open as possible. Make sure that the person servicing you is qualified for the job. Organization also helps the designing / website process.

10 10 Common Myths There are common myths associated with starting a business that may hinder the growth and success of your company. Awareness of these business myths will allow you to steer clear of them and will assist you with future advertising and branding endeavours. Myth 1: Branding is too expensive and I cannot afford to advertise Your brand does not have to be costly in order to be effective. As long as your brand is strong, unique, and put together well it can be successful. Use the resources you have at your disposal to tell a story and highlight your companies key attributes. Myth 2: Only big businesses need to brand, it is not something that smaller businesses do Branding is important for a business, small or large. Don t sell yourself short when advertising your name or creating the message you want to send to your clients. Small companies have an advantage that most big companies do not, you are closer to your clients and therefore have the opportunity to build a much stronger connection through branding. Myth 3: My business is already unique so I do not have to brand Your clients do not have as much experience in the area in which your company specializes. Therefore, they are not necessarily able to differentiate between your business and someone else s. Even if you think that your business stands apart from other s, customers and clients may not see it that way. Branding maintains the association of your business with your key message in the mind of your clients and will help them to remember you and make distinctions between your business and others. Myth 4: The only advertising I need is word of mouth While word of mouth advertising can be extremely effective it is just not enough for a small business in its beginning stages. A company that has been in business for many years and has already established themselves within a community can rely on word of mouth. The most effective way to establish your company initially is to reach a wide range of people by using a variety of advertising mediums.

11 11 Establishing and Maintaining Relations with your Clients Clients and customers are the most important part of your business. They give you goals to work toward, spread the name of your business and bring in revenue. Not only is it important to attract clients but it is equally important to keep their business as well. As a business owner you must first establish who your target audiences are. Who do you want to reach out to? Who do you want to attract to your business? Once that has been determined, you must reach out to that audience though the most effective means. Below you will find tips on how to reach out to the right audience and how to maintain a solid relationship with those who become clients. Who is your ideal client? Figure out the characteristics of the type of clients that you wish to attract Establish where it is you will find the type of clients that you are looking for and create advertising methods that will reach them Study the methods of your competitors, who do they reach out to and in what ways? Utilize your local newspapers and reach out to individual people within the community Keep an open mind and be willing to offer a reward to existing clients that help you bring in new clients Once you begin working with your customers: Form goals around what you would like to do with the design company or freelancer you choose. Take time to establish a relationship with your client (become familiar with their interests) Ask your client questions (opinions, thoughts, feelings) on the topics you are discussing Think outside of the box and be a problem solver Don t make promises that you can t keep Align your marketing campaign with your target market!

12 12 Establishing Goals and Priorities The key ingredient to a successful business is prioritizing. As a business owner it is important to establish goals (long term and short term) to ensure that your business is heading in the direction that you want it to go. Below are some tips designed to help you prioritize your business goals. Figure out what your overtaking goals are (generating awareness, bringing in revenue, etc ) Make sure your motivation for achieving each goal is clear so that you can fully understand why you are striving for each goal Determine the best methods for achieving your goals Motivate yourself by establishing the consequences for not reaching your goals (losing clients, losing money) Make a daily and weekly plan that includes short-term goals geared toward reaching your overall goal Make a list of 3-5 steps that will aid you in reaching short-term and long-term goals Prioritize your goals by making a list starting with the most important task to the least important task Write down all of your goals so that you can take note of what has and has not been accomplished Make sure that your goals are realistic and attainable. Don t shoot too low when establishing goals but don t shoot too high either Do your goals meet these criteria? 1. Measurable- are your goals measurable? In order words, at the end of the day will you be able to recognize if your goals have been achieved? 2. Specific- your goals should be specific, clear and well established so that anyone would be able to read your goals and understand what it is that you are working toward 3. Timely- Can your goals be achieved within a certain time frame? Establishing a time limit for reaching your goals will prevent you from procrastinating 4. Attainable- Can your goal be accomplished within the desired time frame? If it can t then you may be shooting too high and should rework some of your immediate goals

13 13 Working Smart and Working Quality over Quantity To succeed in business you must practice good work habits by creating a system that will reduce time wasters and promote a healthy work ethic. Ultimately you are working to please your clients and therefore should concentrate on productivity. There are many ways to succeed in business by working smart, working responsibly, and concentrating on the quality of your work over the quantity. Practice time management by breaking up tasks into separate chunks. Be responsible with how much down-time you take. If you leave your business at any point during the day, make sure you are still working or doing something work related that will ultimately maximize profit Delegate tasks to others to avoid becoming overwhelmed. Delegating tasks to a manager or assistant will allow you to concentrate on the overall picture while they handle smaller issues Concentrate on doing what is best for your clients and producing a desirable result Focus on the quality of work produced over the quantity of work produced While it is important to work diligently everyday and complete tasks efficiently, ultimately the quality of the work that you produce is most important. Therefore, businesses should avoid sacrificing quality for quantity. Clients want to see the highest quality of work so they know that their money is well spent. Doing more work for a client instead of doing good work for a client will end up being counterproductive Maintain a strong reputation with the public by producing a high quality of work for every client

14 14 Get excited about your business! If you show enthusiasm about your business, your clients will follow suit. You are your company s biggest advocate and therefore need to maintain your excitement even when there are lulls throughout the workday. Below are some points to think about as you go through your daily schedule. What you know makes you valuable to your clients. If business is slow on any given day use the time to research or learn a new skill that will help you to better understand your business Talk up your business everywhere you go. It takes time to establish yourself and your business. Discuss your business with other business owners and people that you know. Showing excitement about your company will draw people in and intrigue them to find out more about it. Being that you probably in one way or another have lost sleep over your business, you deserve to get excited about something that you ve built from the ground up! Tips for the Do-IT-Yourselfer s We among various others in the industries are great at doing things themselves and that is quite frankly part of surviving. As great as the instinct is, it may be just as bad an idea as hiring someone not as equipped to take on the project that you assign to them. Things to consider whether to outsourcing involve: 1. Quality - The quality will certainly vary depending on your budget, the type of designer, and your skills if you decide to ultimately do it yourself.

15 15 2. Knowledge & Expertise - Depending on the technicality of the job, if something needs fixing, will you be able to do it yourself? If not, I would recommend starting your assignment with someone that can fix their errors depending on the situation. 3. Return on Your Investment (whether time or money) - Please make sure doing advertising or design work yourself is worth your time and effort. For example: If you normally make 30 dollars per hour on your business, you can easily out source the assignment for half the amount while still giving yourself time to work on generating more income for yourself. 4. Importance of the task at hand - Very small miniscule projects should not necessarily be out sourced unless the task requires a printing or advertising budget. Those things should be done by a professional so that your efforts in purchasing advertising or printed materials has not gone to waste. design [moves] may be able to help with... - Affordable & Trendy Stock Images - Applications for your website for productivity - Working with your situation - Honest Answers Connecting you to talents, agencies, and events that may help the visual apearance of your business prosper. For Specific Small Business Needs please visit:

16 design[move s ] Thank you for reading the book! These texts are based off of our business experiences that we love to share. Hopefully you have gained insight that you have not known otherwise from which can ultimately help you and your business grow. For being fully committed and reading till the last page we are giving you a 10% discount on any design [moves] services. code: Icareaboutmybusiness Cheers! Larissa Castelluber Founder Photography: Brian Garcia Express express-bg.blogspot.com Contributors: Giselle Triana Blaire Fraser 16