Category: Print Media, Brochures, HD Video, Branding, Direct Mail, Trade Show, Marketing Strategy, Web site Development (Page 4 of 4)

By Joseph Cekauskas
Marketing Consultant & Strategist
JC Marketing Communications – originally published 11.16.2002

This article will provide you with:

1) A CHECKLIST of key questions to ask in an effort to HELP YOU make an “educated buying decision.”

2) AN UNDERSTANDING of how your marketing/graphics person or firm could POSITION AND GROW your business faster, and with less effort and expense than you’d ever imagine.

3) WAYS OF IDENTIFYING graphic design partners who lack proper disciplines, marketing knowledge & preparation techniques for your various needs.

Question 1:

What skills and software programs does the graphic design partner utilize?

Answer:

There are too many people in the marketplace today who have purchased mediocre computer systems with some very basic and primitive graphic programs. Some are still using programs from the mid-90s. When they give their files to a professional printer, it may not be usable. Therefore, if there are any necessary changes to your files in order for the printer to use them … it often means you’ll foot the bill.

An ideal graphic design partner should have both state-of-the art equipment (including, but NOT limited to “lots of RAM”) and sophisticated software (NOT pirated copies) at their disposal to help you reach your communications goals.

But even that’s not enough—the graphic design partner should also be “experts” (minimum 5 years) in those sophisticated software programs to allow you to get the best possible product in the most efficient manner. Furthermore, the artist should understand that when your logo is printed on an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper, it will appear quite differently when reproduced at ONLY 3/8″ high. Readability will be compromised and you’ll be unhappy with the results AND YOUR BRAND WILL SUFFER. And lastly—at a minimum—any graphic design partner you consider should have expertise (minimum 5 years) in universal graphic print programs such as:

• Adobe Illustrator
• Adobe Photoshop
• Adobe InDesign or Quark

In the case of working with a professional—even if your advertising agency has those programs, make sure they’re the most up-to- date versions so they can play well with third-party vendors. Any graphic design partner worthy of your business should be knowledgeable of—and investing in—the best and most recent products in its field to help you achieve your mission.

Question 2:

Does that graphic design partner provide full service—from concept … through execution … to final production?

Answer:

Graphic artists are often from a dog-eat-dog world—so don’t get caught wearing Milkbone® underwear! Horror stories abound in the graphic design field of designers that promise YOU the world during the honeymoon phase of the relationship, only for the customer to wake up and find that the person(s) can’t deliver on promises made. Make sure you get plenty of choices from the artist. And not just 5 versions of the same logo.

If your project requires a logo design, photography and then placement in your local newspaper, a trade publication or magazine, you may be under the mistaken impression that all graphic design partners can provide those services.

A qualified graphic design partner should have a critical knowledge of different file formats, such as pdf, tiff, jpeg, eps vector, etc. In addition, he or she should know when the file is to be PMS or spot colors, CMYK, RGB PLUS what resolution of any Photoshop files are, etc.

This graphic design partner should also be able to do an outstanding job in file preparation so your project can be delivered to a third-party vendor complete—without the need for additional work before it’s published.

A graphic design partner worthy of your business must be able to produce a finished product, so any third-party vendor can take that artwork and utilize it in whatever publication and/or format without the need for additional file preparation.

Question 3:

Does your graphic design partner have multiple digital backup systems that guarantee the safety of your digital work?

Answer:

Imagine spending a significant amount of time and money working with a graphic design partner to produce what you feel is a product sure to increase your business by 25-30 percent.

But then, the night before it is going to be handed over to the printer, you are informed that his or her computer systems have had a major failure and your work is lost. Don’t laugh, it happens … and happens too often when clients deal with unsophisticated graphic design partners.

You need to ask what types of back up options, if any, your graphic design partner utilizes to protect your important data. At a minimum, you should be assured that all projects are backed up on CD, DVD, and/or off-site data storage systems. Any graphic design partner worthy of your business must provide adequate safeguards through a thorough and well-thought out archiving system to ensure your work is easy to retrieve and well protected.

Question 4:

Does your graphic design partner execute your ideas, as well as bring their own creative solutions to the equation?

Answer:

Look for a graphic design partner who listens (the key is LISTENS) to your needs and comes back with options and choices to meet those needs. A good graphic design partner takes ownership of the objective and provides value—not just a cookie cutter solution to what you’ve asked them to produce. Ideally, the artist would be as passionate about your mission and treat it as if it were their own.

Of course, don’t be afraid to tell a graphic design partner what you want, but also allow him/her to provide you with other options and choices he/she offers and believes, based on quantitative formulas, of what works and what the market responds to.

Any advertising agency graphic artist worthy of your business, must be insightful … and offer you every possible means to differentiate your company from your competition.

Question 5:

Is the graphic design partner available for emergencies and what turnaround times are to be expected?

Answer:

The turnaround times needed to stay competitive in today’s marketplace were unheard of just a few short years ago. The graphic design partner you select should be available for emergencies and be able to offer quick turnaround of a project when the need arises.

Check to make sure you have access to key personnel through e-mail and cell phones. In addition, make sure to set up realistic deadlines and hold your agency to those deadlines. Any graphic design partner worthy of your business must be responsive, meet the agreed upon deadline, and be available in emergencies should they arise.

Question 6:

Can the graphic design partner you’re considering offer more than ten testimonials across diverse markets & industries?

Answer:

There is no better way to judge a graphic design partner than through customer testimonials that demonstrate a proven track record of quality deliverables, customer service, and measured results.

To adequately judge a graphic design partner, ask for those testimonials to be from a wide array of customers in various markets, so you have the opportunity to see how creative the graphic design partner truly is.

When you get those testimonials, make sure you obtain phone numbers and really check those references to ensure the graphic design partner you’re considering is viewed highly by the people he/she has worked with in the past.

Any graphic design partner worthy of your business will provide adequate references of people who will talk openly and honestly with you about their experiences, successes and yes—even failures.

Innovative Marketing Strategies & Designs

to Enhance Your Company Brand, While Increasing Your Return On Investment.

If you’d like assistance with your graphic design strategy, including creating marketing materials such as logos, brochures, tradeshow displays, HD video, and more, contact JC Marketing Communications at 860.621.8866. The message and image we help you develop will motivate your audience to buy from you now.

Call now, while the thought is still fresh in your mind!Imagine—one quick phone call TO JC Marketing WILL launch your business toward accelerated growth and higher profits.

By Joseph Cekauskas
Marketing Consultant & Strategist
JC Marketing Communications

How much does it typically cost to develop a video for your organization?

Imagine asking a building contractor, “How much does it cost to build my dream home?”

When building a home, there are several important factors to consider.

For example:
Do you already have blue prints for your dream home?
Did the bank tell you how much house can you afford?
How much square footage, bathrooms, kitchen details, special amenities, etc. are you expecting?
Like building your dream house, the same depth of questioning will be asked of you regarding your video marketing strategy.

In order to make your video reality, JC Marketing Communications (JCMC) of Southington, CT requires additional information … and there are many options/elements available when developing and producing your video presence.

If you want to do it the right way and not look amateurish, here are some of the elements that go into developing your video budget:

Pre-production which includes:

• Concept Meeting(s)
• Scripting
• Shot List
• Storyboarding
• Set Design

Principle Photography which includes:

• Shooting Days/Location
• Crew
• Travel
• Camera and Lighting Gear
• Audio Gear
• Actors/Voice over Talent
• Set Dressing/Props

Post Production which includes:

• Editing – (Rough Cut … Re-Edit … Final Cut)
• Narration
• Animation
• Graphics (Custom designed components … stock photos, etc.)
• Special Effects (Green screen compositing … etc.)
• Deliverables (DVD … Digital Movie Files … etc.)

Your answers to the above items, combined with our 30-plus years marketing experience are crucial to the process of budgeting and developing a successful video production. After all, video is a way to increase profits along with awareness—thus adding to your organizations bottom line.

In addition to the above components, JCMC requires additional details to fortify your strategy. They include:

• Does your project require JCMC to write and develop your script?
• What is the length/time of your video?
• Does your project require JCMC to contribute time-tested marketing methodologies within the video that will get viewers to “take your most desired action now?”
• Does your project need an original score by live musicians or will you approve the use of royalty-free music instead?
• Do you desire motion graphics or 3D animation?
• Are you able to utilize your employees/personnel … or do you require actors/voice over talent?

Video production relies on the answers to these questions. And you can get all of these services from JC Marketing Communications of Connecticut.

Your video production is an investment, and JCMC delivers ways to maximize this investment

A typical 30-second commercial can have a targeted life on television, and can also be enormously effective when used as an embedded web video … or included as part of an e-newsletter campaign, posted as a blog entry or a tradeshow video.

In an effort to maximize cost-effectiveness, we will help you create a large library of footage and materials that can be used in all the other projects.

Moving forward, this philosophy becomes very cost-effective, because it allows you to create alternate versions of your project. That’s terrific money-saving strategy.

How much time is required to develop and produce a video?
Every project brings with it different parameters. Concept-to-completion date will be determined largely by the complexity of your project. Simple web videos can oftentimes be completed in under 4 weeks (see www.jtec-online.com), whereas company videos may reach 12 weeks … and finally, documentary films may take 12 to 15 months. As a client you can minimize the processing time by limiting the number of people involved in the approval process, making sure there is a professional Project Coordinator Expert (ProCo-x) at each shooting location and budgeting enough pre-production planning time to adequately prepare for your project.

And lastly, if this is your first project with us, the process may be extended—should we be required to introduce marketing strategies into the video.

Is developing a video in HD worth doing?
Yes! Today, shooting and editing in HD is no more expensive than standard definition. A corporate video shot and edited in HD can easily be down-converted to a standard definition DVD or compressed for streaming from a web server. As more boardroom, training centers and web-streaming sites upgrade to be HD capable, you can re-release your video on Blu-Ray or upload higher resolution versions.

JC Marketing Communications shoots in HD with the same camera & lighting equipment used on many of today’s television shows.

Another thing to remember: every time you have a video produced, all the original camera footage can be a valuable asset for future projects— especially if it’s HD. Keeping a library of your original footage can maximize your production dollars.

How can my business/organization use video?

• Web Clips on your website — introduce your services/products to your audience. Prequalify your prospect/audience before they meet you.
• Marketing Videos
• Product Demonstrations — “How to’s”
• Corporate Presentations
• Looping Tradeshow Promos
• Video News Releases
• Social Media e-news
• Fundraising videos
• Training Videos
• Recruitment programs
• Employee Roast or Benefit
• Safety Videos
• Instructional DVDs
• Employee Information

What questions will JC Marketing Communications ask me?

• What is the purpose of your video? Ideally, what do you hope it will do for you?
• Who is your target audience/demographics?
• What message do you wish or need to convey?
• What visual and graphical elements do you want or need to show?
• Where do we have to travel to get these elements?
• How many minutes do you think your program should last?
• What is the estimated shelf-life of your video?
• Who will be the Project Coordinator Expert (ProCo-x) on this video?
• Who will be approving your scripts and edits?
• What is your deadline? What is driving your deadline?
• How much do you have budgeted for your video?
• Can we re-purpose video elements for other uses, like a company website?
• When can we get started?

What can my business do to get the best results?
First, clearly articulate your expectations to your producer at JC Marketing Communications (JCMC). Everyone who has say in the final product should be included in that first production meeting. Based on what is discussed in that meeting, our team will then provide you with a script treatment, preliminary draft script and/or storyboard.

Review the treatment and read it carefully. Pay attention not only to the script language, but also the “visual” side of page. Once filming begins, changes will not only slow the production process, they can potentially result in significant cost overruns. We encourage you to make sure everyone is on the same page and the process will be streamlined and rewarding.

Why is JCMC the obvious choice to develop your video?
First, we partner with you on every level because we have an equally vested interest in the success of your project. We know marketing—something no other videographers offer.

Second, you get to take advantage of our 30-plus years of experience successfully marketing organizations from small businesses … to the Fortune 500 company.

Our approach to marketing goes way beyond that of “image advertising,” so that you receive the best return-on-investment for your dollar (see www.jcmcom.com).

JCMC utilizes time-tested, proven marketing strategies that no other video developer has access to. It’s more than pretty pictures and color.

Next, our script writing, photography and graphics are second to none. We have state-of-the-art technology guaranteed to impress any tech savvy pro!

And lastly, we do this all in house! We’re a one stop shop—here you work with the talented team that produces your successful project.

Imagine—one quick phone call to us can launch your business toward accelerated growth, larger market share and higher profits. Call us while the thought is still fresh in your mind—860.621.8866.

By Joseph Cekauskas
Marketing Consultant & Strategist
JC Marketing Communications

A “brand” is not just a logo or product … a “brand” is the overall experience of a particular identity. This includes every aspect of the company … the product or the services identity: from practical to ethereal. A branded identity enables the identity to be totally understood by potential prospects or consumers … and equally important is that it is enabled to be managed with utmost effectiveness by the parent company.

“Brands” make it a priority to become known for offering DISTINCT experiences. Companies who fully understand good marketing strategy know that good business is all about experience—either quantifiable experiences relating to the brand’s particular products and services, or abstract experiences related to the brand. A key component to strengthening the brand is to continually adjust the terms to remain relevant to the audience. Good branding works its way into people’s lives by becoming MORE effective and ensuring, thus, that brand becomes the preferred choice.

Businesses who place significant value on “branding” set the pace, stay on the cutting edge and have the competition frantically reaching to keep up. Just remember, whatever you claim, you have to deliver on.

Ultimately, the measure of the success of the strategy is the measure of the brand’s effectiveness in the marketplace. What does this mean? In everything your business offers or does, do it with “excellence.” As I once told my mom—the secret to our success was “treating the customer better than we treat our mom’s.” That might take you aback … personally, my mom laughed quite loudly because she thoroughly understood the depth of my commitment to customers. She didn’t see it as a slight to her, but rather a commitment to excellence.

One recent branding error occurred when a very famous orange juice company—it rhymes with Americana—changed its entire packaging. There was an uproar by consumers—buyers wanted the familiarity of the visually robust, yet old-fashioned identity. In this case only, the graphics compromised the “brand” experience. That’s not always the case so please don’t let this example confuse you. Anyway, the company reverted to the familiar orange juice packaging. Whew! Problem solved. Disaster alleviated.

Research confirms that “brands” who tell the most compelling stories again and again gain, maintain and endure within the social conscious. Often times, the marketplace receives a new product or service and immediately states, “This is great, but I’m so excited … I can’t wait to see what they do next time!” That’s when you know you’re headed in the right direction. Understand, there is no “magic wand” when branding, there is “what works and what does not.”

If you need to increase market share quickly and you don’t want to play the “waiting game” for your advertising dollars to work—there is a much more effective and affordable advertising approach. If you would like to learn more about our branding methodology—specifically how JC Marketing can help you BUILD YOUR BRAND … and add profit to your bottom line—please call us today at 860.621.8866.

What is an “only-one advantage” and how can it put your business on the road to higher profits?

By Joseph Cekauskas
Marketing Consultant & Strategist
JC Marketing Communications

Many salespeople or business owners jump quickly into creating their marketing tools without first having a comprehensive business/marketing “strategy” or “plan.” Consciously…or not…they skip the fundamentals and go right to the “tactic.” By “tactic,” we mean the physical execution or creative aspect of their marketing tools.

Those include:
designing & placing ads—writing & building a website—
design & printing of brochures/postcards/sales letters—
writing TV or radio spots—creating billboards…
……….AND SO ON…

Oftentimes, the rush to development is caused because there’s deadline pressure to get the message-to-market. On other occasions, it’s simply way more fun to work on the design and creative. Another reason planning gets back-burnered, is that this “strategy” phase takes effort. No matter which, JC Marketing Communications (JCMC) believes as a proven, accountable and reliable professional—it is OUR responsibility to educate our client(s) of potential pitfalls should they choose to perform their “tactic” before “strategy.” The importance of having a sound marketing strategy in place before you start investing your time and money in creating brochures, ads and other marketing tools cannot be over emphasized…AND we can prove it.

How would your income or
lifestyle change if you developed an
“only-one advantage” strategy?

Having an “only-one advantage” is a desirable method of sustaining a presence in people’s consciousness without compromising integrity. An “only-one advantage” is the unique reason why people should do business with YOU versus your competition. Most businesses don’t make the effort to develop an “only-one advantage.” As a result, they are forced to compete based on price. Their profit margins and market share suffer. It doesn’t have to be that way.

What if there was something about your business that literally forced people to buy from you? How would that affect your income and your lifestyle? Not possible you say? Please consider the following exercise. It will help you develop a “strategy” as a means to gain market share and leave your competition baffled. Throughout this exercise, you should analyze all your items from your customer…or buyers point-of-view.

Step 1—Do your homework:
Begin by making a list of all the things you do for your customers. Do a “data dump” of everything you offer from price…to products…to service. Take your list and cross off every item that is also offered by your competitors. Once completed—is there at least one thing left that your competitors don’t do? If not, ask yourself: why should people do business with us…versus our competition? Take a moment to evaluate your services in terms of relevance to your customers. Unless you know specifically what is meaningful to your customers/prospects, none of the items on your list will be the reason that makes you indispensable.

Step 2—Quantify your data:
The simplest and best way to know that your benefits are significant is to ask your current and past customers what they like best about what you offer. This part of the process just might be a highly rewarding AND profitable exercise for your company. Once you have identified what your customers really desire, you can focus on those benefits in your advertising and promotional efforts. Ideally, at least one of the things your customers like about you will be something that your competitors don’t offer. You can then test market this as your “only-one advantage.” Or it could be that what your customers like about you is also offered by your competitors, but they don’t publicize it. If you are the first to publicize it, you can preempt your competition. If you don’t have an obvious “only-one advantage,” you may have to create one. Remember to TEST your data first—to make sure it’s both meaningful to your customers and profitable to you. Be patient, perform a quick and easy feasibility study before you spend lots of energy and money. Poll your existing clients—if their feedback indicates that your offering is valuable or unique, ONLY then should you take the next step.

Step 3—Be innovative:
What if you’ve thought and thought and you can’t seem to come up with anything that makes sense? We suggest you use a fall-back advantage. It’s a methodology that has been effective for companies such as Dominos, Fedex and Sears.

JC Marketing Communications (JCMC) can help you take that next step for alot less money than those companies expended. Call us at 860.621.8866—you will have access to the answer to this question, as well as solutions toward your “only-one advantage,” brand development and marketing research/consulting. AND BEST OF ALL, we develop high quality CONTENT-DRIVEN marketing materials such as websites, brochures, direct mail postcards, ads, sales letters, tradeshow displays, video, radio commercials, etc.

Skeptical?
JCMC is unique because we produce marketing materials with a marketing mindset. It means we produce CONTENT-DRIVEN materials that include measurable, trackable strategies into your marketing materials. Unlike many of our competitors, we bring an “accountability” factor to your marketing effort because we employ our “direct response marketing” methodology.

One quick phone call to JC Marketing Communications (JCMC) can launch your business toward accelerated growth, larger market share and higher profits. From your infrastructure through your marketing strategy and materials—JCMC implements proven methodologies to increase market share, thus adding money to your bottom line. Call while the thought is still fresh in your mind—860.621.8866.

By Joseph Cekauskas
Marketing Strategist & Consultant
JC Marketing Communications

The goal of our JC Marketing Communications blog is to educate and/or assist you in making a more qualified buying decision when it comes to working with an advertising agency alternative, graphic design or marketing partner. In an effort to be user-friendly to our readers, we do our best to reduce any use of “industry jargon.” Today’s discussion is an information exchange and/or some well-intended philosophizing on our part. Based on facts, rather than opinion, we hope you enjoy exploring this and future subject matters. Recently, your feedback has told us that we’re delivering practical and useful information.

You can hire an “up and coming” architect to design a “cool looking” office building at a reduced fee. Does it make any sense to utilize the services of that “cheaper” architect if his/her design isn’t functional or safe for occupancy? Imagine how much revenue and time it would cost YOU, the building owner, if your facility couldn’t get a CO (certificate of occupancy) because it wasn’t up to code?

The same holds true if you’re searching for an “advertising agency alternative” or “marketing consultant/graphic design partner” to help you produce your marketing and sales materials. Whether you require a sales strategy, sales letter, brochure, direct mail postcard, magazine ad, website, video, packaging, etc—a fair share of graphic designers, web designers or printers are utilized because they have artistic and/or computer ability. Many of these sources work “on the cheap” and are better suited to creating something “cool.” Few, if any, web vendors, graphic artists or printers bring effective marketing strategies and methodologies to the table.

Suffice-it-to-say, studies have proven that the absence of effective selling formulas and desirable content in your sales tools compromise your return on investment (ROI) significantly. Without a well-thought-out strategy, you risk producing a physical piece that is ineffective and a waste of money. Worst yet, there’s a strong possibility that employing a non-marketing mindset designer will deliver just a handsome regurgitated version of what you, the customer, suggested. All-in-all, you wasted valuable time and effort.

It’s a fact, successful organizations benefit on numerous levels when they team with a marketing partner who has a broad skillset and an “ALL-IN” mentality. An advertiser will be best served by a one-stop resource with a proven track record who makes “your mission, their mission” while providing marketing solutions that WILL make your organization more profitable…and quickly.

Still skeptical? A valuable marketing professional:
1) offers marketing consultation advice for the long term success of your business
2) provides strategies and formulas which, can be incorporated into all aspects of your business—and increase revenues/profits instantly
3) delivers high-level professional execution done in a timely fashion
4) produces “low cost, no cost” methods which means YOU, the advertiser, won’t have to run the ad as much or mail as many pieces to get the results you desire. You ultimately save money.

How do you know which
marketing solutions provider
best fits your needs…….
and where do you find this
reliable partner?

DO YOUR HOMEWORK BEFORE
YOU START THE INTERVIEW PROCESS!
First, make a “wish list” or “top ten list” of what your organization hopes to accomplish. Rank your priorities in order: most important to the least important. Simultaneously, develop a list of realistic sales goals/figures, as well as an advertising budget to attain this goal. Now you’re ready to begin your search.

Next, call successful businesses in your area and ask their marketing manager who they work with. One good referral source is to call your local Chamber of Commerce. BUT DON’T STOP THERE. Go online, search and visit websites. LOL—Don’t rule out providers outside of your area unless you consider yourself a “control freak.” At JC Marketing Communications, a high percentage of our clientele are based outside the State of Connecticut, yet these same clients will tell you they receive service and solutions as if they were in the next room. For us, these clients came via referral.

When you visit the websites of potential marketing partners, you’re looking for a solutions provider that actually “says something.” Pretty brochure samples or high profile clients doesn’t mean the organization is skilled at getting effective results. And if a vendor boasts about receiving ad awards, this doesn’t necessarily translate to success or higher sales results for clients. Furthermore, look for quantifiable proof contained in the website copy that substantiates if the vendor can deliver on their promises. Certifications, credentials and/or a large body of work is important—it’s not the be-all, end-all. If the website claims “we grow your business,” it doesn’t mean the service provider actually does. If they are truly competent, they will offer specifics (facts and figures) that back their claims.

Once your list of finalists is complete, you’re ready to call and interview (not interrogate, LOL) potential solution providers.

Importantly, your “marketing arm’s” number one goal should be to increase your market share AND add to your bottom line. Specifically, YOU would be better served by a partner who concerns themselves with getting you the best return on investment (ROI) for your marketing dollar, rather than creating “cool artwork.” In addition, these vendors must provide you with quantifiable data to illustrate that their marketing strategies and formulas work. If possible—acquire the phone numbers of at least three clients from your suitor so you could call and interview them privately.

When you interview any potential marketing partner, it’s a good idea to ask: How was the tactic determined based on the strategy/methodology? How much was their fee and what did their services include? What was the return on investment (ROI) for the client? Lastly, is the marketing company willing to be accountable for their advice?

Intelligent marketing and
graphic design solutions
that deliver better results
for less money!

If you’d like assistance with your marketing strategy, including marketing consulting and developing marketing materials such as a website, direct mail postcard, brochures, ads, sales letters, tradeshow displays, video and more—contact JC Marketing Communications (JCMC) at 860.621.8866. The message and image we assist you in developing will motivate your audience to buy from you now. Our intense commitment to your sales growth is unique because we do what is necessary to help your business to be better.

Imagine—one quick phone to us call can launch your business toward accelerated growth, larger market share and higher profits. Call while the thought is still fresh in your mind—860.621.8866.