IT’S ABOUT YOU

Clearly understanding who you are and what your needs are is essential in developing a design strategy. We’ve worked with start-ups as well as corporate giants and not one of them has had the same problems, nor the same solutions.

Below is a list of questions that you may need to step outside of your business to answer. These initial questions help identify, at sky-level: What is the perceived value of my product or service? How is my product unique? What can I offer that my competitors can’t (or don’t)? How much time and resources can I realistically commit to my needs? Once these questions are answered, you’ll have a baseline to start from.

What space do you currently fill?

Stepping back and analyzing your current space provides you with a foundation needed for planning.
Answer these basic questions:

• Who are your customers and where are they?
• What are their needs and what are their wants?
• What are your strengths and weaknesses?
• Who are your major competitors?
• What are your competitor’s strengths and weaknesses?
• What short-term/long-term changes or trends do you foresee in your industry?

What unique selling propositions do you possess?

These are often your most hidden and possibly your most effective attributes that consumers are attracted to everyday. They are what your product or service has to offer. It’s not enough to say that your products are “fresher” or “better”. . . rather “Why” your products are “fresher” or “better”. They answer the question “Why”. This sometimes requires some in-depth review of a company’s operation areas.

What’s your objective?

The objective defines “what” the web site, campaign or design will be built to accomplish. Advertising helps communicate and accomplish marketing objectives by increasing awareness, acceptance and preference. Examples of Marketing Objectives could be, but are definitely not limited to:

• stimulate trial by non-customers.
• convert secondary customers to primary customers.
• mitigate image issues.
• reinforce positive attributes (cleanliness, convenience, service, etc.)
• proactively answer common questions taking the mystery out of a product of service.

Define your current strategy

An advertising strategy is defined as the course of action, expressed in a plan to accomplish your company’s advertising objectives. This strategy must be formulated into a message that will favorably impress the potential buyers of your product or service as well as those who can influence conversion.  Select a strategy or a combination of strategies that:

• will best acheive your objectives.
• is within your capabilities, both financially and operationally.
• is based on your market and defined target audience.

Define your target audience

As defined the Target Audience is the desired or intended audience for advertising as described or determined by the advertiser. Usually defined in terms of specific demographics purchase or ownership characteristics (age, income, sex, etc). In short, the Target Audience defines “Who” we are trying to reach.

What’s going on now?

If you’re an existing business, my hope is that you’ve currently got something going that’s working. I don’t feel the need to have my client’s on my total creation. If what you have has been working, let’s build on top of that and see how we can improve it, lean it out or streamline it. If you feel like you really have no bones to work with or if you’re just starting, let’s start from scratch and create a foundation that you can build on for the future.

Be prepared to commit?

“Advertising” and “Branding” are not the same. You can advertise daily or weekly to sell your products and be successful. Advertising can show short-term, noticeable, quick-turn around profits, and it comes at a cost per item sold. Branding refers more to your company’s or product’s “perceived value” by it’s customers and/or community. It’s the plan you make that, over time, will influence how your community perceives your product or service. It involves more long-term, consistent messaging that’s intentional – using a certain “voice”, imagery and tone in everything you do throughout your business – even customer service.

Effecting branding requires a great plan as well as a strong commitment to that plan. In the end, a great brand will raise your products perceived value, quality or demand, in the end resulting in higher sales at less overall cost. Even if you didn’t intentionally put together a brand strategy, you’re most likely doing some of it already.

We take the time to learn about you!

Through some discussion and review, we can look at what you’ve done in the past and your goals for the future and help put together a brand strategy that works – in the end, giving you a documented Brand Strategy Guidline that you can use in all of your day-to-day client-facing initiatives.