Not All Media Is Created Equal…

By Shane Boring

“Creative without strategy is called ‘art.’ Creative with strategy is called ‘advertising’.”
– Jef I. Richards

Last week we talked about one of the two main components of effective advertising, the message, or “the creative”. It is critical to have a great message, but if you’re not strategic in where you place your message, it is all for not. This week we will discuss how to buy the right media for your business.

Think first about all the options available to you. TV, Radio, Cable, Newspaper, Billboards, Email, Social Media, Website, Blogs, Magazines, Trade Shows, Promotional Items, Printed Materials, and on and on and on. Now think of how many different channels there are for each of the above categories. Add them all up and you have thousands of options to place your message. However, you should avoid most of them.

Know your customer inside and out. Put yourself in your target customers’ shoes. Know their habits. When are they home, in the car, at work? What do they like? How do they consume their media? This will tell you where to start. The next step is deciding which channels are the absolute best for you. Unless you have the advertising budget of Coca-Cola, don’t try to spread your message over all the channels. You need to have enough frequency with your target audience for it to work. If this means you can only buy one channel, that is what you do, and you keep it there until your business grows where you can add another. Trying to buy more than what you have the money for is one of the most common mistakes made. Don’t do it. The other is buying what you like, not what your customer likes. Don’t do that either.

If you want your advertising to be effective, you’re going to need to put a significant amount of time and research into it. If you’re not sure you can afford the time commitment, then your best option is to hire an advertising agency like SDB Creative Group. They possess the tools and talent needed to put together a real, effective advertising program for you. Plus with an advertising agency an outside perspective can be extremely valuable.
If you would like more insight on buying the right media, register for our June 19th seminar or schedule a consultation by calling 432.218.6736 or emailing us at info@sdbcreativegroup.com.

Why you should partner with an ad agency

by Shane Boring

“A man who stops advertising to save money is like a man who stops a clock to save time.” Henry Ford

“Word of mouth is our best form of advertising.” This is what 90% of advertising sales representatives hear when making an initial prospecting call. How much truth is behind this statement? 100%! No marketing compares to a referral from a satisfied customer. The problem is most businesses cannot simply survive only on referrals. That is why there is advertising.

The two main components of advertising are “the message” and “the media”. If you have a great message and are using the right media, you’re going to be very happy with your advertising. But if you have a poor message or you are not buying the right media, chances are you will be very disappointed. This is where a great advertising agency like SDB Creative Group becomes an invaluable partner.

First let’s consider “the message”. If you shortchange your potential buyer on this, forget about getting the results you want. Your message has to be compelling, and has to speak to your buyer from their point of view. Who do buyers care most about? They care most about themselves. Make your message about them.

Most companies advertising on their own without the help of an advertising agency completely miss on the message and talk nearly 100% about their company, not the consumer. “Hi! We’re here! And we’re open!” is the basic theme used by companies working on their own without the help of an advertising agency and is easily dismissed by the consumer. Think about how distracted our society is with the thousands of text messages, emails, commercials, and other messages we are exposed to every day. You have to get their attention, and you get it by talking about them.

A great advertising agency will bring an outside, unbiased perspective. The agency will know your company, its products and sales processes, and it will have very good understanding of your ideal client, and what makes them buy. This data and information is taken into a creative process where amazing ideas for solid, long-term advertising campaigns are born. SDB Creative Group has experience with this process and it is part of their everyday operation. Creativity is in their blood. You wouldn’t go to court without a lawyer. Don’t start shouting out your message without the expertise of a marketing expert like SDB.

Next week we will go in-depth on the second component, “the media”, but here’s a quick preview and some homework. Try to count how many different media channels you use in one day (internet, TV, radio, cable, print, outdoor,). I’ll bet it’s a long list.

The Man Behind the Lens…

Lonnie was framed!

Lonnie Richardson has worked for SDB Creative Group for several years as the Director of Video and Audio Production. His many years in the industry has given him insight into how to make great video production that will deliver the clients message and meet their goals. Lonnie’s work has earned him many accolades but recently he received the Best in Broadcast and Gold Addys for his work with Fitness Specialist and another Addy for his work with the Midland Chamber of commerce. We encourage you to check out the links below to see his work.

So, from the man himself, Lonnie gives us some insight on what inspired him to work in the creative field of commercial production.

One of the advantages of growing up in a small west Texas town, is the complete lack of entertainment. Of course, you don’t see it this way when you’re doing the growing up. But the absence of movie theaters, bowling alleys, and shopping malls, forces the young mind to develop its own form of entertainment. I credit much of my creativity to this upbringing of boredom.

Now a days, 300 cable channel TV, video games, and the internet, have flooded ample entertainment into every corner of our lives. You can’t even hide from it in a small west Texas town anymore.

While the times have changed, the usefulness of a creative mind has not. Now I use that creativity not just to cut through boredom and entertain myself, but to cut through the overwhelming clutter of media and deliver a message that stands out.

Yesterday’s play is now today’s work.

Why Is Mom Always on Facebook?

by Karisa Danley

As the mother of 2 girls, I have spent their early years encouraging them to be outside, playing with friends instead of watching TV, playing video games & being on the computer. I have set rules to keep computers in the common areas of our house and discouraged social media at young ages. We were the last of their peer group to have Wii, DSI & any of the “I” products.  I’ve tried to keep them a bit sheltered as to what is out there until I felt like they were ready.

As you may have guessed, just as it is difficult to keep your kids from recognizing the McDonalds sign, so it is with social media & technology. It’s for this reason my current position as the Director of Interactive Marketing, seems so ironic to me. My past experience was more in the traditional roles of advertising, but going back to work for an ad agency where digital marketing is the name of the game, has proven to bring a whole new element to what I knew and needed to know. Now, my kids are watching me on the computer in the evening, on Facebook, Pinterest, reading blogs & more. It’s exciting to plan campaigns involving an array of mediums and how social media can bring it all together by filling in the missing pieces, getting your brand in front of a whole new demographic. I love it! Social Media is about promoting a company’s brand and culture through new technologies and non-traditional platforms all while interacting with current and potential customers. What works for one business may not work for another. Discovering the right mix is like a giant puzzle and there is not a cookie cutter answer. But when people start interacting with the brand, success is achieved, and that for me is when social media becomes fun.

What do social media analysts do while their friends are pinning vacations, recipes & outfits?

The first thing each morning, usually early morning, they spend their time checking all social media channels for each client. Just because my lights may be out for a few hours, social media lights are never out. There is real time sensitivity to this activity, so timeliness is priority.

They spend time researching stories, writing blogs, planning campaigns and reaching out to clients to ensure strategies are on track. A portion of their day will be spent on reading trend reports to stay in touch with the latest technologies.

Just as will any marketing position, reporting is a huge part of any campaign. Analysts track basic stats, but also monitor conversations happening around the brand on and off pages and structure responses that are in-line with the company’s response.

What I have found now that I have a pre-teen, is that this job not only allows me to work with companies promoting their product, but it has opened up lines of communication about safe social media, the pros and cons. My daughter actually feel I know what I am talking about – shocking! Some parents may have the intentions of monitoring their kids on social media, but honestly, it is time consuming. This allows me to stay ahead of the trends, if I’m keeping up with my job, and play a role in something that is and will continue to be a large part of all our lives.

Confession of the real “Mad Men”

by Caroline Englestad

There are times, at 3am when I wake from a deep sleep with a great campaign idea, my heart pounding. It is at times such as this that I think, why do I do this? This is insane, and yes, it IS mad and yes, I have often asked myself… why? Advertising is a thankless profession. We are the bad guys, the ones who ‘bend’ the truth to make people look good, to sell products no one needs. We know how to take a product or a service and ‘spin’ it to make it more appealing to the public. If you truly believe that, then you only have part of the story, there is so much more.Being a real ‘Ad man’ is SO much more than just throwing a TV commercial together about what somebody sells and putting it out there to the masses, ‘hoping’ it is well received. Agency life is very different from just ‘peddling’ media. Typically when I take a client on, I have already researched this client and their company. Is this company, at its core, a company I would want to do business with? Would I buy anything from them? How do they treat their customers? How committed are they? Is their heart in it? Are they ready? Because if the answer is a resounding no, to any of these questions, then the alarm bells go off… this will NOT be a good fit for either of us. A business must be ready to invest time, energy, and yes… money. If a business owner is willing to do that, then I will invest the same time, energy, blood, sweat, tears (yes, there are tears) and sleepless nights to ensure this company succeeds. I am their partner, I will celebrate with them jubilantly on the mountaintop and on the flip side, and I will walk one step ahead of them through the valley.

It all starts with an idea … (albeit at 3am!) one does not know when these ideas will come but they DO come and eventually I sit round a table with my colleagues and this raw idea is then cultivated, a group of people with very different views, talents and flaws come together to hash out this idea over strong coffee and eventually this seed materializes into a fully grown campaign, with all the elements working together, every piece carefully considered, planned, researched and agonized over.

The Pitch: this is a tricky time for an Ad Man. By the time I get to this stage I almost always know my client and what they need. I use the word ‘need’, they don’t always get what they ‘want’. If a client ‘wants’ to put his small children in a TV commercial, this is not what he ‘needs’ (undoubtedly he is the only one who loves his children, the viewer just finds them annoying) I am only pitching a campaign that I emphatically believe in, and not out of some self-indulgent pride but out of a genuine need to believe it will work. Putting everything on the line requires COMPLETE confidence.

The public are fickle, what works one day, won’t work another. The public get bored very easily so we strive, we change, we constantly evolve and we steer our clients through the ever changing ocean of ‘what’s hot and what’s not’. The client does not see what we put into a campaign, and ultimately if the campaign fails, it is the ‘Ad Mans’ fault, if the campaign is a huge success then we are just ‘doing our job’, thankless … yes, which brings me back to my first question , why do I do it ? Easy…when I have worked day and night on a campaign, when I have agonized, researched, eaten junk food, cried, bitten nails, paced the room, argued with my boss and finally… finally, taken a fledgling idea and made it into something great, when I hear people talk about it, when I see a business owner proud of their business, when I see a business flourishing, I can close my computer down and leave my office, go home to my children and tell them that I have done my best , that I gave it everything I could and my conscience is clean … well, until the next junk food binge anyway!

Are You Considering YouTube?

YouTube has turned into an incredible search engine for people to find funny, engaging videos that can tell visual stories about your business. YouTube user demographics are evenly distributed between men & women as well as all ages.
YouTube has become more than just a place to house millions of videos. They have made is easier for video creators to have subscribers. Get creative with your videos. Use them to educate, review products, tell a story, and take people behind the scenes or answer questions. A series of videos is a great way to keep people coming back for more. YouTube’s Channel discovery feature recommends channels based on existing subscriptions & viewing behavior.

If you haven’t considered using YouTube as part of your social media plan, now is the time. Below are a few key points to consider to get you started.

• Create a branded channel by customizing it using specific colors, information and links to your website and other relevant social media pages. YouTube is great way to showcase your company culture, newest products and services and expertise so when people search for keywords related to your business, your videos appear.
• Optimize your channel title and channel description using relevant keywords related to your business. Start your descriptions with a full url and be descriptive and key-word rich in your video titles & channel title.
• Keep your videos short, sweet and professionally produced if possible. 60 to 90 seconds should be enough time to get your message out there and ensure you’re keeping your audience’s attention. The only exception may be your how-to videos.
• Make sure your videos can be found by posting on other platforms.
• Participate with others on YouTube. This means answering comments just as you respond on other social media platforms. Spend time engaging with others and visiting the competition to keep up with what they are or aren’t doing so well.

YouTube is a great place for any business. So go ahead and start your video camera now!

Interested in Pinterest?

Pinterest is the fastest growing social media site in history. Pinterest is the 3rd largest platform, following closely behind Facebook & Twitter. Some people see Facebook & Twitter as having a subtle undertone as “look how great I am”, whereas Pinterest says “wouldn’t this be great!” A vast majority of Pinterest users are women between the ages 25 and 44. Pinterest attracts higher-educated affluent women.

Image based posts get the most engagement on Facebook. This is part of the reason Facebook has changed their timeline to encourage more visual content. What makes Pinterest so different from Facebook?

• Pinterest is clean and uncluttered. At this point there are no ads, scrolling columns
• Pinterest is personal. You’re not just broadcasting where you are or what you’ve done. You’re creating your own personal inspiration boards and sharing them with others.
• Pinterest doesn’t brag. Instead of having undertones of “look how great I am”, Pinterest says “wouldn’t this be great!”
• Pinterest doesn’t just drive likes, it also drives sales. 
• Pinterest can be an incredible source of information about your customers & clients

Some brands are an obvious fit for Pinterest. Generally when brands get started, the natural inclination is to drive people to your website or blog. It’s important to have your business pinned by pinners as it is to have them mention and like you on Facebook and Twitter. Evaluate your website to ensure it contains a lot of images that are pin worthy. The same concept is true with your blog. Be sure your blog has great images. Even though Pinterest is image driven, you do want to include thoughtful descriptions of the images you pin.

These are just a few tips about using Pinterest to market your business. So jump on, create a personal account and get to know Pinterest. Be careful because you”ll start wanting to spend a lot of time on this social network, which is why we love Pinterest for business!