How to Save Money and Time – Part 1
We’ve all been there. You have a new creative group you are working with. You want them to be efficient and productive and, stretch your marketing dollars as far as possible. Maybe your new partner is a result of a prior bad working experience, or maybe it’s because of a new marketing director, or maybe it’s because you are adding resources, or maybe it’s just, “because.”
MBcreative works with both large and small companies and, budgets. Sometimes it might be a start-up and other times it might be a larger, more established company. It really doesn’t matter how big or small because the rules are the same. Some of this might sound like it’s common sense and mutual respect… well, some of it is. But it all needs to be said. Let’s get started!
- For large creative assignments and initiatives, always work with a Creative Brief. Always! No exceptions! A Creative Brief is a lifeline to understanding your needs. It helps us distill the information down and get it right the first time. Huge savings here when you take the time to complete.
- Don’t skip questions on that Creative Brief and assume the agency knows the answers. That is why we ask them so that we understand your direction. We are not clairvoyant. When we have to guess at the answers to important unanswered questions, it is a waste of our time and your money.
- A good creative brief is tailored to you. It is not generic, and your answers shouldn’t be either. Take your time with them. Think it through and ask for help when needed.
- Know and understand what your Value Proposition is and be prepared to talk about it. If you don’t know what it is, figure it out. If you need help figuring it out, tell your agency you need help with that.
- If the initiative is a small and/or quick turn project, we don’t need a Brief. Big or small, we do need clear, concise input.
- When concepts or messaging are off the mark, take a step back and ask yourself if your direction was spot-on or if the agency just didn’t get it. Either way, have a conversation about it. When Input is nebulous, interpretation becomes guess-work.
- Never, ever say, “It’s just a logo.” A logo can take anywhere from 12 – 50 hours of time to develop. If your budget is $200 for logo development it is impossible to create, short of pro-bono. Appreciate the value your agency brings with their experience in branding and logo development. If your agency does not have experience in that area, find one that does.
- Answer your phone and return messages. When your agency calls to ask a question, it is important to the development of your project. If you are too busy to talk then send an email with a time when you are available. Otherwise your agency is left guessing and possibly producing work that is not relevant or usable and certainly not cost efficient.
- Don’t lie to your agency. Ever. It is never a good idea. It is demoralizing.
- When you ask an agency to estimate an initiative you have no intentions of awarding, because you are using that price to get another agency to lower their price – yep it is just wrong. Don’t do that. That said, it is ok to ask an agency you have a relationship with for a competitive estimate so that you have an understanding of what to expect. Even if you have no intentions of hiring them for the initiative. If you let them know in advance, they know not to spend 3-5 hours on it but rather a general cost.
- Changing Agencies – When you know you are going to change agencies for any reason, maybe because of working relations, maybe because you have outgrown them, maybe because you have a new boss and you have no control, maybe just because – Don’t keep that from your creative team. Share with them what you are doing and why. Your creative team has mortgages to pay, diapers to buy, and salaries to pay. When you keep that information “private” until you find a replacement it does not give the creative agency time to adjust or plan. It is no different than you coming to work and without warning, losing your job.
If you like what you read or want to know more, look for part 2 to come.
If you are looking to add resources to your creative team, or if you have a project you would like to talk about, let’s connect at 614-485-9913.
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