Since 1984, 26 years and counting, !nk Tank has developed logos, built brands, launched new products and services, packaged, promoted, publicized and marketed in a multitude of media and across almost every industry sector. Along the way, we like to think that we’ve acquired some valuable knowledge along with our experience. Here are 25 things we’ve learned.
- Great looking creative is only great if it sells. Strategy counts.
- Everything has a brand, and people will form opinions about you and your business regardless of effort on your part. Effective branding is critical to your brand achieving its potential.
- Do your research. Know where your brand sits and decide your brand position. It will have a greater impact on the success of your efforts than anything else.
- Lead, don’t follow. It’s hard to stand out when you look like the rest of the pack.
- Just because it’s always been done that way, doesn’t mean it’s the best way. Think outside the box.
- If someone sees it, or reads it, it impacts your brand. Every ad, mailer, email, corporate or sales tool – in fact, anything that reaches out or invites in – should contribute to your brand image.
- Consistency is not the same as sameness. Massage your message for your audience.
- Build your brand inside and out. Everyone is a potential ambassador.
- Interact. Entice your audience, don’t bore them. Inbound or outbound, inside or out, most importantly, invite them to get involved.
- Offer clear benefits and back them up. Promise nothing and gain nothing. But no empty promises please.
- Mixed messages deliver mixed results. Pick one objective, benefit or message and drive it home. Same goes for colours and fonts – clutter creates confusion.
- A great strategy will live or die by its execution. Quality and creativity count.
- The better you look, the better they feel. If your image, marketing or communication tools are poor quality, poorly designed, dated or lackluster, that image will reflect back on your product, service and business.
- Go big and go simple. Your audience is inundated. They need to be knocked off their feet, take notice and take action.
- Do it well. Well-written, well-designed, well-placed and well-considered tools, consistently built, to find their mark.
- Testimonials are one of your greatest sales tools. Cultivate and appreciate them.
- Say it up front. The headline and visual are the sell. The rest is gravy.
- Marketing doesn’t work in a vacuum. Manage your mix.
- News is only news when it happens. It’s easier to grab attention ‘in the moment’. Seize the opportunity!
- Flash is too flashy for most businesses.
- Words to Web by. Populating your website is an art. The right words, in the right place, will make the difference between landing and losing interest. Keep it simple up front with easy access to more – if they want it.
- Incoming! Inbound marketing is just as important as outbound. And cheaper!
- Outward bound! Great creativity, copy and design make the difference between compelling and invisible.
- Word count counts. And it differs for different purposes.
- Less is usually more, but sometimes, “the more you tell, the more you sell.”
Is this all we know?
Of course not. Over the past 26 years, we’ve learned a lot more along the way and used it to help scores of clients succeed. Let us put our knowledge to work for your business.
Call us. It’s how great conversations begin.
