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Learn how to eliminate headaches and meet budgets and timelines while enjoying the process of working with the creative people who bring you the tools to market your products or services. In this blog I share over 30 years of accumulated knowledge and stories in order to help you have a positive experience when developing marketing tools

If you are involved with the marketing of a product or service you most likely need the assistance of a variety of vendors to help you create and produce your marketing tools. The challenge is finding the right resource that fits your budget, timeline and quality expectations. I have been in the marketing/design business for over 30 years and still find clients that are feeling confused, ripped off or disappointed in the results they got on their last project. This sad situation is not limited to work provided by ad agencies or graphic designers. I also hear it about web designers, video producers and multi-media specialists. After spending some time researching why this seems to be a common thread in the industry I learned that more often that not it is not the vendor's fault but a lack of communication or understanding by the client about what they were buying. After all, working with those creative wizards who develop all the marketing tools can be a bit overwhelming if you don't understand exactly what you are buying.

I started this blog to help those confused people who want to make better, cost effective decisions about purchasing websites, videos, print and other creative services. This is not a blog on how to write a marketing plan or how to create effective advertising. It will, however, give you the practical guidance necessary to use the basic tools and processes involved in buying the right talent for creating and producing effective print materials, videos, websites or multimedia presentations for your marketing efforts. It may not surprize you to know that this is a direct spin-off from my book, The Ultimate Guide to Purchasing Websites, Video, Print & Other Creative Services (found at www.baldermanmarketing.com/book or amazon.com). In this blog and the book I am hoping to offer tips, share some stories and help folks along the way. If you have any specific questions or areas you feel a great need to get more information about, please contact me. I have taught at the college level for 20 years as well as run a marketing/design business for even more years and I love passing on some of my many years of accumulated knowledge.

In this first installation of my blog I want to share with you some tips about the homework you need to do to get ready for finding and working with your creative service vendor. I know "homework" can be a dirty word but if you do it you can ultimately save yourself headaches as well as money. So here we go:

1. FInd out what marketing tools are available to you. Following is a list of some of them:
• Corporate image/logos, letterhead, business cards, envelopes and forms
• Brochures, direct mail, catalogs and annual reports
• Advertisements
• The internet (websites, blogs, etc.)
• Sales or data sheets
• Newsletters
• Promotional items (also known as "trinkets and trash”)
• Packaging (on-shelf and shipping)
• Posters and signage
• Point of purchase
• Videos
• Audio/visual presentation
• Trade-show booths

2. Know what resources are available to produce your tools. Once you are aware of the players and their contribution to the process, it will be easier to assign tasks and make decisions about scheduling, budgeting and production. Following are the services you will find available:

Creative resources
• Graphic design studios
• Advertising agencies
• Marketing firms
• Integrated marketing communications firms
• Copywriters
• Public relation agencies
• Video and film directors
• Web designers
• Multi-media companies
• Animators
Miscellaneous resources
• Media buying services (print, television and radio)
• Production companies (video, television or radio)
• Marketing research companies
• Special event marketing individuals or companies
• Direct mail companies
• Promotion companies
• Exhibit and display companies
• Web service providers
Production resources
• Photographers
• Illustrators
• Talent (models and actors)
• Location search companies
• Food and make-up stylists
• Stock image companies
• Internet service providers (ISP)
• Internet production providers (IPP)
• Pre-press suppliers
• Printers
• Binderies
• Laminators
• Paper houses
• Equipment rental companies
• Duplication companies

3. Define the problem you are trying to solve (e.g. creating awareness about your brand, introducing a new product, promoting a special event, etc). Make sure to review your goals and objectives for this project.

4. Gather preliminary information you need for the project. Following is a checklist you can use to do this:
_ Determine a plan to position your company to serve the needs of the market.
_ Clearly define the market you plan to target based on valid research.
_ Determine how much of the potential market your company can realistically serve.
_ Determine what the competition is doing.
_ Review the company's specific sales and financial goals for the next year, evaluate how you can meet them and how this project fits.
_ Determine if the company wants to develop a “branding” strategy for the company itself or its products or if a strategy already exists.

5. Determine or understand the company's promotional strategy.
_ Determine if you will use existing or new channels of product distribution.
_ Determine the image that should be projected.
_ Determine the major goal of the marketing efforts in terms of potential revenue that can be generated. Later, quantify the results by comparing the percentage of the budget that was spent to meet your projections.
_ Evaluate the available media and determine which form(s) to use.
_ Review every possible way that the customer can be sold and other promotional strategies that will be used to support the marketing efforts.
_ Establish an integrated direction for marketing to the trade as well as the consumer.
_ Determine what you are not going to do.

Of course the ideal is to hire a marketing firm to help you with some of this work. But even they need input. A valid marketing strategy based on sound information about the target market is key. If you do not have the budget
for a comprehensive research effort about your target market consider doing phone interviews or focus group studies with the help of college marketing students.

6. Make sure that there is a consensus from management or key personnel regarding what you are trying to accomplish and how you will get there. Also, find out who will be ultimately responsible for the decisions about this project (in case it is not you) and make sure you have buy-in from them every step of the way.

Once you have the above information you can go to the next step in getting ready for your suppliers.In my next blog installation I will talk more about getting ready for your suppliers. Remember, the better prepared you are, the better the results. If you are too impatient to wait for my next blog you can always buy the book! Meanwhile, have fun working with the creative crazies. We really are quite loveable when you get to know us.