Usually this first call takes about 30-60 min, and is done via video conference.
Together, if we feel there is a fit, the next step is a discovery. There are two variations of the discovery meeting, depending on how we’ve articulated the need in our first call. A marketing plan discovery and a marketing project and management discovery.
This variation of the discovery meeting allows us to decide if we will move forward by developing a marketing plan for you or by guiding you in building your own.
This version of the discovery meeting allows us to develop a list of marketing activities based on your strategy. We use this time to detail the one or two “test” projects that we will be working on. We should have enough detail to develop a creative brief, a cost estimate and a good sense of how these projects fit into your overall strategy.
If possible, we usually do these meetings in person. If that is not possible, we set up a video conference call. Generally, a discovery meeting takes 1-2 hours and we may ask that you ensure that anyone who needs to sign off on marketing efforts is present at this meeting.
Over the years, we found that when the management was less than 10 hours a month, it didn’t really build value and it was hard for us to do good work. The projects were too small to make an impact and those small projects forced us to spend far too little time learning about your business because we needed to allocate the little time we had to the execution of projects. That’s why we instituted a minimum engagement of $1,250 per month. That minimum of ten hours each month will be used to manage and execute. If you have work, but not enough to meet the minumum over the course of a month, reach out to us and we can see if we can arrange an alternative solution. The best approach is likely to work on a project-by-project basis.
Depending on the complexity of work, budget, and timeline, we will suggest a minimum of two meetings per month.
All our meetings are conducted on via online video conference and we are comfortable with every online conference calling tool.
Why Online?
Our business has evolved in a way that we service clients in various cities in Canada and the US. It’s impossible to be everywhere cost effectively.
We’d rather you spent money on getting actual work done vs. paying for one or more of us to fly out and see you. We’re not opposed to that when it makes sense, but in the general everyday workings of a project or plan, we can get work done effectively via the web.
The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 has made online meetings a much more viable approach to getting work done.
For marketing management engagements, you pay for work as it gets completed. Terms are always 30 days because we pay designers and developers on your behalf and often their invoices need to be paid right away. To keep good contractors happy, we need to pay them quickly. Good contractors = good work.
For larger projects and marketing plans, we usually negotiate payment terms or deposits based on the scope of work.
We aim to be as flexible as possible, but we find this arrangement works the best for both parties.
This is an important expectation to set at the planning stages of any design project. In most cases, the production files belong to the production designer and they are not sent anywhere else. In some cases, copies of working files can be negotiated at an additional cost. There are additional steps and file preparation required if those files need to be sent as a deliverable.
More importantly, the files represent value in the iterative designs that can be created from them. We want to respect the creative property of the person who has actually produced the work. If the files are to be included as a project deliverable, this needs to be outlined at the beginning of the project.
Brand awareness is often seen as an important marketing goal; however, it may not be the most effective one to focus on.
Here’s why:
Instead of focusing solely on brand awareness, consider setting more specific and measurable leading indicators.
This is an important expectation to set at the planning stages of any design project. In most cases, the production files belong to the production designer and they are not sent anywhere else. In some cases, copies of working files can be negotiated at an additional cost. There are additional steps and file preparation required if those files need to be sent as a deliverable.
More importantly, the files represent value in the iterative designs that can be created from them. We want to respect the creative property of the person who has actually produced the work. If the files are to be included as a project deliverable, this needs to be outlined at the beginning of the project.
Bringing together creatives and subject matter experts, into a non-traditional agency system to produce high-quality marketing results for clients.
