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Trott
According to Dave Trott, 90% of advertising isn't remembered—not because it's good or bad, but because it lacks impact.
Many advertising agencies focus solely on persuasion and communication, neglecting the need for impactful strategies.
To create advertising that truly resonates, you need a strategy—one that positions your brand and business effectively, addressing the personal needs and wants of your customers.
This concept, inspired by strategist Dave Trott, highlights the pitfalls many businesses face when they get caught up in tactics like social posts, emails, and logos without a unifying strategy.
At ADK, we focus on developing a strategic approach to position your business effectively, ensuring all efforts contribute to a cohesive vision. Based on that narrative, we can better identify the tactics needed to maximize your marketing spend - ensuring we’re all on the same page moving forward.
Navigating the Digital Duopoly
“I want to advertise online, just not with Google or Meta”
During a recent new business pitch, a prospective client said this and it really made us think.
Though there are other ways to advertise online without Google and Meta (LinkedIn, StackAdapt, TikTok), Google and Meta are a necessary evil. They are where the overwhelming majority of digital eyeballs are and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future.
Part of the reason why, is because these platforms can be incredibly efficient and effective at reaching audiences. This is why we intentionally lean on them in the initial stages of building a marketing plan.
Both platforms provide cost-effective media plans to accommodate almost any budget and, most importantly, offer access to valuable data that cannot be matched with other platforms or traditional outlets.
Our goal is to navigate this digital duopoly and craft impactful advertising that sets you apart from the competition.
#11: Fluff
Working with small and medium size businesses, some business owners will refer to advertising as “fluff”.
We understand why that is, and it's usually because advertising has never worked for them or their business.
Common follow-up statements include,
“We’re not the kind of business that needs it”
“What am I getting from this?”
“That’s not how our customers think”
“Advertising never worked on me”
If you subscribe to any of these perspectives…
“We’re not the kind of business that needs it”
Every business needs to package themselves for their customer base, what you do with it is a different story. Regardless of the tactic (video, social media, lead gen), the right strategy needs to be accounted for. Thanks to the internet, every business can now reach their customers easier and more efficiently than ever before. Whether you are a business looking to grow in their community or expand across the globe, advancements in digital marketing and digital media have made brand awareness and lead generation a necessary tool to better support your sales staff. Once leads are in your funnel however, what makes them say yes over the other guy?
“What am I getting from this?”
One-size-fits-all agencies will often charge high fees for what they think is right vs what is right for the business. As a result, the wrong programs can be over prioritized and over budgeted with your precious marketing dollars. Leading to uninspiring reporting and results.This is why we start smart and small with a focus on foundational programs. We want you to know you are getting returns (leads, clicks, views, etc.) from your advertising before we go all in.
“That’s not how our customers think”
Most of the time this is referring to how the business owner thinks. We get it, it's your business, and you played a large role in its success to this point. However, in this instance, you are limiting your customer to past success vs opportunities that exist online. With our smart and small focus, we can test and learn how best to connect with your core audiences and discover new and emerging ones along the way.
“Advertising never worked on me”
Our favorite example! No one likes to think their choices are influenced by advertising, but they are. Whether it's the car they drive, the shoes they wear or the breakfast they ate - advertising informs the status of brands which informs purchase decisions.
So we have to ask, what shoes are you wearing today?
#10: Is your website so 2019? It’s time to modernize.
There was a time when your website was the end-all, be-all, however with the growth of social media and online media, the website means something else now. Credibility.
At AD+K, we advocate for smaller websites which check the boxes of credibility for your prospects
Easy to navigate
Attractive presentation of products
Clear description of services
Simple contact forms
Optimized for desktop or mobile
Missing in this is how prospects visit your website - most likely it's through
Paid search
Social Media
YouTube
Websites have evolved and we’re here to keep it simple.
#9: Relying on SEO? You are SOL.
SEO is a common request of most clients, however we typically argue against it as a viable long-term strategy. For most businesses, what’s needed are awareness and leads - those require paid search strategies, active social media, video, and a website designed to convert prospects into leads.
There are times where SEO can be a major focus, however those are rare. SEO can be a valuable asset for certain businesses in certain industries where content is scarce and competitor websites are outdated. Where the pool to search in is shallow. In those rare instances, long-term content strategies and blog programs are a great fit.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of shady “marketing firms” that will oversell you on the value of SEO (especially organic) and spend a lot of your money developing reporting that doesn’t help your bottom line.
For the majority of businesses though, the time, costs, and patience associated with content strategies are better served elsewhere.
#8: Cut the cord, not the video
The two most common video problems for clients we hear
I don’t have any/enough videos
No one is watching my videos
Most businesses fall into that first category. They know video content would be helpful for sales and awareness however the production costs can be daunting for first timers. When we pitch video as a solution to clients we consider not just the production side, but the media side as well. Video content is an investment and should be developed for a long shelf-life to maximize the investment and benefit of the medium.
Depending on budget and the desired concept, we bring in the best video talent we can to meet your budget and are not afraid to use stock video and stock photography to fill in key portions.
Media wise, many businesses host their videos on their websites or place on branded YouTube channels without a promotion plan.
At AD+K, when we begin the process of creating a video for our clients, we concept based on needs and what we believe will connect the most with our target audience. Sixty, :30, and :15 sec versions are developed and we target and test each version across various social media networks with modest budgets as proof of concept.
We regularly produce video content for clients that reach millions of impressions and views on modest budgets and that last for 18-24 months at a time.
Let us help you with your next video project.
#7: Like it or not
Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Tik Tok - is any of this really worth it? We consistently hear this from clients and prospects who have not dove in yet.
From our perspective, social media is the new newspaper. Everyone looks at it, some more than others. It’s where your entertainment, news, business, finance, and health information is found every day. There are challenges with social media however the sheer volume of people and media capabilities allows you to target your niche audiences more efficiently and effectively than any other media platform in the world.
Like traditional newspapers did in their heyday, brand advertising and awareness wins on social media and we encourage all of our clients to embrace this as not the future, but the way things are and will be for the foreseeable future.
#6: Doing it the old fashioned way with trade and industry media
Post-pandemic, trade and industry publications clinging to the past of traditional advertising space, shifted to digital media buys.
In the process, they took lots of money from a lot of businesses who could no longer participate in trade shows and did not necessarily understand digital media. The trust those businesses instilled in these publications during times of trouble were rewarded with overcrowded and ineffective ad placements. All while receiving mediocre sales support that was exhausting their lists and providing limited reporting on the back end to show success of programs.
At AD+K we were quick to pivot our clients' budgets into other forms of media, focusing on building our own internal databases of prospects in the meantime.
When trade and industry publications were considered - we recommended moving away from quantity buys and pushed into more quality buys which provided better visibility and were more likely to perform to expected levels. This made better uses of budgets and instilled confidence in our strategy.
If you’re frustrated with industry publications or believe your agency partners are doing the “same old” programs - give us a call. You know where to find us.
#5: Lost and confused
What are we trying to do here?
We find that a surprising amount of businesses and marketing departments don’t have a plan. They have tactics, and teams, and specialties, however there is no overarching strategy or roadmap.
At AD+K, we partner to develop plans whether it be for a product launch, a campaign, fiscal year, or even a long-term brand vision.
Here are a few questions we’d recommend to start with
What is your budget?
This will impact your programs.
What are you being measured on?
What are your teams goals and KPIs to show success within the organization?
What is your strategy?
What are we doing? Why? For who? When do we start?
What are your people good at? What has worked historically?
Double down on what works or has been successful
What do we want to learn more about? Test? Explore?
Identify possible alternatives (paid search, email, video, etc.) and determine what can be incorporated into your plan and budget
What are we working toward?
A date? A show? A product launch? Set a deadline that makes sense for the business and back out deliverables and needs from there
If you are unable to answer any of these questions or wish to discuss further, you know how to find us.
#4: If a brand falls in the woods…
“No one knows who we are!”
“Our customers don’t realize what else we can do for them!”
Sound familiar?
Awareness tactics used to require mass marketing with large traditional spends for billboards, print, radio, and television advertising.
In our niche society of brands, products, and services - two things are true
Attention has never been harder to garner
Digital is the great equalizer, allowing us to test and build smaller audiences that lead to larger ROI.
Through our own processes, we will identify prospective audiences, build foundational assets, and launch smart and small programs to begin the journey of growing your specific brand, business, product, or services to the right people.