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Four Components to a Successful Brand Plan

March 29, 2022/in News /by Marketicity

When thinking about moving your brand forward it’s easy to simply suggest that you have a brand plan. That sounds great. It’s a good idea. But what actually makes for a good brand plan? Like everything we discuss, these are general rules that often prove successful. Every brand is different and even the most tried-and-true methods require some customization and TLC.

Budget
This goes without saying, but here we are saying it. Marketing speech can be a lot of fun, but at some point there has to be some money in place to actually make something happen. When we work with our clients we usually operate in halves and quarters. One broad six-month review to keep the year in perspective, and quarterly reviews to stay on track and make sure resources are going where they need to be.

Messaging
Some companies land on a message that sticks and they never deviate. Nike has been telling us to “Just do it,” for a long time and anecdotally it would seem we still are. And yet, their specific methods and means of deploying that message have changed dramatically over the years. Sometimes a brand message needs to change, sometimes it needs to be tweaked, and sometimes it just needs to be reinforced, or even just remembered (we’re looking at you, Subway pizza).

Loyalty
A brand being “loyal” may mean a lot of different things to you. Maybe it’s their prices never changing or their product never changing or their customer service always coming through. Whatever the case may be, brand loyalty, though nebulous, matters a lot. At Marketicity, we understand who we are and what we do well. We stand behind our clients and know that loyalty goes both ways. We encourage each client we take on to determine what it means for them to be loyal, to stand behind their clients or customers, and to stick to that always.

Emotional Connection
Finding out about a new product or company can inspire a lot of reactions. But few reactions hold as much weight as an emotional one. Every client has a personal story, a specific way in which what they do impacts someone else. Finding what these emotional connections are and sharing them can be one of the most powerful marketing tools in your toolbox. Establishing a human connection with your clients can make every other aspect of branding much, much easier.

Marketicity is a marketing services firm whose team members have delivered successful campaigns and have been Moving Brands Forward for some of the best-known brands in their categories – both locally, regionally and nationally. We’re proud of our work but even more proud that our clients are proud of the work produced for their brands. Want to learn more about how we can help you “move your brand forward”? Simply give us a call at 618-281-6648 or visit our Contact Us page. We look forward to hearing from you.

Three Key Branding Must-Haves

February 22, 2022/in News /by Marketicity

When it comes to marketing, you can never quite trust anyone who says, “Do these five things and we guarantee your success.” What’s more accurate is, “Do these five things and you are more likely to be successful.” As anyone who has spent any time in marketing knows, nothing is absolute. There are too many variables, too many consequences of timing, and too many ways a piece of marketing might just not land the way you hoped for. But of course, while you may not be able to control the wave, you can certainly ride it. So we wanted to take a look at some branding must-haves that may not create instant, guaranteed success, but they will certainly help you cultivate it.

1. Make a Plan: Position and Strategy
Over the years we have been working with the National Corn to Ethanol Research Center (NCERC) on their marketing and messaging. While they have been around, and successful, for some time, when they came to us they lacked a cohesive, defined message. So our first order of business was to figure out where and how they were positioned in their field. What had they done well, what needed improvement? Where did they hope to be in three years? If you never make a plan and have no measuring stick, you have a hard time knowing if you’ve succeeded or not.

2. Direct Your Resources: Targeted Messaging
Item number two is to figure out who you need to be talking to. Most companies don’t have the resources, skills, or time to successfully communicate their brand message to the entire world. And again, in most cases, it would be a totally unnecessary thing to try. Our work with NCERC has been to figure out who their audience is and where to meet them. In this case, we have developed material specific to trade shows, presentations, online presence, and direct person-to-person communication.

3. Follow Through: Marketing Materials
Having a plan and knowing where to go with that plan are great, but now you actually need something to show. With NCERC, part of those materials are delivered through trade shows and presentations, but we have also increased their presence on social media with videos and overviews to increase awareness and excitement about their work.

Putting the pieces together can take some time, but finding the right message for the right audience and delivered in the right way can not only get someone excited about your work, it can increase sales too.

Five Reasons Planning is Crucial to Your Brand’s Success

January 25, 2022/in News /by Marketicity

As we often like to discuss, there is no one foolproof way to guarantee your brand’s success. If there was, our job here at Marketicity would be a lot easier. But of course, we all know it isn’t like that. Instead, a good marketing plan requires a lot of prior experience, some targeted internal conversations, a few intangibles, and a lot of hard work and planning. So let’s focus on that planning for a moment and talk about why it’s so important and what it looks like when we sit down with you to plan out a trajectory for your brand.

Reinforcement
One of the most important parts of any brand is the feeling associated with it. Some brands carry a feeling of quality with their name. Some do just the opposite. What is your brand? What does it do? How does it make people feel? When updating or creating a marketing plan, finding ways to reinforce your brand’s feel and purpose, or perhaps creating that feel and purpose for the first time, is a great place to start.

Budgets
This one is pretty obvious, but it needs to be said: consider your budget. A splashy product unveiling sounds like a great idea, but is it actually feasible? Things like TV or radio ads, or even targeted ads on social media can be effective, but like everything else, they cost something. Having a strong handle on your budget will help you know where to direct your marketing efforts and what kind of material should be created.

Clear Messaging
Unless confusion is part of your brand experience, you want to make sure that whatever messaging is out there for you is clear, cohesive, and additive. Social media is a different kind of space than the radio and you want your messaging to adapt appropriately.

Brainstorming
Planning is brainstorming. It’s important to create space and time to look at your brand, where it’s succeeding, where it’s failing, where it’s been remembered, where it’s underperformed, and so on. And then ask yourself: what now? What next? What more? While we could insert some quote about how there are no bad ideas, etc., etc., what we like to say around here is: If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

Accountability
Marketing without a plan is like archery without a target, how are you ever going to know if you’ve actually succeeded? When you work with us to create a plan for your brand, we all become accountable to it. Having a plan means collectively there is something to aim for, something to work towards, and measurable ways to determine if it worked or not. If you are stuck in a dark room with a flashlight, it would be foolish not to turn it on.

Marketicity is a marketing services firm whose team members have delivered successful campaigns and have been Moving Brands Forward for some of the best-known brands in their categories – both locally, regionally and nationally. We’re proud of our work but even more proud that our clients are proud of the work produced for their brands. Want to learn more about how we can help you “move your brand forward”? Simply give us a call or visit our Contact Us page. We look forward to hearing from you.

Happy Holidays from Marketicity

December 21, 2021/in News /by Marketicity

Whether it felt like it flew by or dragged on, here we all are at the end of another year. With holidays approaching and, we hope for many of you, some well-deserved time off on the horizon, we here at Marketicity wanted to take a moment to reflect and unwind.

2021 was another strange year, and though perhaps not as strange as the year before, it certainly had its share of ups and downs. And who can say what new events, products, or technologies next year will bring. Hopefully, there will be many good and fulfilling things. Likely, there will be some hard things too. But one thing is for certain: we are grateful for the many friends and clients we have made over the years.

Marketing is a fun, often weird, world, and we are thankful that we get to explore and experience it all with you. Whether it’s agriculture, telecommunications, food and flavors, or something completely different, the wonderful variety of our clients and the vast depth of their work has made our jobs all the more enjoyable.

So we hope you are able to take some time, relax, and enjoy the company of those closest to you over the next month. We also hope you are able to step away from your day-to-day work and find new and refreshing headspace for what’s sure to be another busy year to come.

And of course, whenever a new idea strikes, or you’ve decided it’s time to revitalize your brand, we will be here ready to help you chase down that next goal.

Marketicity is a marketing services firm whose team members have delivered successful campaigns and have been Moving Brands Forward for some of the best-known brands in their categories – both locally, regionally and nationally. We’re proud of our work but even more proud that our clients are proud of the work produced for their brands. Want to learn more about how we can help you “move your brand forward”? Simply give us a call or visit our Contact Us page. We look forward to hearing from you.

The Power of the Thank You Note

November 30, 2021/in News /by Marketicity

Marketing can often feel like a game of blindfolded darts. Sure you use all the tools and information you have available, you tune into your other senses, you focus hard, you trust that the right kind of preparation gives you a greater chance of success… but eventually you just have to throw the thing and hope it sticks where it’s supposed to.

However, when it comes to marketing there is one unchanging, undeniable truth: a personal touch works. It’s the same principle behind the power of word of mouth. The messaging means more when it’s specific to you, when it feels like your investment as an individual actually matters. And that’s where the “Thank You” note, ideally a handwritten one, comes in.

We at Marketicity have the regular opportunity to meet with a high school class called Monroe County Startup, which is a year-long program focusing on entrepreneurship. We always enjoy getting to have in-depth discussion on marketing strategy and practices and trends, but in the midst of all of that, we always make a point to emphasize the “Thank You” note. A good conversation can be memorable. The promise of a resume or portfolio can be encouraging. But a “Thank You” note is actually tangible. It’s a physical reminder that someone took the time, thought of you specifically, and personally saw to it that you knew they appreciated your time.

Now don’t get us wrong, the work, the presentation, the meeting, the effort to deliver your best possible impression, must be there. However, the personalized “Thank You” note just may be that little extra something, that thoughtful gesture that makes you stand out in a crowd.

So the next time you interview for a job, deliver a pitch to a potential client, or even finish a job with a current client, remember the “Thank You” note. It may seem small, but you never know just how big it could actually be.

Marketicity is a marketing services firm whose team members have delivered successful campaigns and have been Moving Brands Forward for some of the best-known brands in their categories – both locally, regionally and nationally. We’re proud of our work but even more proud that our clients are proud of the work produced for their brands. Want to learn more about how we can help you “move your brand forward”? Simply give us a call or visit our Contact Us page. We look forward to hearing from you.

All About Options

October 26, 2021/in News /by Marketicity

Have you ever wondered why most car commercials, or even most toothpaste tubes, look the same? Honestly, we wouldn’t blame you if never have thought about those things, but we certainly have. In the world of marketing it’s so easy to fall into the habit of promoting something the same way you’ve seen it before, whether or not that’s your intention. We are surrounded by marketing and advertisement options all day, every day, in most cases, and sometimes without realizing it, the look and feel of that marketing seeps into our brains.

Which is why we take pains at Marketicity to bring fresh eyes to every new project we have. Over the years we have done a lot of marketing in the agriculture industry. It can be tempting for us to approach a new ag project knowing that that’s been our zone and we can just use what we know has worked in the past. And while there is certainly a time and a place for that, we never want to just start there. We want to start with a world of possibility rather than immediately confine ourselves to a familiar box.

This is one of our favorite things about working with new clients. Our marketing team has a broad range of experience in a number of industries. So while our client’s creative challenge might be agriculture related, maybe the solution can be pulled from our work in the spirits, food flavoring, banking, manufacturing, pet ingredients or the telecommunications industry. We pride ourselves on the challenge to build on the foundation of what made that client great in the first place. And when we do… great things happen.

When you work with us, you get the full range of our experience applied to your marketing needs. Often, we like to start big, not with the whys, but the why nots. Why couldn’t it look this way? Why couldn’t it sound like this? Why not approach it from a fresh perspective? From there, we’ll start to chip away at the challenge and find the right messaging, the right tone, the right look for what is needed to move your brand forward.

Got a creative or marketing challenge that you want a fresh perspective on? Then give us a call. We specialize in Moving Brands Forward.

Marketicity is a marketing services firm whose team members have delivered successful campaigns and have been Moving Brands Forward for some of the best-known brands in their categories – both locally, regionally and nationally. We’re proud of our work but even more proud that our clients are proud of the work produced for their brands. Want to learn more about how we can help you “move your brand forward”? Simply give us a call or visit our Contact Us page. We look forward to hearing from you.

Adding Marketing Bandwidth

September 28, 2021/in News /by Marketicity

At Marketicity, we know the importance that having a solid team plays in a good marketing strategy. As any marketing professional can tell you, sometimes you can get stuck looking at a problem from the same angle and it can be maddeningly difficult to break out of that. But when you are part of a team, you suddenly have other voices, other angles, and other ideas to attack that problem from.

Which is why one of our favorite zones of operation is when we get to bring our team to your team. Many companies, especially growing ones, can dedicate some time, some resources, and some horsepower to their marketing and advertising. But so often we find that they’re just missing that one extra thing, that one extra idea, that one marketing piece, that one advertising opportunity. And that’s where we come in.

If your business needs outside help, or someone to work through strategies and planning with you, if you have ideas but no one to design them, communication but no one to write it, social media hopes but no one who wants to navigate it, we are here for you.

Our aim is to make ourselves a natural extension of your team, while bringing along big-brand experience in a variety of industries. Over the years we have worked extensively in agriculture, manufacturing, banking, and telecommunications. Our broad experience has given us a big toolkit to work from and a number of ways to approach any given marketing need.

So if you’re looking for someone to come alongside you and help you figure out where to take your marketing strategy next, let Marketicity know.

Marketicity is a marketing services firm whose team members have delivered successful campaigns and have been Moving Brands Forward for some of the best-known brands in their categories – both locally, regionally and nationally. We’re proud of our work but even more proud that our clients are proud of the work produced for their brands. Want to learn more about how we can help you “move your brand forward”? Simply give us a call or visit our Contact Us page. We look forward to hearing from you.

The Dog Days of Summer

August 24, 2021/in News /by Marketicity

Here we are, halfway through 2021, in the dog days of summer. While many of us are still adjusting to the changes and realities of the past year and a half, there are some things that may have seemed strange a couple years ago, but are now so commonplace, we may not even stop to think about them anymore. And if there is a silver lining to this cloud, not all of those changes have been bad.

Virtual work, Zoom meetings, conference calls, and the hundred other ways we found to keep working, stay in touch, and move through pandemic life, introduced a new dynamic to a lot of work days. Morning meetings at the breakfast table, interviews in the guest room hoping the kids can stay quiet, and of course, the curious noses, whiskers, and snouts that love to peak their way into the corner of our screens.

Many of us had an opportunity to see into the everyday lives of our colleagues, clients, coworkers, and supervisors in ways we might not have before. We got to see children, spouses, and pets roaming through the backgrounds of our meetings and in some cases, suddenly appearing point blank in our webcams. ”Sorry about that,” and “Please excuse the noise,” became common refrains and often refreshing moments of humanity in an isolating time. So in honor of those moments, the crew here at Marketicity wanted to give a proper introduction to the pets that have made themselves a regular part of our workday.

Khaleesi and Apollo Antor love eating snacks, chasing squirrels, and taking naps. Khaleesi likes to be on standby for Zoom calls while Apollo likes to watch for squirrels. Calvin and Olive Antor are actually cats and may look sweet, but they run the house (and the dogs).

Macy Most is the official Head of Security for Marketicity, though to be honest, she isn’t great at her job. However, she loves sitting on laps and giving kisses.

Coco Jacobs is cute, but loose items and flies better beware, she will attack them both. Trixie Jacobs is the diva. She will only lay on the softest surfaces and is an escape artist in training.

Marketicity is a marketing services firm whose team members have delivered successful campaigns and have been Moving Brands Forward for some of the best-known brands in their categories – both locally, regionally and nationally. We’re proud of our work but even more proud that our clients are proud of the work produced for their brands. Want to learn more about how we can help you “move your brand forward”? Simply give us a call or visit our Contact Us page. We look forward to hearing from you.

Working as an Extension of your Team

July 27, 2021/in News /by Marketicity

Marketing can be many things: flashy, exciting, subtle, funny, moving, and on and on. Any of these approaches, used the right way, can make for a compelling, successful marketing campaign. One thing marketing can’t afford to be, however, is hollow. We all know businesses need to make money and marketing is an integral part of that, but a marketing campaign that misunderstands a product, or a company’s mission, or simply hasn’t taken the time to know why any of that matters, can end up doing more harm than good.

Which is why we get the temptation to keep marketing in-house, with people who will naturally understand those things best. But we also know that not every business has the resources needed to run and maintain a strong campaign. Maybe you have a designer, but not a writer, or an expert strategist, but not a social media manager. Sometimes, it’s just whoever is wearing the fewest hats at the moment who gets the marketing responsibilities offloaded onto their plate.

At Marketicity, we’re happy to be the extra hands, resources, and expertise needed, but we see that as the bare minimum. When you work with Marketicity, we make it our job to become an extension of your brand and your team. We want to make sure that any marketing campaign we work on feels authentic and true to who you are. So often, we work with people who have great ideas but lack the time or tools to see them through. We love the opportunity to come alongside and help realize the best possible marketing solution.

Marketicity is a marketing services firm whose team members have delivered successful campaigns and have been Moving Brands Forward for some of the best-known brands in their categories – both locally, regionally and nationally. We’re proud of our work but even more proud that our clients are proud of the work produced for their brands. Want to learn more about how we can help you “move your brand forward”? Simply give us a call or visit our Contact Us page. We look forward to hearing from you.

Is It Time to Refresh Your Brand?

June 29, 2021/in News /by Marketicity

When it comes to marketing, it can be tempting to completely reinvent the wheel every now and again to inject your brand with some extra energy or excitement. Honestly, it can be tempting simply because you get bored with looking at the same logo or the same font or the same pictures day in and day out. Sometimes, a total overhaul is what’s needed. However, we’ve found that much of the time, the best course of action is a smart, targeted evolution as opposed to an all-out revolution.

There’s a reason that your brand is important. Whether you see it as a promise to your clients, a sign of quality work, or a personality that people can identify with, your brand carries weight and value. But just like a haircut, or a wardrobe, or a paint job, sometimes it needs something new. Now again, there is a time and a place for a total reinvention of your brand, and when that happens, we have a bit of a different conversation. Most often though, we work with companies on providing a few tweaks that go a long way. When you get a haircut, it’s still the same you leaving the barbershop or salon, but hopefully you feel like a new person, refreshed and excited. We take the same approach when working with clients on their brand identity.

Maybe you don’t need a new logo, maybe you just need a new color template to play around in. Maybe your advertising graphics or fonts need to be updated. Maybe your social media persona needs a bit of an upgrade or your mission statement needs some adjusting or rewording. The list can go on and on, but it all goes a long way towards boosting your brand’s feel and attracting new customers.

When you work with us, we will help you figure out where your brand needs a tune-up and how best to make that happen. Our goal is that when we do job, you will then feel better about doing yours.

Marketicity is a marketing services firm whose team members have delivered successful campaigns and have been Moving Brands Forward for some of the best-known brands in their categories – both locally, regionally and nationally. We’re proud of our work but even more proud that our clients are proud of the work produced for their brands. Want to learn more about how we can help you “move your brand forward”? Simply give us a call or visit our Contact Us page. We look forward to hearing from you.