Frequently Asked Questions

Marketing feels huge, not to mention overwhelming. How do I know where to even start?

Marketing can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be that way. That’s why we have a structure, and processes in place to help you make sense of the big picture. At its core, marketing is storytelling, and you must know what your story is (content/message), who needs to hear your story (ideal client/market), and what is the best way to get your story out there (activity/method). We love doing free consultations that answer questions, ask questions, and leave you with more clarity and feeling more inspired than when we started.

I have several marketing activities going on, but they don’t seem to be working. Why?

First, don’t feel like the lone ranger. It is SO common to jump into something like sending a postcard, getting on Facebook (or Instagram, or Twitter, or fill in the blank), or starting a newsletter that only goes out once. Trying new things can be good (like kids eating vegetables). However, this can be DANGEROUS! Jumping into tactics without any strategy often leads to wasting money, and losing opportunities, and not understanding what people want. We discourage you from practicing what we call “random acts of marketing.” We know that you will get more traction and better results from having a sound strategy supporting your tactics and perhaps the most important marketing practice of all: CONSISTENCY.

I have clear overarching marketing goals. I just get lost in the details. Can you help?

Yes, yes, yes! We love a good strategy. For some of us, and especially entrepreneurs; strategy, vision, purpose, that’s where the fun is. Choosing the proper tactics and the tools to make it happen gets is a little (or a lot) less exciting. If you know you want people to feel a certain way when they interact with your brand, but you aren’t sure how to make it happen, we can help.

I’m pretty good at this marketing stuff – will we butt heads?

We know some entrepreneurs have quite a bit of marketing savvy, even marketing genius. Let’s give credit where credit is due. If marketing is your wheelhouse, but you simply DON’T HAVE TIME to make it happen and things are falling through the cracks, you probably need some help. This doesn’t mean you are inept, it means you are successful and successful owners and leaders are BUSY. We love collaborating with smart marketers!

I admit that marketing is not my thing – can you help total beginners?

You may, on the other hand, dread marketing and everything that goes with it. Your superpowers are in other areas and that is totally OK. Use your finance or operations or HR genius to do what you do best. You need a marketing partner you can trust, who knows what they are doing, and who will just make it happen. We also love working with people who let us do what we do best – get your story out there.

I just get bogged down in the details. Can you just fill in the gaps?

Short answer: yes. Longer answer: maybe. This is why almost all of our services are custom packaged for your needs. For example: you want an email campaign. We can strategize, help you set everything up, create a calendar, train you and send you on your happy way. OR we can take the entire burden off your shoulders, and voila, your emails go out without you lifting a finger. OR, we can have a hybrid approach of the two above options, which is to work WITH you to get it done. We may design, you find images, we write, you update list, we edit, whatever it takes to make it happen.

Why is marketing so expensive?

What’s expensive? Our perceptions of expensive are as different as our personal stories. It all comes down to value. If your return is greater than your expense, is it worth it? Words like expensive, cheap, affordable, fair, value are charged with emotion. Maybe this is a trick question. No, expensive doesn’t always mean better. Better is better, right? $1,000, $10,000, $100,000: are any of these expensive? Maybe. Context is everything. We think marketing can be a fantastic investment, or a horribly failed experiment, regardless of how much it costs. (Sorry if that doesn’t answer your question, by the way.)

How much is this going to cost? (I do have other things to pay for, thank you very much)

We prepare proposals for the services you need most, and that will make the biggest difference in your organization. Sometimes we have packages that address exactly what you need, sometimes we custom design services because the package isn’t quite right. For example, we don’t force you to design a new logo if you already have one, and we won’t rewrite all of your copy unless you need it. We are not here to recreate the wheel, we are here to start WHERE YOU ARE and leverage what’s already working.

Do I have to pay for it all up front?

Depending on how long your services will take, you will pay an initial retainer to get started, and then pay monthly based on the work done the month prior. Your retainer is typically 25% – 33% of your total proposal, and the retainer is worked off on the front end, not the back end. This helps you budget and pay as you go.

How much of my time is this going to take, you know I’m BUSY running my business, right?

Yes, we understand. Like, we really get it. We are a small business, too. But we’ll give it to you straight: we want to help YOU succeed, so we have to know some things directly from the horse’s mouth, so to speak. We won’t forge blindly ahead with advice and copy and plans that are “cookie cutter” for just anyone. That isn’t effective, and we don’t want you to waste your money. We may have some homework for you that is completely manageable and that you may actually enjoy doing (gasp)! We will need access to you via phone, email, in person, or however we can track you down, but we won’t bug you. Unless you need it. If you tell us to crack the whip and get stern with our reminders, we can do that, too.

What’s more important: strategy or tactics? I don’t want to waste time and money on what I don’t need.

Like it or not, you have to have both. We won’t drag you through unnecessary planning and strategy, BUT we want to make sure that piece has been done. Whether it’s a one-time phone call, or months of research, planning, and exploring, you need some kind of road map. We don’t really like what we call “random acts of marketing.” To be honest, it happens to the best of us. One-off projects usually don’t work, though, and we get sad when people judge results based on a one time project.

I know the results I want, but I struggle coming up with fresh ideas. How do you do that?

We have what we call right brain/left brain equilibrium. We’re actually kinda proud of this! We are known for wicked brainstorming sessions that pull tons of ideas from what seems like thin air, but we also take our heads out of the clouds to assess which of those ideas have more teeth and make more sense. Whether you look at it as a battle or a gift, we easily transition back and forth between creativity and analysis, research and vision, and planning and doing. We like to think this is not all that common, and makes us a valuable member of your team.