Keeping it REAListic: Creating an Effective & Achievable Marketing Plan
For many companies whose fiscal year mirrors the calendar year, the fourth quarter is a mix of hurry up and finish this or, sell all of these and most of those before the end of the year. It is also the time of year for developing a marketing plan, setting the advertising budget and establishing priorities for the upcoming year. Well, maybe not. All too often marketing communications plans get left until the last minute or are executed on the fly. And for many, it’s not because they don’t need marketing communications materials or don’t want them, it’s because for many, developing a marketing budget is still one of those great unknowns. But it doesn’t have to be.
Branding Tips: How to Use Typography to Your Advantage
Every second of every day, language is used as a form of branding, expression and communication in personal and professional relationships - at home or in the office. It is well known, however, that the mere fundamentals of language and vocabulary alone cannot convey all of the intended meaning of a conversation. Other tools, such as body language, cadence and volume are used hand-in-hand with verbal communication to indicate feelings, significance and objective. These tools can be translated into written communication as well. Text on a page can be transformed into rich, visual language with accurate and knowledgeable use of typography.
Behind the Creative Process
Communication knows no boundaries, and with that understanding Lime Valley Advertising is able to work successfully with clients in a wide range of industries. Lime Valley accomplishes this through its process of discovering key brand messages for its clients and then dispersing that message among various advertising mediums (a practice known as integrated marketing communications). IMC saves time and money by shifting the marketing approach to focus on content as a whole rather than the individual projects. This gives a client the ability to deliver relevant and quality content consistently, which allows its audience to position the company precisely where desired in the industry.
Marketing Communication Excellence – SIAA Award Winners
The SIAA (Service Industry Advertising Awards) is a national competition that honors service industry providers for their contribution to marketing and advertising. This year judges reviewed over 1,700 entries from 500 agencies for execution, creativity, quality, consumer appeal and overall breakthrough. Lime Valley received eight SIAA awards for communication excellence this year. This is the twelfth year that the SIAA has recognized Lime Valley’s creative accomplishments in advertising. Over those twelve years Lime Valley has garnered 57 SIAA awards, more than any other agency in Minnesota.
A Website Redesign for a Manufacturer is More than just the Product!
As a manufacturer, redesigning your website is about more than just your product. While those items are of significant importance, it is easy to slip into the role of the person building the product, rather than the person buying the product. That's why so often you see specifications taking the place of good sales copy. But beyond that, in a website situation, you have to think about not only the person buying the product, but how they go about finding that product in the first place.
Website Redesign: The Dos and Don’ts of SEO!
Whether you're new to the position and this is your first big marketing project or you’ve endured this exercise several times now, the prospect of a website redesign for a manufacturing company can send shivers down the spine of even the most experienced marketing professional. You know that everyone from the sales department to human resources to engineering is going to have a say in how the website looks, the content it has on it and the way it functions. And that doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone is going to get along or play nice.
Permanence of Impermanence – Commentary by Cory Wendt
Nothing in life is permanent. This is my biggest motto in
Color Study: Creating Accurate Colors
Colors Colors
RGB. CMYK. PMS. These color-related abbreviations may sound foreign to some, but they are a must-know for any designer. Why? Color obviously plays a crucial role in design. Beyond that, understanding color means better knowing how the color will reproduce on the deliverables.
When creating products for multiple mediums, it is important to have a solid grasp on how the colors will behave. For example, a business may have a website with a main color of R245, G148, B136. When it comes time to print that same color on a business card, CMYK qualities and the possibility of utilizing PMS need to be considered. RGB is brighter due to being backlit; paper naturally absorbs ink, thus diffusing the color; and the type and finish of paper – such as uncoated or glossy – can affect the final product.
This understanding can make the difference between a great result and an undesirable do-over.
Planning Ahead: Creating a Social Media Calendar
Social media, when looked at through the lens of integrated marketing communications, can drive a business’s entire marketing strategy forward.
While reading a social media post may only take a few seconds, writing and planning an effective post takes much more time and thought. A social media calendar is a valuable tool to plan, track, and implement content for any and all social media avenues.
A calendar is more helpful than a list of topics because it allows an organization to visualize how its content will be distributed throughout the year. Key company or industry events, holidays, product release dates, and the like can be duly noted.
Google My Business: Creating Better Local Search Traffic