While it seems like it was just yesterday, I remember back in the ‘80s when my workplace was decorated with those motivational posters featuring a beautiful photograph and a strong statement intended to lift the spirits and inspire everyone. I bet you’ve seen those, too.

I called it: Breakroom Inspiration.

While I’m not sure it really worked, the photos were mighty pretty, that’s for sure. Often the sayings fell a little flat – especially if you were working in an environment that was less than ideal.  At least corporate leadership acknowledged the fact their employees had a significant need for inspiration.

That’s still the case. We all need to get a lift from something – no matter from where it comes.  I like to think it can come from a variety of sources.  When I get stuck creatively I often go back to a file where I keep creative ideas, and look for an approach that might get me unstuck. Or I might find an idea I used in the past, that can now be used to uniquely solve a new problem.

My friend Jim Link, a Minneapolis-based Consultant, wrote a book about this concept and called it “IdeaLinks”(link to book please).  The approach is to store up great ideas and use them to solve future problems you may face in business.

How2Get the Best Answers

There was a time when a member of our creative team saw a sign he liked outside of a restaurant. That particular sign was designed to draw pedestrians into dine. Well, he stashed that idea away. A few years later it was retrieved and became the foundation for one of my favorite marketing campaigns created by our agency. There was also the occasion when I was dealing with a prospect who had gone quiet on me. Remembering the power of coffee, and using our 5Points Creative branding, I sent her a customized bag of java, along with a clever note, to jumpstart the sales process. It worked.

Great ideas are often right in front of us, but sometimes we don’t see them.  Other times they’re tucked away in a folder waiting to be used. Occasionally, when you open that file, there’s an idea in there that perfectly fits the challenge you’re currently facing.  So, if you’re solving a business problem or creating a new campaign, seek inspiration.  Also, be open to finding old ideas that can be used to solve new challenges. No matter what the source.

Perhaps old motivational posters aren’t the answer.  Being open minded, storing good ideas, and giving yourself room to dream, think, and process is usually inspiration enough.

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Your business website is designed with your customer in mind. But have you also considered the possible jobhunters who will navigate your website?

If recruiting new employees is important to the success of your business, the first step is making a good first impression with the job candidates you’re hoping to engage. While it’s essential to attract and convert customers, creating a presence on your website specifically for jobseekers is just as important – especially since most candidates will research your company online before applying or reaching out with questions. If you have an open position at your business, here are five website features that will help fill your web forms with quality applicants.

Start With “Why”

Why does your business exist? It may seem like an unusual question, but your answer is one of the most powerful assets when attracting new talent. It’s the core of shaping every decision you make as a business leader, from hiring to strategy. The concept behind starting with “why” is simple: Applicants really care about why your business is needed and how it is impactful to see if their own values are compatible with yours. Statistics show that 79% of job seekers will consider a company’s mission statement before applying. To attract new employees, start with positioning yourself as a leader in your industry by providing your business’s mission and values on your website. This will help viewers establish a personal connection to your business, and drive applications.

Bring Your Company Culture to Life

Whether you’re a small-to-medium sized business, or one of many large corporations, your company culture is what makes it unique. For most organizations, your website serves as the “windows” through which visitors peek to see what your company is all about. Although being authentic is highly valued by job seekers and potential employees alike, you want to make sure your website represents your business in its truest form. Coming across as too casual, or overly polished and formal, can do more harm than good.

While there's a delicate balance between what your customers and applicants experience through your website, a dedicated company culture page can help target the right candidates. This is a great opportunity to give applicants a transparent look into what future employees can expect. If you’re not sure what to say online about this, an internal deep dive into how your company culture is working (or not working) may be the best first step.

Separate the Experience

Many company websites have a general “contact us” form, but do not have a specific landing page or email address for job candidates. When customers, partnering businesses, and job seekers are all using the same contact form, the data your website collects can be affected negatively. When job candidates need to contact your HR or recruiting team, having a separate experience on how they engage with your company will help to keep customer conversion data separate from job applicants. By creating a separate landing page or form for job inquiries, you’ll be able to gather more accurate data about the people reaching out to you, especially if they’re hunting for an open position at your company.

Simplify the Application Process

According to CareerBuilder, 60 percent of job seekers stop filling out online applications due to their length or complexity. Think about ways you can make the online application process easier for users. Consider including an option for users to save unfinished application forms for later. It is also helpful to offer more than one way to apply, whether it’s on a specific landing page on your website, through a third-party network (like LinkedIn), or in person, etc. The overall goal is to attract and engage job candidates. Making sure their on-line application experience goes well, adds to the success of your recruitment process.

Regularly Update Content

It’s important to update content frequently enough so it’s still relevant, but not so often that you overwhelm candidates (or yourself). Typically, hiring managers will recommend having three to four key pieces of information on your website at any given time—this way people can quickly learn about your company’s open position, and apply for the job easily and efficiently. Having too much information on your website can actually deter candidates from applying because they may be overwhelmed by how complicated it seems to apply for a job. Keeping things simple is always key when trying to attract new talent!

Eager to learn how you can make improvements to your website to attract new talent? Let’s talk!

It Happens Way2Frequently 

You’re pretty careful not to hand your car keys to just anyone, right? I mean, sure – a valet, the guy at the car wash, your spouse – to those folks you’ll toss ‘em and take your chances. Your teenager? That may be a different question. How about someone you don’t know very well? Not likely. 

Yet that’s exactly what happens in the marketing world all too often. Your car keys are just as personal and valuable to you as your business’s digital presence. If you take a moment to consider the situation you may already be in, then you’ll quickly see just how important it is to maintain your own website and social media logins. 

Time and again 5Points Creative has encountered situations where a client asked us to build them a new website or to update their Facebook, LinkedIn, or Instagram pages. We agree to step in and support them, only to discover they can’t locate their own access information. It’s crazy, but frequently they’ve delegated this information to a receptionist, an intern, an outside company, or frankly someone they don’t even interact with anymore. 

That’s a problem. 

Double Check This4Your Own Good 

When we first started building websites a half-decade ago, clients would ask us to set up their Domain Name Registration, or their Facebook Pages, etc. We would politely decline their request and advise them to think about what they were really asking an outside company to do. It seemed like some clients believed we were lazy or didn’t want to do the work to set up their programs correctly. However, there is a critical first step they needed to learn before handing over their virtual marketing “keys" to just anyone. 

We had to explain to those clients that setting up their digital logins is not something you want to casually delegate to someone outside of your company. It involves critical information a business owner or leader should absolutely protect and handle carefully. Our suggestion: make sure you’re in charge of your business’s Domain Name Registrations and logins. Our team will then provide the precision and dynamic digital marketing services to drive your online presence to success. 

Otherwise, you may end up like so many clients we’ve encountered through the years. They are stuck trying to find the GoDaddy password to an email address no one can access. Hold those marketing keys closely for the long-term win. It may take you a few extra minutes, but you’ll have hours of peace of mind in the future. 

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Advertising can seem expensive, but it does not have to be. If you use the right strategies to maximize your budget, you can get the most out of your marketing dollars. Here are some tips to help you reach new customers without draining your budget or cutting into your profit margins.

Start With An Advertising Strategy

Let's say you have a specific fitness goal in mind. How do you intend on making progress? You are likely to change your diet and schedule time into exercise. Strategies map-out a series of steppingstones that lead to visible results. In this way, advertising is similar. When there is no strategy behind your advertising dollars, it can be hard to measure your ROI (return on investment) and make cost-effective choices.  

Before you begin your advertising strategy, make sure to have a clear set of objectives for your brand, yourself, and any team members involved. To ensure that you allocate resources appropriately, start with these three elements (we will dive into these a little later):  

1. Target Audience – Who are you trying to reach? Which advertising media channels (text, speech, images, videos using TV, radio, online, outdoor etc.) will reach your audience most effectively? Will your audience discover your TV commercial first, or drive by your billboard every morning on the way to work?

2. Message – Center your message based on who your target audience is and their pain points. How does your product or service help them?

3. Conversion Actions - Which actions do you want users to take (such as filling out a form or buying a product)? Do not forget to include key performance indicators (KPIs) that can be measured to ensure your metrics are moving in the right direction.

An advertising strategy should begin with outlining what you want to promote and to which audience. This will help you decide how much your budget should be, what media channels you should use to reach your audience, and how often you will want to promote your product or service.

Who Is Your Target Audience?

Identifying your target audience is one of the important first steps in any advertising campaign. When you define your target audience, you can develop messages that are relevant to their needs and desires. If you do not already have one in mind, do some research to find out who might be good candidates for your product or service.

Your target audience may be divided into multiple segments. For example, a ketchup company’s target audience may be segmented into restaurant owners buying wholesale, and everyday grocery shoppers buying bottles. Both groups are looking for ketchup, but the advertising they see may differ based on their needs. The more you can define your audiences, their interests, where they spend their time, and pain points, the stronger you can plan your advertising campaigns. A suitable place to start is by talking directly to your customers, customer-service representatives, and sales teams. The more you can learn about who buys your product or service (and why), the better.

Craft Your Message

Once you understand your target, you can begin to choose your messaging. What offers do you want to communicate to your audience? If it is a product, you may want to advertise the benefits that make it superior to others of its kind. If it is a service, you may want to promote a discount with a limited-time offer. Your message should include reasons why your audience must choose your brand over your competition.

Go where your audience spends their time. Understanding which media channels your audience is active with will give you a better idea of where to distribute your advertising dollars. It is important to understand channel distribution across all major media platforms, including search engines, social media networks, television, and on. Knowing where your target audience spends their time will help you narrow down where to advertise, who you want to reach, and how much money to invest in each media channel.

Testing messages and creative through your advertising campaign can help with reaching a stronger ROI over time. Often these tests require several optimizations to find the strongest creative and message.

Measuring Effectiveness

Remember that hypothetical fitness goal from earlier on? What tools would you use to measure your success: a scale, or a fitness app on your smartphone? Similarly, think of the kinds of tools you could use to measure success for your advertising efforts.  

There are many ways to go about it. You can use website visits, qualified leads, phone calls, or revenue as a metric. Whichever you choose, you should set up the proper tagging and tracking in the beginning to report on important key performance indicators (KPIs).

It is important to look at both hard data and soft data when collecting your KPIs. Hard data can include information such as clicks, signups, website visits, viewers, and listeners, as well as sales conversions. Soft data can be information that is susceptible to interpretation, such as audience brand-recall.

Do Not Make This Mistake

Many advertisers stop reporting and measuring KPIs after their campaigns have ended. It is important to continue reporting on campaigns for a month or more (depending upon the campaign) as continuing results can be seen after the first promotional phase. They say momentum is challenging to obtain; but once you have it, it keeps on growing! Continue to track your brand’s momentum over time to record any patterns and success stories you will discover.  

Like many things, measurement tools come with a cost. It is important to allocate an area of your advertising budget to be spent on monitoring and reporting on KPIs throughout the advertising campaigns and after they have ended.

Every good advertising story has a beginning. Let yours start with us! 5Points Creative is a full-service agency with the team of advertising professionals to help jumpstart your campaign. For more information, contact us here.

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Something I've Seen2Many Times

Over the past five years we’ve built nearly 70 websites. Some have been from scratch, but many are conversions of sites that needed updating, a more modern look and feel, or to better reflect the shifting work our client is now doing.

 I remember one in particular where our client insisted over and over that the information on their current (dated) website would simply transfer over to the new design we were doing. No matter how often we asked, we got the same answer. They would not need new copy. When we showed them the new look and feel, they started reviewing the copy more closely. Suddenly there was a list of services they no longer performed and products they didn't sell. In fact, I recall they actually thought we had made up new content for their new site before realizing the same information was on their current (at the time) live site. It delayed the project by months and actually caused us to resort the new navigation.

 Most websites are designed with the thought that it will be updated every few years, so the old fashioned “refresh” is rather routine and happens regularly. I’ve noticed a pretty consistent pattern and it got me thinking it would be a wise nugget to share.

 Often our clients who are looking for that updated style simply want the current website’s copy to “move over” to the new look and feel. In spite of our prior suggestions to review their current website, the language on it ends up being dated or doesn't match how they currently conduct business.  

‍Improvement4Your Website Today

Clearly, it's critical to gather your leadership, a team of employees, or an outside marketing firm with whom you are aligned to review your site for copy and other critical details. Make sure now, while you are using it, that what is on there best aligns with your current work structure, mission, passions, and the way you want to do business.  

Websites are best served when they are reviewed at regular intervals, and when a variety of invested people have a hand in the overall content and direction.That way, when you are ready for that modern design, you have copy and all the other important elements in place that fit just right.

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When it comes to marketing for your business, monsters aren't the best advice-givers. In fact, their insights are quite terrible! When our monster-handling team at 5Points Creative heard about the Marketing Monsters "12 Holiday Marketing Mayhem Tips", we had to intervene (Don't worry, they're already on our naughty list.) In this blog, we'll address each Marketing Monsters senseless seasonal suggestion with what you really need to know about marketing. 

1.  Prospects Love Cold and Impersonal Communication

If Curfuzzler, the bad communication monster, had it his way, all communication would be cold and impersonal, leaving your target audience…well, curfuzzled. 

Creating festive and memorable communication starts with placing your target audience at the center of your messaging. Take the time to research and understand your customers' pain points. Consider their interests when creating personalized messaging, ya dig? Because at the end of the day, you're sending messages to a person. 

 2.  Keep Customers Entertained with Redundant Steps and Blockers 

Markler, the bad marketing monster, is notorious for sending customers through duplicate steps and complicated processes, which spoil their purchasing experience. 

Removing barriers in purchasing path of customers takes increases conversions and leaves a memorable experience. Start with customer journey mapping to understand and monitor each touchpoint. It is crucial to identify and fix areas of friction in a customer’s purchasing journey as quickly as possible.

 3.  Tracking Marketing Results is Overrated

Conversion pixels, traffic sources, open rates, event tracking...who needs it?! Digi, the bad digital marketing monster, thinks no one.

Taking the time to set up proper tracking, tagging, and reporting gives you and your team a clear view into what's working and where you need to pivot. While not all marketing technology speaks the same language, the more you can connect your systems, the cleaner the data will be that will help you quickly identify results. Tracking is not overrated – it's essential for your business's success.

4.  Keep Your Branding Interesting by Using Many Logo Variations

Brandon, the bad branding monster, thinks the more logo variations you have, the better. Keep prospects guessing; that's the fun stuff. 

While consistency is key, it's just as important to create branding that connects you to your customers and prospects. Beyond color section, font libraries, and logo marks, there is work to be done to home in on what will resonate most with your audience. Let's not keep them guessing; let’s keep them remembering. 

 5.  Website Optimization is Not Needed to Rank

SERP what? Keyword strategy? Meta huh? Skip all of that and just create a website for...you, says Digit.

We all want to rank number one in search results for our most important keywords. Yes, that sweet victory of winning the number one spot organically and without ad dollars. It feels good. 

It also takes time and patience. Website optimization is a long play that takes constant work. Beyond identifying the best ways to improve SEO, you must also consider how are visitors experiencing your content? In other words, don't always solve just for the search engine; consider how a visitor consumes your content.

 6.  Wing Content Creation;No One Will Know

Create content, and they will come, right? Post about yourself often on social media. Why make it about the user? Digit says yes to all of the above.

The truth is, content creation can be powerful if done correctly. We've said it before, and we'll say it again: place your audience at the center of any content you want to create. What are their pain points? Common questions? Interests? How does your business help? Starting with a strategy for your content can be the best blueprint to execute and reach your audience.

7.  A Website Is Good for 5+ Years

It's the investment that keeps on giving, even after the content is old and the UI/UX is outdated. Visitors will get used to it, so why make improvements? Digit sure does have a unique perspective on websites.

 Even if your products and services do not vary much, technology constantly changes. From web browsers to cookies tracking, the way we use technology changes almost daily. While you may still like the website you had built a few years ago, it could be causing more harm than good to your key performance indicators (KPIs). If you're not making regular improvements to your website over time (after all, once you launch a website, it's just the beginning of tweaking), you could be missing valuable connections with visitors. 

8.  Don't Define a Target Audience

The bigger the audience, the better! If Adders, the bad advertising monster, could send ads to every internet user, he would.

Depending on your end goal with advertising, sending the right message, to the right audience, at the right time constitutes the bulk of the ingredients to get right in the recipe of success. Often, building out multiple campaigns targeting very defined groups of audiences with specific messages can grow KPIs tremendously, while building awareness-specific campaigns is a different strategy. Taking the time to define whom you want to reach is a great place to start building out a strong ad campaign. 

9.  Stop Scheduling and Planning Your Marketing

You're wasting time if you plan out your marketing campaigns and content calendars. Markler says it's a lot of work for little return. Wing it; you'll keep your audience in suspense (or confused).

We've all been there. Time ticks faster when there's a big campaign to be built or the quarter is running out, and you need content ready to go for the next one. The truth is taking the time to strategize and plan out your marketing in advance isn't one and done. It gives you a guide to tweak as needed and gives your team the ability to work at their best.

10. Place Media According to Your Personal Taste

Adders only picks his favorite shows to run commercials (like the Extended Documentary of How Algae Form). If he sees the commercial, surely everyone else does too?

Placement of your advertising is just as important as timing. While there are a lot of great shows on TV, they may not be the best fit for your budget or goal. Take the time to plan out your advertising to reach the best audience at a cost-effective price.

11. Building Media Relationships Is a Waste of Time

You have better things to do than build relationships with the media. Besides, shouldn't they be making all of their time available for you? Adders thinks so.

Relationships can open up doors, but in this case, they open up channels that would be beneficial to your marketing goals. Connecting and speaking with media providers regularly is a good way to keep them up-to-date on your marketing goals and priorities. Many times, the best media buys are available because of those relationships and regular conversations. 

12. Blast Your Contact List with Emails Every Day

If they are a contact in the CRM, they are getting an email! That's how Digit rolls.

Like most marketing channels, if not used properly, email marketing can become less interesting to your contacts and, even worse, wind up on spam lists. Before pressing send on any email, ask these questions:

    What's the purpose of this email?

   Why should the recipient care?

    What action would we like them to take?

5Points Creative is a full-service marketing and advertising firm based in Roanoke, VA. Our team of professionals provides marketing, advertising, digital, branding, and communication to those with a story to tell.

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