Close out the Year with a Bang: Rockin Annual Report Design Trends
Unless you strongly identify with Monica from the hit 90’s television show Friends, chances are you probably don’t get too excited when you think about the prospect of reading or creating an annual report. Everyone else: relax. It’s not as bad as it sounds. In fact, some of this year’s best design trends translate perfectly into the new gold standard for innovative annual reporting. The combination of design and data transforms raw information into highly engaging – dare we even say entertaining – narratives for your stakeholders, customers, and employees. If you’re still not convinced, here are a few of the hottest trends to transform your annual report. Start with a story: When most people think of an annual report, they immediately think about numbers, accounting reports, and your business’s bottom line. All of these elements are important when recapping your year, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room to share some of the year’s highlights along the way. If you’ve enjoyed a transformative year of growth, shout it from the rooftop. If your company has renewed its focus on sustainability, or released a new product line, your annual report is the place to share these milestones. The modern consumer and stakeholder is accustomed to consuming massive amounts of content woven into almost every aspect of their lives. Social media? Check. Image-based advertising? Check. Video and multimedia? Check. Today’s best digital marketers seamlessly blend narratives across channels, devices, and formats. It makes sense, then, that your annual report would mirror this trend. While you don’t need to include a ton of content, adding a human element to your annual report sets the tone for your results, primes the reader about what to expect, and draws them into the most important details you hope to highlight. Consider including your mission statement, customer quotes, board member profiles, images, or information about your year to set the stage. Remember, you don’t want to detract from your actual reporting, but a little story goes a long way. Our creative design team can help you strike the perfect balance between fact and fun. Infographics link results and themes: Once you’ve created a clear storyline, introduce your main pieces of data using easy-to-consume infographics. Even the most ardent readers and data-junkies might be tempted to skim your annual report before deciding whether to read more deeply, or determining what areas they want to explore. Choose your choicest figures and pull them out. To do this, ask yourself what you would want to share if you only had 15-seconds to do it, and go from there. Your infographic is essentially your annual report’s elevator pitch, so don’t be afraid to ask your analysts and agency partner what information is most important. Infographics are a major digital design trend because they can quickly and effectively share critical information without getting lost in the mathematical weeds. And did we mention they are highly shareable? That’s right: your annual report could go viral. Infographics help you draw a link between numbers and your readers’ day-to-day world. This is especially effective when communicating to a broad audience spanning from executives and analysts, to consumers and enthusiasts. We like to think of infographics as a gateway between non-technical readers, and the people who interpret data best. When created properly, they can make your most critical figures accessible to everyone. Let your brand shine: Chances are, you’ll still want to include a deep dive into your company’s performance in your annual report. Whether you do that in the body of the document or use an appendix, you can keep this information consistent and engaging by letting your brand shine through. Use your company’s typography, color scheme, spacing principals, and image filters alongside your reporting. This creates visual consistency and interest even when presenting data straight up. If you’re reading this and aren’t sure what your brand guidelines are, now is a great time to work with your marketing agency to cultivate a design language that is unique to your company. Brand guidelines help you create seamless visual cues across channels and information archetypes so your brand experience is immersive, consistent, and memorable no matter how or where your audience is consuming information about your brand. Simply browsing our website will give you an idea of our design language. Like what you see? Check out examples of how we have helped brands like you expand their design footprint to include annual reports, multi-channel assets, and comprehensive marketing collateral. See, we told you 2017 was going to be the year of the annual report. And we’re as excited as you are to get started!
4 Signs Your Bank (Really) Needs a New Print Production Agency
In a recent post, we shared why direct mail can be such a powerful marketing tool within the financial industry. … so now seems like a good time to remind you that having a strong print production agency to support these types of projects is not a thing of the past. BIGEYE is a digital agency, but we would never want to downplay the important role print assets can have on your multi-platform marketing experience. In an effort to ramp up their digital footprint and avoid looking outdated, many banks and financial institutions have put print in the backseat or abandoned it all together. That being said, a healthy, well-rounded marketing strategy should always include a few tangible, print elements. This is especially important in educating new customers about your banking products and capabilities. To get you started, here are four signs that your bank could use the help of a new print production agency. Sign 1: You have no print assets Well, it might go without saying … but if you don’t have any print assets, it might be time to get a new print production agency. Although digital banking and financial apps are very popular and have made leaps and bounds in terms of usability and – perhaps more importantly – security, risk adverse and traditional customers still crave the impression of privacy and exclusivity print materials can provide. There’s no question that many people don’t want to go to the bank to deposit checks anymore, or might want to receive all their statements online; but the market is filled with fickle customers. Those same banking clients can benefit tremendously from print material that educates them about their financial options or helps them understand their investments and accounts. These assets don’t need to replace your digital content, they should complement and support it. Let a print production agency help you understand where that balance lies and what types of print materials are most popular and effective. Sign 2: Your brochures look like you made them on Microsoft Paint… On the flip side, if you DO have print assets, but they look like something your intern created on Microsoft Paint in 1999, it’s time to hit the reset button. Forget about those trifolds and one pagers. There are so many more exciting print options available today than there were even three or four years ago. From unique business cards and tear aways, to laser cutting and foiling: if you’ve been away from the print game for awhile, you’re going to feel like you entered a brave new world. The best news is that many of the most eye-catching and customizable print options are very cost-effective. A print agency can help you understand what competitive banks are using, how it’s working, and where print makes sense in your broader marketing mix. Sign 3: You don’t give specifics in print Another way you can use a print production agency is to curate your content. One of the biggest reason print assets aren’t effective is because they don’t give enough relevant information to inspire potential banking customers to pick up the phone, log online, or head to your branch. In this highly regulated, and complex industry, it can feel counterintuitive to include too much content that might confuse or mislead customers. Let a content specialist help you translate all the technical details into something digestible and consumable that meets any and all guidelines your industry, while giving customers enough information to – well – even know what you’re talking about. Sign 4: You don’t know how to link your digital efforts to print Last, but certainly not least, you want all of the great work you’re doing offline to work for your online. And vice versa. A good print production agency will help you literally repurpose content or adapt material for web and traditional consumption. Design elements may be similar, but not identical. Wording may be similar, but not identical. And so forth.… and with banking, the details matter, even down to those last two decimal places. Get to know our creative team and print specialists and reach out to learn more about how print can add an important educational and engaging element to your bank marketing strategy.
3 reasons you need video editing services in 2017
We’ve already told you why video advertising is mission critical to your business in another blog post. Now, we’re going to tell you why video editing services are so important. 1. Video editing services make content feel authentic: In our last post about this topic, we explained that video ads and content are beginning to replace – or at least supplement – traditional digital advertising techniques such as banner ads and pay per click campaigns. Last year, more companies than ever invested in video production because they realized that video increases engagement. We hope last year’s 2016 resolution was taking tons of Vine videos, starting a YouTube channel, and testing the waters. Because the new year is here and it’s time to get serious. When you partner with a video editing company, they can help you reuse good, pre-existing footage, identify areas of opportunity, and amp up your story telling capabilities by stitching together key messaging and shots. More than 82% of companies that increased their video spend last year said it had a positive impact on their business, according to Single Grain. Engaging videos, however, hinge on having good, authentic content that is polished and professional. We know your Instagram story skills are good – but this year, it’s time to aim for great. 2. Use a video editor to tell your brand story: To make your videos great, it’s important to tell a story. Most people do this intuitively on social media when they create clip reels and short video stories of their life experiences. As consumers, we naturally gravitate toward videos that speak to us on that social, community-minded level. The value of good video editing services lies in their ability to tell a story and create a genuine narrative while inspiring action (not just engagement and consumption). Whether your video is three seconds long or three minutes long, you need to capture your audience’s attention, communicate something important, and end with a call to action … without losing the storyline. This careful balance is one-part science and one-part art. Video producers also have an eye on emerging video trends in terms of tone and treatment so that the videos you share are creatively relevant and meet consumers’ subconscious expectations about what a video should look and feel like. You don’t want to accidentally craft an entire marketing campaign around that outdated, so-2016 filter, do you? 3. Your video editing company will get you on the platforms you need: For video to be effective, it needs to be in front of the right people at the right times. Ideally, your video would also link to your email campaigns, traditional marketing efforts, and other outlets. Using a video editing company can help you determine where this makes sense, where it doesn’t, and how to effectively use video to cross platforms, devices, and marketing mediums. Making these links yourself can be very time consuming and even impossible unless you have professional-grade video editing and posting software. While there are a lot of great free tools in the market, they aren’t created with marketers in mind. With an agency, you get two birds with one stone: video strategy and an amazing finished product. Like we said: if you’re reading this, we know we don’t need to sell you on the value of video. Your business results can speak for themselves. We just want you to realize that there is another level of potential as your video programming grows and are here to help the process along the way. Click here to learn more about how we have used video for other clients, or our unique video services and methodology.
10 tips for theme park advertising from a video production company
We may think SEO, retargeting, and CRM programs are a day in the park (pun intended), there is one tool that rules them all in the realm of fun: video production services. Because you’re selling an emotional experience, few tools can capture the unique customer experience of your product like a video production company. Our experts reveal their favorite way to bring theme park advertising to life through video. 1. A video production company will nail experiential marketing: It’s hard to describe the feeling of g-force making your eyes water as you fly down the first drop of a new rollercoaster. And it’s hard to describe that signature shade of cotton-candy pink that lets you know you’ve found your favorite concession stand. And it’s hard to describe the anticipation associated with the sound of pressurized hydraulic mist before lazy river riders get drenched. Web video production can. Video production is the heart and soul of experiential marketing in the digital age. Enough said. 2. Transform user generated content into marketing collateral: No one can capture the amazing memories of a day at a theme park quite like your visitors. Using a video production company to polish and repurpose user generated content or to capture its essence and transform it into marketing content is the best way to let potential visitors in on all the inside jokes, sweet treats, thrills and spills waiting for them just inside your gate. Video contests, social media campaigns, and YouTube are only the beginning of the video production services you can use to showcase your best visitors and THEIR best moments. We love it when our customers do our work for us and you should too. 3. Unleash your newest rides: One of the things that keeps people coming back to theme parks again and again is new attractions. A good film production company can build anticipation, generate buzz, and cultivate an air of excitement around new features and rides. A video production company makes it easy to show off elements of a new feature without giving the entire experience away, building just the right amount of desire. 4. Tell your story: Web video production is one of the best, quickest, and most effective ways to tell your brand story. When people think of the Disney brand, their parks – and the vision of families interacting on site – are some of the most iconic images in the industry. When you use video to tell a brand story the way Disney does, your customers’ experiences aren’t just about a day in a theme park, they are about an entire narrative or lifestyle that will keep them coming back or sharing their experiences with others. 5. Good video is a four-year investment: One of the most common things our clients tell us is that they are worried about hiring a video production company because it will be too expensive and their assets will need refreshed too often. We are here to debunk that myth. Good b-roll footage of your park, brand assets, and story narrative can last anywhere between three and four years. It’s important to set expectations with your videography company upfront, so they can work both within your budget and time horizon to create the content you need. 6. Shh … it’s okay to use stock footage: A good film production company will help you understand where you can use stock footage and where it’s important to have brand-specific video clips. Blending both can help augment your existing photo and text base, and compliment your campaigns. Don’t worry, it isn’t cheating and almost everyone does it. The trick is doing it the right way. Your agency will help you blend stock and original footage so your results are always original, tasteful, and on message. And most importantly, within copyright guidelines. 7. Video is an SEO goldmine: Like images, video can play a huge role is boosting your SEO ranking. Work with your web video production company to properly tag, target, and post videos to maximize both exposure and SEO. Good video is not only shareable, but highly indexed by search engines. Because video also happens to be some of the most engaging content available, you win in more ways than one. 8. You can’t win in multi-channel marketing without video: Customers are learning about your brand on multiple devices, at multiple times, and sharing their attention with multiple assets. Video is a miraculous medium that can cross these channels and devices seamlessly and encourage prospective visitors to head closer to your point of sale. Work with your video production company to determine how video can drive sales and encourage guests to reach your website through a specific call to action or jump trigger. 9. Side-by-side comparisons: One of the most fun ways to use video to promote your theme park is through side-by-side comparisons. Whether you want to show off your fun factor, appeal to adrenaline junkies, or bring families together, a dramatized comparison of your park to a regular day, or a head-to-head view of your competition should easily do the trick. 10. It’s a lot easier than you think: Last, but not least, using web production services is a lot easier than you think. No matter how new you are to the medium or what your budget is, your agency can work with you to tailor video assets to your exact needs. Click here to explore some of the videos we’ve work on for our clients. We recommend new video users try a hybrid of agency crafted material and hand-held DIY content to get started and grow together. Video is fun and effective. It’s highly engaging. And one of the most consistently growing digital trends of 2017. The best part is that your customers are already digesting videos regularly, so you can easily capture their attention without working too hard. And if there’s one thing we wish for 2017 — it’s that we can help you work smarter, rather than harder.
Should I use a content marketing agency or freelancer?
To freelance or not to freelance? To hire an agency or go it alone? Those are the questions. Depending on who you speak to, you’ll probably bump into a wide variety of (sometimes polarized) opinions about the benefits of each option. The reality is that, whether you choose a content marketing agency or hire a freelancer, the “right” answer lies within your unique needs. Here are a few pros and cons of each. Building your content marketing with a freelancer: If your content marketing strategy is fairly straightforward and your team has the time and expertise to guide your freelancer’s work, hiring a writer can be a powerful tool when you need to ramp content up quickly (or down without cutting staff). Hiring a freelancer gives you flexibility, and usually provides a good bang for your buck because you can generate large quantities of high-quality content quickly and affordably. PROS: Speed to market Scalable Use for seasonal needs However, freelancers generally require a little extra “hand holding” because they may not be engrained in your company culture or have full access to your vision and strategy. Your team will need to field questions about tone, topics, keyword strategy, and content roadmap to ensure you get the best results. Get the most out of your freelancer by treating them like an employee rather than a third party. Don’t skimp on sharing creative briefs, ideas, and feedback. If you’re worried about privacy or exposing sensitive and strategic information, you can always ask your writer to sign a non-disclosure agreement. Content marketing made easy with an agency: Agencies really shine if your content marketing plan hasn’t been fully fleshed out or you have a smaller staff that may not have time to manage your freelancer’s writing process. If you aren’t sure what content you need, or how to maximize your reach and impact through content, an agency will provide critical insight to make sure the work you have planned will be beneficial and impactful. Sometimes, agencies offer a la carte services (like freelance writing) so you can enjoy the scalability of a freelancer, with a little extra support from content marketing pros in the background. Talk to your agency about your unique needs to determine how they can best support you and work within your budget. PROS: Strategic guidance Consistency and quality Holistic content marketing skills You’ll get the best results from a content marketing agency if you plan to build a partnership with them. Think of your agency as a secret weapon, a hidden CMO, the wizard behind the curtain. The sky is the limit when you work with a good content marketing agency that understands your short and long-term goals, knows the market, and can make thoughtful recommendations about placement, supplementary advertising material, and unique ways to distribute your content. With a content marketing agency, you get so much more than … well … content. You also get the manpower and expertise to really do something with it. The bottom line? Freelance writing offers a quick, straightforward solution to generate content … but an agency can start a marketing revolution. The great news is that you don’t need to choose one or the other. Many of our clients start their content marketing with us and use freelance writers to maintain the work we do together when their team is stretched thin or they want to begin a new project and need an extra boost of manpower. Naturally, we are there every step of the way to support so there really is no wrong answer. Contact us to get started!
3 Ways copywriting services will increase your marketing potential
Did you know that copywriting services can increase your team’s productivity and boost your speed to market? We’re always surprised when our clients tell us they never considered hiring copywriting services because they are a fantastic way to maintain and accelerate work with your creative agency partner. In another blog post, we discuss the pros and cons of hiring an agency versus a freelance writer to tackle your content marketing needs. Most people opt to begin their content marketing journey with an agency and then use freelance writing services as a form of content maintenance strategy to keep their work on track. Whether your creative agency orchestrates your copywriting services, or you hire a freelance writer directly, you’ll enjoy these three great benefits of outsourcing your copywriting needs. 1. STOP TALKING ABOUT THAT NEW PROJECT AND START DOING IT We know you’re going to leave your 2017 brainstorming sessions with tons of great ideas. And we know that translating those amazing ideas into reality can sometimes take a little extra effort or get lost in the shuffle, especially at the beginning of the year when Q1 goals are full speed ahead. Using copywriting services can help get a project into market that might otherwise get stuck in the brainstorming or “blue sky” phase. One of the biggest challenges employees face when executing new ideas is simply a lack of time … and content marketing – when done right (or we should say write) – can be time consuming. Empower your employees to make their most innovative ideas a reality by partnering with a copywriting services team. This year, your brainstorming sessions can be more than just wishful thinking. 2. LET YOUR BUDGET BE YOUR GUIDE There are many reasons you might choose to scale back your budget. Some, we know, are more difficult than others. Whether you’re simply trying to tighten your margins or you’re downsizing during moments of seasonality, copywriting services give you the freedom to scale your staff to your exact needs. You’ll never be paying more or less than you need when you use copywriting services because most agencies and freelancers can build a “pay to play” model to support your content writing needs. You can expect great, high-quality work without compromising your budget or your staffing and HR plan. 3. INCREASE QUALITY WITH COPYWRITING SERVICES Shh, we won’t tell anyone… but we know that sometimes you just need to hire a professional. Your team may shine at many things – but if copywriting isn’t one of them, don’t sweat it. Copywriting services can elevate the quality of your content marketing efforts without a huge increase in budget or manpower. Your staff might even be a little relieved to take those duties off their plates. All write, that’s what we’re talking about! Those are some pretty amazing reasons to take the plunge and try copywriting services. We’re confident that you won’t be disappointed. Click here to learn about some of the ways our clients have used content writing services to accelerate their work and take their marketing plans to the next level. Contact us to get started on yours right away.
Why scalable vector graphics are the new photoshop killer
Remember the post we shared about why vector graphics are the new JPEG files? We’re going to take that concept one step farther. Introducing: scalable vector graphics (SVG). Our technical guys tell us that SVG graphics are text files with some serious code magic happening in the background. Our creative guys say they are the gold standard for vector graphics creation. Our business owners say they are so easy to use their interns are creating customer-ready content. … so what are SVG files, really? SVG IS SETTING THE NEW STANDARD FOR DIGITAL FILE SHARING AND USE: Above and beyond anything else, SVGs are freedom from Photoshop and JPEG files. Not that there is anything wrong with them. Photoshop allows artists and creators to make some incredible artwork. But JPEG and large-scale photo files are difficult to use and implement in the digital world. They are cumbersome, they take up data storage space, they slow your website and mobile load times, they can be difficult to share and edit on the fly. SVG files scale, adapt, and load at the same speed your customers can switch between their favorite devices. YOUR DEVELOPMENT TEAM WILL THANK YOU, WE PROMISE: Your developers will seriously thank you for the switch. SVGs are primed to use with and on other technology. For example, when using a JPEG file, you have to crop and save your images to fit the exact size of each component you want that image to appear in. SVGs adapt on their own, so your developers can plug and play with assets however you or they need them. This saves time, money, editing, and frustration. SVGs are fully compatible with responsive websites and built with forward-thinking changes to technology in mind that should serve your site for years to come. The internet is always changing, so whenever you can get ahead of the evolutionary curve, it’s good to do so. Save yourself a total overhaul later by integrating SVGs into your creative work now and letting us help. ENABLE YOUR TEAM TO BE CREATORS USING SVGs: SVG files save you time (and money) in other business areas as well. If you have a small or expanding team, you can use SVG files to train up-and-coming designers (tweaking and editing on SVGs is much easier than you think), or let your more creatively minded marketers try their hand at novice graphics design. Not everyone is cut out to be a world class designer, but if you invest in a few foundational graphics from an expert designer (not mentioning any names, but our team at BIGEYE is pretty awesome), almost anyone can update, use, and repurpose those SVG files. SVGs can be used to make patterns, backgrounds, and print materials in addition to images and icons. Investing in SVG files lets everyone on your team support the creative process, so your most talented and creative members can focus on generating breakthrough ideas that will break through the clutter. We aren’t saying you’ll never use Photoshop again, but we do think SVGs can unlock your team’s potential and make life a whole lot easier. Let us help you out.
Voice search is important, even if your customers don’t know it
Let’s start by putting a few things in perspective. Although less than 20% of all searches are conducted using voice search, we’ve seen a 3400% increase in voice search since 2008. The dramatic increase in voice search over the last few years can be attributed to the growing capabilities and accuracy of this technology. Most voice search users, especially those searching with a digital assistant such as Siri, indicate they have only started using voice search in the last six months. Okay, so if the only people using voice search are early adopters and super-nerds, why should your business care? The reason is: voice search is about to hit the mainstream and it is going to change everything you thought you knew about search engine marketing. We can help. Natural language searches provide engagement cues Unlike typical search strategy that focuses on groups of keywords (i.e., “dog stain remover carpet”), voice search hinges entirely on natural language search (i.e.,” what’s the best product to remove dog stains from my antique carpet?”). This growing shift will have SEM impacts that your business can’t afford to ignore. Primarily, it will change keyword rankings. Because voice is still new, we don’t know exactly how search engines will begin crawling for natural language searches or segmenting voice traffic from browser traffic … but it’s safe to assume it will happen. Because natural language searches often provide more specific insight into what customers are looking for, we predict rich content will play a large role in search ranking. Natural language searches also reveal customers’ intent and their level of engagement. Continuing with the pet stain example: a voice search for, “What’s the best product to remove dog stains?” reveals a much different intent than either, “Siri, add the best carpet pet stain remover to my shopping list” or “How can I make the best DIY pet stain remover at home?” Having additional context about why a consumer is searching for something or what they are searching for increases the likelihood that when potential customers click your link, they will actually purchase – because you are exactly what the are looking for. Local businesses benefit most from voice search Knowing exactly what prospects are looking for is especially beneficial to local businesses. Voice search combines intent with urgency and serves up solutions that are nearby. Whether you have a brick and mortar store or local e-commerce site, voice search could be serving you up first if your local base is in proximity to relevant search queries. That is why making sure your geo-targeting is on, local business information is up to date, and storefront is searchable is mission critical. Local businesses also benefit from voice search because one of the most common use cases for voice search occurs while people are driving or actively in the shopping process. Voice search allows you to meet your prospective customers’ needs when they need you most by serving local content and map results first. As the age of the digital personal assistants arrives (hello Siri, Cortana, Alexa, and more), geography and content will become two of the increasingly important drivers that enable them to do their job … which is enabling your customers to find you. Voice search may be a new technology, but once it is perfected, it will make multi-channel distribution and product discovery much more easy and impactful. Prepping your content and creative assets to support this advent is a lot easier than you think and can build from work you’ve already done. Click here to learn more about the types of multi- channel campaigns and content strategies we’ve employed for businesses like you or contact us today to prepare for one of 2017’s biggest trends.
Why online video advertising is mission critical to your business
There’s a big reason close to 80% of advertising leaders said they plan to invest more in online video advertising this year than they did last year according to Reuters Institute’s annual digital survey. Actually, there are three big reasons if you ask anyone on our team. 1. DIGITAL ADS ARE OUT, VIDEO ADS ARE IN: Okay, digital advertising – like banner ads and pay per click campaigns – isn’t “out,” but it is on the decline. Ad blocking technology is becoming more prevalent and more precise, which means the savviest (and possibly most desirable) customers are opting out of ads. Don’t fear ad blocking: it’s the future. The good news is that over 60% of consumers in a recent Millward Brown study said they would be open to receiving ads if they could control the content or if they were receiving relevant, personal information. That’s why online video advertising is so important. Video advertising helps convey an emotional narrative that appeals to the consumer and – when done well – can feel very personal. And thanks to a wide variety of distribution channels and deep targeting capabilities, video can also be highly relevant. 2. VIDEO GIVES YOU LEVERAGE TO CREATE MEANINGFUL BUSINESS PARTNERSHIPS: Growing brands can often benefit from the “halo effect” of aligning with more established organizations. Local companies can dramatically increase their reach by sharing contacts and social clout with other local companies. Video is a gateway to establish these types of partnerships. Online video advertising is easy to create, impactful, and primed for partner collaboration. Unlike static ads or print campaigns, video– rather than tells – shows how partnerships work or where two lifestyle brands meet. And, when trying to establish partnerships, collaborating on high-impact creative assets is always better with two budgets, two teams, and two sets of resources. Our team can work with you to identify strong partner opportunities and generate engaging narratives these partners will want to take part in. If NBC Universal can create videos with Vox and BuzzFeed, you can get in on the action too. 3. MULTI-PLATFORM DISTRIBUTION IS THE WAY OF THE FUTURE: Targeted, multi-platform distribution is powerful. We mean really powerful. For example, a television ad that has a complementary YouTube clip drives viewers across platforms and closer to your point of sale. Shareable video content increases your social reach and unlocks new audience potential. ThinkWithGoogle estimates the material impact is a 56% increase in reach just between television and online video advertising. When you add on supporting social media campaigns, email, and event marketing that opportunity goes up exponentially. Our team specializes in prioritizing cross-platform initiatives to ensure your spend is allocated to create the most impact. Online video advertising allows you to be at the right places at the right times to support your customer journey. They are more engaging than traditional digital ads so they help you reach more people, and build smarter business connections. Most importantly, videos aren’t going anywhere. All you have to do is look at the growing popularity of Facebook’s live stream feature to realize video is all the rage. As technology development continues to shift to a mobile-first mindset, videos will only increase in importance thanks to their ability to quickly and easily convey critical information and establish real emotions between viewers and your brand. Let’s create some videos together.
Why you’re missing out by not investing in vector graphics
If your business isn’t investing in vector graphics, it should be. And we’re going to tell you why. Some advertising agencies don’t want to share why vector images are so powerful because they are concerned of having less work for their creative team if businesses learn to self-serve. We know the value of any agency partnership should extend far beyond campaign churning and burning so we’re not worried about giving this information out. We’re here to talk about vector graphics. WHAT ARE VECTOR GRAPHICS: Vector graphics are perfectly scalable, mathematically-based images and designs that create pictures and logos based on layered shapes, gradients, and patterns. Designers (or business owners), can make images that can be shrunk or enlarged for any print or digital work imaginable. The file sizes tend to be smaller and cleaner than enhanced images making sharing, editing, and updating a breeze. AS OPPOSED TO WHAT: You’ve probably seen vector graphics hundreds of times but didn’t realize it; They look as good as any picture or Photoshop project you can imagine. In fact, many designers work exclusively in vectors since they are much easier to edit than photographic images. This is especially true for logo and icon work. Vectors are created using tools such as Adobe Illustrator (or the free-based Vector software). Unlike photography, vector graphics allow you to create pictures that can be duplicated, recolored, and manipulated with no limitations. Check out some ways we’ve helped local businesses do just that. WHO CARES: This is important for several reasons. First, it creates seamless brand consistency. Need to change your logo to appear on a dark background versus a light background ? It covers that. Need to adjust the size of your logo to fit on a business card? No problem. Need a web icon that will appear across the site? It’s got you covered. Typical image edits a business needs to make on a day-to-day basis are easy to implement using vector graphics. What might take an hour or two on Photoshop usually only takes a few minutes using vectors. Because vectors are easy to edit and scale, you don’t need to worry about accidentally going off brand or radically skewing your image. Every aspect of the image can be easily duplicated or edited down to the very layer. Vectors are also easy to create. You don’t need to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars for a high-end photoshoot when you can create beautiful images from the comfort of your laptop. It also means you can rely less on generic stock images and more on the creative vision you have for your team. Once you invest in a few great vector graphics, you can repurpose them and edit them for a wide variety of needs giving you the best bang for your buck. Vector images can be customized to your exact liking so you never have to worry about seeing your images on a competitive website or campaign unlike stock photography. And unlike customized photoshoots or artwork, you can cut cost without cutting quality. And we can help. WHEN TO CALL THE PROS: Once you have a foundation of vector images to use, edits are easy. We’re confident any business owner or designer can extend the life and relevancy of your vector graphics across channels and creative needs. But, it’s best to leave that foundation to the pros. If you’re unsure what types of vectors would be most useful, give us a call. We’ll help you determine how you plan to use your vectors, what types of edits might be most common to your business, and what your key assets should be. We can build the start of our creative foundation together to use for your brand guidelines, campaign needs, and beyond.
