How do I choose advertising agency?
The most objective criterion for choosing an advertising agency or office is its portfolio. That is the projects already carried out by the company. Successful campaigns and customers” success stories also carry a special weight to the companies credentials. For newly establishes companies that have only limited and insignificant / trivial projects to present, we take seriously under consideration the staff’s experience and personal portfolio.
Another important criterion is the capability the agency has to produce the biggest possible part of the project in-house. That means, not to having to outsource parts of the operations to external associates. The reason to avoid this, is that such practice renders the cooperation more complex and augments the cost.
The cooperation model, the ability for fast delivery and the cost accounting are also factors that need special evaluation. The ability of the company to adapt to real needs and to set a plan of cooperation based on realistic grounds, without promises that cannot be kept or irrational commitments, are all essential factors for a sound and effective cooperation.
How to advertise my product or service?
Everything requires initial planning. When talking about large corporations, there is a business plan that results to marketing plans, according to which the advertising companies are briefed. The latter in turn compile a communication strategic plan based on which the advertisements are being created. When talking about smaller companies, the procedures are simpler. The essence, however, remains the same. The business man keeps in mind a broader plan and sets the yearly targets according to it. Based on these targets, the business man will decide whether there is a need to advertise a product or service. The ulterior targets of a company must not be confused with the communication targets. Whether I want to increase my company’s sales, my profit, or whether I want to maintain my market share or win over the market share possessed by competition, has nothing to do with our target audience. Based on the realistic targets we set for our company, we should adjust our communication plan in such a way that will bring forth a benefit for the consumer.
Therefore, the first step is knowing what we want to convey. The product itself will help us in doing this. All products or services bear a truth and a potential audience. The key is to communicate the product’s or the service’s truth in the best possible way. This is the part where the advertising company comes in handy: to the shaping of the communication strategy from which the campaigns and advertisements will arise. One can say of course that “I just want to make a brochure for my company”. The answer to this is that nothing should be done detached and from a plan and roughly around it. Only then your every communication move will bring return on investment and will add an advantage to the entire communication of the company.
The second step is to know my advertising budget and what I expect to get out of it. The selection of the media is better decided in common with the advertising agency. Usually, when the budget is big, advertising agencies include all advertising means in their suggestions. But when the budget is smaller more thought must be given to selecting advertising medium or media.
The third step is to brief the advertising agency in the best possible manner. The advertising company’s goal is to process this need and suggest communication solutions. After having seen and evaluated them, the final “ok” is given. And this is about how implementing an advertisement begins.