When to advertise - for service based business

Demand for business services can fluctuate dramatically from month to month or between the yearly business seasons. Do you have the capability to advertise niche aspects of your company at different times of the year? It might be one of your most powerful advertising techniques.

Look to services like Google Trends to see the annual cycles for services like yours. Also look at the last few years of your business to see what projects you were doing at peak and off peak demand times. Then plot out the last few years and look for patterns in the type of business sales you were making.

This provides a great insight into what and when you might consider advertising.

Here is an example of an industry such as:

Promoting Video Production Services.

Niche your company at different times of the year.

e.g. When do most companies want or seek to produce corporate videos?
Advertise in print just before that annual cycle.

e.g. When do companies launch new products?
Advertise 3 or 4 months your TV commercial services prior to that date so you get in front of them when they are about to start looking for a production company. etc.

What other specific services do you offer? - Now think about when your customers generally do those things. Then plot a print campaign around them. Look at all of the things you bill for. Each one can potentially be advertised as a niche service offering at a relevant demand cycle.

Be in the magazines the companies you want to work with read. Avoid speculation about what they read. Hunt down the facts.

Send out questions to all your customers asking them what print material they read for business. Is it computer magazines, car magazines, top 500 business magazines? Look for a pattern.

How does your brand resonate with your target audiences? What is your USP? Don't assume people know how you are different to your competitors. Tell them.

Pretty powerful when you begin to think in a more planned way about how your customers think - and more importantly, when they think about what they need you to do. Be where they read and when they think.

When you begin to think about your own goals separately to your target audiences goals, you can start to look for patterns.

For more insights into corporate branding design, marketing and advertising services, contact Girling Design.

Top 10 reasons to use a multi-disciplined graphic designer

Many multi-disciplined graphic designers will have some area of their business where they have great experience. Essentially they are an expert in one area of design, but have an interest/experience in all things design. They see all  materials as tools for their design work and have likely experimented with materials and different media types in their own time. So when it comes time to working on a project, they may very well have experience in; materials, media types and styles of design.

The following are general points about what a typical multi-disciplined designer can achieve for their valued client. Some of these points are not necessarily specific to multi-disciplined graphic designers, however they are common with most.

Generally speaking; A multi-disciplined graphic designer will:

01. point out where there are cost saving opportunities.

02. have knowledge of what marketing techniques have worked on previous projects and why they have worked.

03. have knowledge of printing pitfalls and can warn you of potential rookie mistakes  - which in turn can save money and heart ache.

04. have a rich resource of specialists in a large cross section of creative industries; including trusted; copywriters, photographers, printing companies, fabricators, engineers, trade mark attorneys, finishing companies, seo specialists, digital developers and more.

05. know where their strengths are and will quickly communicate if they can or cannot do what you need done.

06. have a problem solving attitude where others may flounder under pressure.

07. have a great sense of timing for critical deadlines.

08. provide you with a variety of options - all which will work.

09. have a well orchestrated business methodology.

10. be an exceptional communicator having dealt with a vast variety of industries and clients.

And one extra.

11. will be able to make recommendations on situations based on their diverse knowledge.

Suggestion: As a potential client, the next time you approach a multi-disciplined designer - and before providing a brief - ask them how they would approach something like you are attempting to undertake from a business perspective. You will quickly gain a measure of their ability to either provide the status quo or build your business around effective work and thinking. They may even provide you with a better opportunity.

As mentioned, a multi-disciplined graphic designer deals with a great diversity of businesses and their management. They see consistencies and differences in the way businesses operate and what businesses want and need. They are a great asset to all size businesses as their task is usually to simplify and problem solve in areas where they have hands on knowledge.

Looking to work with a trusted multi-disciplined graphic design service in Melbourne Australia? Contact Girling Design.