Tag Archive for: Woodall Creative Group

Why Your Social Media Presence Should Never Take a Vacation

The key to success in social media marketing is CONSISTENCY – particularly for any company that puts a lot of stock in its social media presence!  Strive for consistency in your company’s brand image, consistency in your messaging (which should always sound as though it is coming from the same centralized figure/being/collective group), consistency of response times and – most importantly – consistency in the number of posts you share with your audience each week. While the statistics may vary with regard to timing and frequency, once your company has found its sweet spot (which often varies by industry and region) – STICK TO IT! In other words, YOU may take a vacation, but your social media presence should NOT. You’ve fought long and hard to build up a following on social media, it would be a shame to lose touch with your core audience – even for a week – only to potentially face weeks of fighting to get in front of them again. That valuable time lost when your competition might have gotten the upper hand! Fortunately for all of us who yearn to put our toes in the sand or ski the slopes from time to time, there are some really great options that mean your social media presence will never have to skip a beat. To save you some time and research, Woodall Creative Group has compiled a number of those options for you here:

  1. Look to Your Creative Partner:  If you already collaborate with an agency on the design of your social media graphics and/or messaging, you may want to look to them to “housesit” your social media accounts while you’re away. You might be pleasantly surprised by the results and may even want to consider making that a permanent gig for them – allowing you the freedom to focus on other more pressing aspects of your job. If they’re really good at what they do (like the award-winning creative team at Woodall Creative Group), they’ll be able to study your posts from the past, discover what resonates most with your core audience, channel the brand image you’ve worked so hard to build and maybe even try a few new tricks to grow and engage your audience. Having a strong social media partner that can get results is worth its weight in gold.
  2. Tap a Social Media Savvy Member of Your Team:  Not that we’re ever ones to stereotype, but millennials are typically social media savvy and may prove a great resource for when you’re going to be out of the office on vacation. However, you don’t want to run the risk of a potential “house party” while you’re away – possibly alienating your core audience with some inconsistent messaging and/or graphics that doesn’t quite jive your brand image. Assign your most reliable team member who ALSO knows their way around your social media channels to pull together 5 to 7 days of messaging and accompanying images PRIOR to your departure for your approval. Once approved, they can stick to the agreed upon plan and post every day that you’re away, giving you the peace of mind you deserve to enjoy your vacation. If they do a good job, you know you can rely on them again during your NEXT vacation.
  3. Build a Social Media Calendar and Automate:  In the event that you manage more than one social media channel and you have yet to discover the joys of automation, be prepared to have your mind blown! In #2 of this list, we suggested you have your social media savvy team member pull together 5 to 7 days of messaging. In the event that you DON’T have a social media savvy and reliable team member to whom you can turn (or you just prefer to do things yourself), YOU can be the one to plan ahead, pull together a social media calendar of 5 to 7 days of messaging (or however long you plan to be gone) and upload/schedule those messages through an automation tool such as HootSuite, Sprout Social or Loomly. Not only will they allow you the freedom to pre-schedule your posts, but they will also allow you to post content to multiple social media platforms. While this may mean more work for you in the days leading up to your vacation, at least it assures you a stress-free, well-deserved break from the office once that glorious time arrives. Best of all, many of these automation tools offer free trial periods. You can try several to see which proves the best fit for you and your needs. You may find one that you love SO MUCH that you continue to use it after your vacation – cutting your posting time dramatically and providing you with valuable insights.

Now that you know the reasons WHY you can’t let your social media presence lapse – even for a week – AND three potential ways to cover your social media responsibilities while you’re away, Woodall Creative Group wishes you a peaceful and relaxing vacation! Bon Voyage!!!

Test

To learn more about Woodall Creative Group and the many ways we can help your company promote its unique brand – both in print and in the digital space – we invite you to visit us online at www.woodallc.wpengine.com.

Woodall Creative Group Honored with Trio of Trophies from AIVA

Atlanta Marketing Agency Recognized with One Gold and Two Silver Communicator Awards.

The Winners of the 24th Annual Communicator Awards have been announced by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts (AIVA) and Atlanta-based marketing agency, Woodall Creative Group, is honored to be among them. With entries received from across the US and around the world, the Communicator Awards is the largest and most competitive awards program honoring creative excellence for communications professionals.

“We are extremely proud to recognize the work received for the 24th Annual Communicator Awards,” stated Derek Howard, director of the AIVA in a recent Communicator Award press release. “This year’s class of entries embodies the ever-evolving marketing and communications industry. On behalf the Academy members, I’d like to applaud the entrants this season for their dedication to producing outstanding content as they continue to push the envelope of creativity.”

The Communicator Awards are judged and overseen by AIVA, a 600+ member organization of leading professionals from various disciplines of the visual arts dedicated to embracing progress and the evolving nature of traditional and interactive media. Current AIVA membership represents a “Who’s Who” of acclaimed media, advertising, and marketing firms including: PureMatter, Condè Nast, Disney, Republica, Sesame Workshop, MTV, Starbucks, Time Inc., Tribal DDB, Yahoo!, and many others.

All told, Woodall Creative Group received three Communicator Awards this year:

  • 2018 Communicator Excellence Award (GOLD): Summer Camp Campaign for Kids ’R’ Kids Learning Academies; Category – Business to Consumer for Integrated Campaign. VIEW AWARD-WINNING VIDEO AND CAMPAIGN MATERIALS!
  • 2018 Communicator Distinction Award (SILVER): Internal Teacher Training Video for Kids ‘R’ Kids Learning Academies; Category – Education for Online Video.
  • 2018 Communicator Distinction Award (SILVER): AMA Marketing Brochure; Category – General Business to Business for Brochure.  VIEW

“The entire team is thrilled to have been recognized once again by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts for our work,” said Tracy Woodall, Founder and President of Woodall Creative Group. “I’m particularly proud of the fact that one of the campaigns honored was for a new client – AMA Consultants, and the other two were for our client of nearly 25 years – Kids ‘R’ Kids Learning Academies. We strive to bring the same levels of talent, professionalism and marketing expertise to every client with which we partner. These awards serve as proof that we’re accomplishing what we set out to do.”

Woodall Creative Group serves a wide variety of clients from a broad array of industries. Organizations and companies seeking a creative partner to aid them with brand development, strategic design and digital innovation are encouraged to contact Woodall Creative Group by calling 706.658.0244 or e-mailing support@woodallcreative.com.  To learn more about Woodall Creative Group, interested parties are invited to visit www.woodallc.wpengine.com.

About Woodall Creative Group: With twenty-seven years and several International Davey Awards to its credit, Woodall Creative Group excels at combining artistry with strategy, regularly implementing imaginative corporate branding campaigns and designing top-quality collateral materials such logos, brochures, marketing materials, social media branding, and packaging – among others. The Atlanta-based agency has served a wide variety of clients from a broad array of industries. Included among them are Kids ‘R’ Kids Learning Academies, Naturally Fresh, My Friend’s Place and Carino’s Italian Grill, just to name a few. Additional services available at Woodall Creative Group include website development and design, advertising, marketing, social media management, public relations, promotional products and more. To learn more, please visit www.woodallc.wpengine.com.

About The Communicator Awards: The Communicator Awards is the leading international awards program honoring creative excellence for marketing and communications professionals. Founded by passionate communications professionals over two decades ago, The Communicator Awards is an annual competition honoring the best digital, mobile, audio, video, and social content the industry has to offer. The Communicator Awards is widely recognized as one of the largest awards of its kind in the world. Please visit www.communicatorawards.com for more information.

,

Plant Marketing Seeds Now – Harvest Customers Later

The Importance of Consistency and Multiple Touchpoints in Marketing

Rolling out an effective marketing plan is not unlike planting season on a farm. If executed properly, you’ll get to reap the rewards later for all of the preparation and promoting you do today. Just like at a farm, you till the soil, sow your seeds, keep watch to ensure growth and prepare for the harvest.

Dr. Jeffrey Lant – professor, author of more than 60 books and internationally renowned expert on the subjects of marketing, business development, copywriting and more – put forth the “Rule of Seven” marketing principle decades ago. The principle dictates that it takes an average of seven touchpoints before a customer remembers your brand message and feels compelled to act.  That’s a lot of marketing seeds to plant. While the advent of the internet and social media has served to speed up the process considerably from the original 18-month period for the Rule of Seven to take root, there are a number of things to take into consideration when planting those seeds…

Tilling the Soil: When planning your marketing campaign, make an effort to really stir things up. Do your research to see if there’s an audience segment you may have missed with prior campaigns who might be the next great thing for your brand. Also, dig DEEP to come up with a marketing campaign that will really grab your intended audience’s attention. Phone it in, and that will not only come through in your less-than-stellar messaging – but also in customer’s response.

“In a crowded marketplace, you want your message to stand out,” said Tracy Woodall, founder of Metro Atlanta-based Woodall Creative Group. “Be sure to outline all of the differentiators that set your company apart from the competition – everything that makes you ‘special.’ Stay true to the look and feel of previous campaigns for brand consistency, unless it’s time for a complete company rebrand – which is an excellent way to really shake things up and attract members from a new, previously underserved market.

Sowing the Seeds: Once you have a fairly clear plan in place, it’s time to start sowing the seeds through the design of your campaign and identification of the various modes of delivery you will use to reach your audience. Rather than planting just ONE kind of seed, use a variety of means to get your message out there. Think of the rows in your garden as streams of communication: website, digital marketing, e-mail marketing, social media, direct mail, print ads, TV commercials, radio ads, billboards, promotional items, experiential marketing and MORE. Because today’s marketplace is so crowded and noisy, multiple touchpoints are the key to success. Don’t merely select one avenue at one time – it will be the marketing equivalent of shouting into the wind. After you’ve identified the best modes of delivery, start creating designs to fit.

“If design is not your strength, consider outsourcing to an agency,” shared Woodall. “You may be highly skilled at identifying your audience, brainstorming ideas and media buying, but if you’re lacking in the design department – your entire campaign will suffer. To compound matters, you may even be compromising your company’s brand image. Professionally designed digital and print pieces can have a completely opposite effect, propelling your brand in a positive direction in the eyes of your audience.”

Keep Watch to Ensure Growth: Once you launch your campaign, don’t take your eye off the ball. Track results and make adjustments when necessary. If you notice that your digital efforts are really taking off, whereas your print campaign might be falling short – you may want to reallocate any remaining budget to the digital side for continued traction.

“Many companies miss this step,” said Woodall. “They send their campaign out into the world, then watch their sales results to measure its success. There are a variety of ways to track results and measure success – not merely by watching one’s bottom line. “

Prepare for the Harvest: Another often overlooked step many companies miss is to communicate the upcoming campaign to its employees. It’s SO IMPORTANT to share your marketing direction with the folks in the trenches.

“An internal campaign rollout is a great way to get team members excited and to encourage them to reinforce that same messaging to customers,” suggests Woodall. “Try to practice patience. The results won’t always be immediate. However, if your marketing campaign is truly successful, your employees will be better prepared for a bountiful harvest of happy customers. Not to mention the fact that your product or service had better live up to the hype, or that new customer you just worked so hard to earn might not return in the future.”

Begin Planning for Next Year’s Planting Season:  Once your campaign has hit the market and you’ve begun to reap the rewards of your hard work, it’s not time to rest on your laurels. It’s time to start projecting and laying the groundwork for NEXT YEAR’S marketing campaign.

“Take a look at your tracking to assess what worked and what didn’t,” said Woodall. “If everything worked, pat yourself on the back and determine what had the strongest impact on your campaign’s success: mode of delivery, audience identification, the message itself or a combination of all of the above. If some elements were stronger than others, start considering ways to make the weaker elements stronger the next go-around for even BETTER results next year.”

Woodall Creative Group is a trusted resource for marketing managers and company leaders throughout the Southeast seeking a creative partner to share their company’s unique brand story with the world. If you need help planning for a harvest of your own, contact the team at Woodall Creative Group at 706-658-0244, info@woodallcreative.com or via our convenient online contact form. To learn more about what we do and sneak a peek inside our extensive portfolio, visit www.woodallc.wpengine.com.

,

Find Your Niche and Rebrand to Fit

Is it better to be a small fish in a big pond (where you risk getting gobbled up by bigger fishes) OR to be a big fish in a small pond? It’s a question more and more brands are asking themselves these days. Continuous evolution is the key to survival. Take for instance the recent, tragic case of Toys “R” Us, Inc. One might believe that they had found their niche as THE biggest toy store chain in the world. Unfortunately, its inability to evolve due to mismanaged debt and growing competition from retailers like Walmart have apparently led to its untimely demise – at least here in the U.S. When you read the lamenting tales of bloggers and journalists who grew up as “Toys “R” Us Kids,” it’s clear that the final blow to Toys “R” Us’ success was something deeper… they lost that personal touch – that ability to connect with its audience and make them believe that they, too, should be a “Toys “R” Us Kid.”

The American Marketing Association (AMA) suggests that “as personalization increases, brands will find growth opportunities in niches rather than mass markets.” Trying to be everything to everyone is seemingly only working for Amazon these days. Personalized marketing involves a combination of data analysis and digital technology to deliver personal, targeted messaging to current and prospective customers. In doing so in an effective way, sometimes your niche finds YOU. Through tracking, it should become clear who is responding and to what they are responding. One way to go about it might be to use that knowledge to help find your niche, and then consider a rebrand to fit.

From logo and website to an across the board digital marketing plan, a strategic marketing partner like Woodall Creative Group can not only help you determine that core audience and the messaging they want to hear but can also design a rebrand to which your niche will respond.  Our team was called upon by longtime client, Kids ‘R’ Kids Learning Academies, in 2010 to help them change the way they were perceived in the market. Virtually since the company’s launch, Kids ‘R’ Kids had used a logo at their schools all across the nation that reflected a more playful vibe. Due to the evolution of their business and the changing perception of early education in the marketplace, Woodall Creative Group revamped their brand from an image related mainly to childcare to that of an elite learning academy – which their new logo reflected. This, in turn, impacted all of their collateral material, signage, messaging, website and more, and eight later, Kids ‘R’ Kids continues to reap the rewards of this gutsy move.

Entrepreneur Magazine has outlined the following five qualities for any good niche:

  1. It takes you where you want to go—in other words, it conforms to your long-term vision.
  2. Somebody else wants it—namely, customers.
  3. It’s carefully planned.
  4. It’s one-of-a-kind, the “only game in town.” – NOTE: While WCG agrees that this an ideal, it’s often a tall order for most brands, particularly in larger cities. However, we firmly believe that just about any company can find something unique that they have to offer their target audience… something that strongly distinguishes them from their competition.
  5. It evolves, allowing you to develop different profit centers and still retain the core business, thus ensuring long-term success.

In today’s world, companies need to resist the age-old practice of casting a broad net and employing shotgun marketing tactics. Instead, consider using these tools to determine your niche:

  • Begin with what YOU want. Define who your ideal customer might be.
  • Next, determine whether or not your product AND your brand image is a good fit for your ideal customer. You may own a cookware retail shop, but your NICHE could be “affluent aspiring chefs”. Your product line should reflect that, as should your messaging and brand image. To enhance your standing among that core group (and increase the level of personalization), you could begin marketing cooking workshops on social media.
  • Now it’s time to start a dialogue. You may conduct a focus group or actually TALK to people who fit your idea of the ideal customer. Find out what they want and how you can improve. This step may involve several layers to determine if you’re ready to pull the trigger or head back to the drawing board.
  • Now that you’ve done your homework, it’s time to take your plan to the implementation stage. This is where your creative partner will prove most helpful as they design a rebrand to fit your niche.

Need help determining your niche and designing a rebrand to fit?  Woodall Creative Group and our talented team of designers, content specialists and account managers welcome the chance to help you! Contact us TODAY to schedule an evaluation of your current brand image and target audience! We can be reached at 706-658-0244, info@woodallcreative.com or via our convenient online contact form.

Engage is All the Rage: Navigating Facebook’s Future News Feed Changes

On January 11, 2018, Facebook founder – Mark Zuckerberg – announced a “major change” on his social media site. He conveyed that this change is intended to ensure that time spent on Facebook is time well-spent. To that end, the Facebook Newsfeed – a go-to resource for more than 2 billion monthly active users for the latest news, gossip, pick-me-up memes, hilarious videos and pictures of what your best friend had for dinner – will soon feature LESS content from businesses and news sources and MORE updates from friends, family members and groups. But worry not, business owners, CEOs and marketing managers – this is certainly not Facebook’s first algorithm change, nor will it be their last. Still, you may be wondering… what do these changes mean for your company?

Simply put… it’s means we’re all going to have to be MORE CREATIVE
(something we LOVE to do)!

That’s why it’s more important now than ever before to align yourself with a creative partner that can not only help you navigate the uncertain waters of Facebook’s latest evolution, but also to conceptualize and design content that’s intended to engage a more elusive audience. Social media marketing should always be intentional and strategic, rather than a fly by the seat of your pants approach – as one might employ in their own personal daily life. At Woodall Creative Group, we believe the key to continued social media success on Facebook will lie in the following:

  • The development of a more premeditated social media marketing strategy that involves engaging and interactive content. Facebook suggests that content that sparks conversations and meaningful interactions – such as live videos and events – will receive priority in the News Feed.
  • The adoption of the 80/20 rule to make your company a valued member of the Facebook community. 80% of your posts should reflect shareable content, uplifting posts, interesting facts and positive news, while only 20% of your posts will be dedicated to truly marketing your company or its products.
  • Convince people to “love” your company. They already “like” you – there’s no harm in asking them to opt to add your page to the “See First in the News Feed” in their setting preferences. This will help ensure that you don’t see a drop off in impressions.
  • Strike a more inviting tone and adopt a “soft sell” to a “hard sell” approach overall. Stop selling products and start marketing a lifestyle. Instead of wowing them with facts, give them a user-friendly experience they’ll remember – and hopefully even share with others.
  • Set aside a portion of your marketing budget to Facebook ads to gain a larger share of the audience for important marketing moments such as a product roll-out, limited time offer, special discounts and more.

Woodall Creative Group is keeping a proverbial finger on the pulse of these latest changes to the social media landscape. Through it all, we continue to be an excellent resource for businesses seeking to maneuver these changes and successfully reach their target. One thing is for certain, social media will continue to evolve in the coming months and years, but we have complete faith that online marketing will remain a strategic and cost-effective method for growing your brand’s recognition and reach. To learn more about Woodall Creative Group and the many ways we can help your company promote its unique brand – both in print and in the digital space – we invite you to visit us online at www.woodallc.wpengine.com

 

Woodall Creative Group Recognized with Prestigious W3 Award

Atlanta Agency Honored for Kids ‘R’ Kids Learning Academies® Marketing Campaign.

The Winners of the 12th Annual W3 Awards have been announced by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts and Atlanta-based marketing agency, Woodall Creative Group, is honored to be among them. Receiving over 5,000 entries, the W3 Awards honors outstanding Websites, Web Marketing, Web Video, Mobile Sites/Apps & Social content created by some of the best interactive agencies, designers, and creators worldwide.

“The creativity and quality of this season’s entries raised the bar once again. As our connected world continues to expand in new and exciting ways, our winners are a true testament to the power of Web creativity across the world.” said Derek Howard, the director of the AIVA. “On behalf of the over 750 members of The Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts, we applaud the talents and dedication our winners showcased and commend all of this year’s entrants for their commitment to furthering the quality of the content we view online.”

Woodall Creative Group’s award-winning entry – which was recognized with a Silver W3 Award – was a comprehensive marketing campaign created on behalf of Kids ‘R’ Kids Learning Academies® to promote school enrollment. Established in 1985 and headquartered in Duluth, Kids ‘R’ Kids Learning Academies is a national early education and childcare franchise that boasts over 160 locations all across the United States. Each academy provides a secure, nurturing, and educational environment for children between the ages of 6 weeks and 12 years.

“Collaborating with the corporate team at Kids ‘R’ Kids is always a joy,” explained Tracy Woodall, President of Woodall Creative Group. “They understand the early education industry like no other and are passionate about what they do. Their marketing department places an emphasis on not only growing the brand nationwide, but also ensuring that enrollment remains high at the local level. Having worked with them for nearly 25 years, our agency has a deep understanding of not only their core strengths and differentiators, but also of their target audience. The award-winning campaign was titled “We ‘R’ Ready” and included a video, social media graphics, banner ads, postcards, flyers, print ads, incentive coupons and more – all of which could be customized for each school. The messaging on a whole spoke directly to the parent – communicating the fact that they might not always be ready to see their kids grow up and head off to school, but their children and the staff at Kids ‘R’ Kids Learning Academies are always ready for a fun, highly educational experience.”

Click here to view Campaign

Woodall Creative Group serves a wide variety of clients from a broad array of industries. Organizations and companies seeking a creative partner to aid them with brand development, strategic design and digital innovation are encouraged to contact Woodall Creative Group by calling 706.658.0244 or e-mailing support@woodallcreative.com.  To learn more about Woodall Creative Group, interested parties are invited to visit www.woodallc.wpengine.com.

View Video below:

Jeffrey Love (Creative Director) and Tracy Woodall (President)

About Woodall Creative Group: With twenty-seven years and several International Davey Awards to its credit, Woodall Creative Group excels at combining artistry with strategy, regularly implementing imaginative corporate branding campaigns and designing top-quality collateral materials such logos, brochures, marketing materials, social media branding, and packaging – among others. The Atlanta-based agency has served a wide variety of clients from a broad array of industries. Included among them are Kids ‘R’ Kids Learning Academies, Naturally Fresh, My Friend’s Place, Tri-State Tire and Carino’s Italian Grill, just to name a few. Additional services available at Woodall Creative Group include website development and design, advertising, marketing, social media management, public relations, promotional products and more. To learn more, please visit www.woodallc.wpengine.com.

About The W3 Awards: The W³ Awards honors creative excellence on the Web, and recognizes the creative and marketing professionals behind award winning Websites, Web Video and Online Marketing programs. Simply put, the W³ is the first major Web competition to be accessible to the biggest agencies, the smallest firms, and everyone in between. Small firms are as likely to win as Fortune 500 companies and international agencies. The W3 Awards is sanctioned and judged by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts, an invitation only body consisting of top-tier professionals from a “Who’s Who” of acclaimed media, advertising, and marketing firms. For more information about the W³ Awards, please visit www.w3award.com.