Category Archives: Spotlight

Why A Newsletter Strategy is Important

From prospecting to purchase, modern technology has provided us so many opportunities to access and connect with our customers throughout the sales funnel process. Marketing, is an essential piece of the process, but often, those endeavors can be costly, with ROI’s that are not always easily measurable.

Newsletters are a simple and cost effective solution to raise interest in your brand and deliver timely marketing messages to your audience. Dollar for dollar, few marketing tactics deliver more value than newsletters. While they shouldn’t be the only piece to the strategy, they are a low hanging fruit of the mix.

So what are the advantages of newsletters beyond being cost effective?

Strengthening the Connection
Your subscribers have already shown interest in your product or service at least once, so staying in touch with them by delivering regular and useful content to their inbox will continually keep you at the top of their minds when the need (or want) arises. 


Providing Value
Most potential customers don’t want a hard sell. Hard sales are focused on the product or service, and not the customer. There will be times when this tactic is appropriate—more on that later, but this approach does not provide the opportunity for a relationship to be built on trust. Providing engaging and valuable content is the best way to connect on what the customer is actually looking. It will also keep the competition at bay, because you understand them on a deeper level. You know what your customer’s preferences and interests are, so you can address these topics without overtly asking for a sale or contribution. Again, building on that trust.

Customer Insights
Many newsletter platforms also provide an eyeful of useful information to any newsletter sender. By regularly monitoring campaign clicks, and conversion, you will gain insight on your customers’ preferences and motivations, and have the information for future marketing and business strategies.


Removing Pain Points
Relate to and take the pain away by speaking to legitimate industry pain points. Come from a place of empathy and understanding, and don’t be afraid to take a stance. Your audience wants to align with your brand because you see the world in a similar way, so talk about issues that they are facing. And to make it come full circle, you should be sure to mention and connect how your product or service’s capabilities help resolve said issues.


Upcoming Events
And lastly, to occasionally tease your customers about an upcoming release or sale will result in an immediate sale if you have done a sufficient job at consistently resonating and connecting with your audience. After all, you are a business and selling matters. But remember if you have promotions and sales regularly, your audience may never purchase at full price, and your brand may never gain long term value.

Now might be a good time to look at your current marketing strategy and determine if a newsletter tactic might be the low hanging fruit you should act on. 

The 4 Pillars of a Successful Website

Regardless of a business’s industry, online presence has a massive impact on its success. At the forefront of that presence should be a website that is memorable, easy to navigate, and a place that can generate leads and revenue. In our present day, the world has become a smaller place. Information is easily available and at our fingertips, and it impacts the way we receive and share information and live a quality life. Still, some businesses still don’t fully understand the importance of having a website that is modern and effective. Afterall, many customers will visit a website, sometimes dozens of times, before making purchases. 

 

When creating a website there are numerous key factors that will contribute to how it is perceived. At each step of the way, an effective website must capture the trust of the potential customer. The website must pass the eyeball test at each level to unlock the desired results that prove its effectiveness.

 

The fact is, effective websites don’t just happen. To attract and retain traffic, a website’s content, design and experience must all consistently, and simultaneously, be on point. 

 

Sadly, we’ve all experienced websites that leave much to be desired. 

 

Websites that don’t communicate a clear purpose, leaving visitors confused.

 

Websites that don’t have a simple, sequential user experience, but lackluster interfaces which lead to more confusion and skyrocketing bounce rates.

 

Or, perhaps the worst of the bunch, outdated websites that feel like they were designed and launched in preparation for Y2K.

 

At a8ency, we believe effective websites share 4 critical criteria: 

 

  1. Is it Clean? Is your website’s design aesthetically pleasing and inviting, or is lack of organization on parade? If you aren’t using contemporary designs and layouts, people may think you’re behind the times—and not worth their time or money. If it doesn’t look the part, it simply won’t perform the part.
  2. Is it Simple? Aim for less fluff and more simplicity. Whether we realize it or not, as humans we all crave a simple experience. It’s not just about the words you use. It’s not just the images. It’s how they are presented, and often how easy it is for people to find them. If your website experience wouldn’t be described as simple, it’s time to revisit the experience. 
  3. Is it Educational? Does your website communicate who you are, what you do, and what the next logical step is? Everything published should be keyword rich, while being timely, accurate, and ordered in ways that align with customer needs. Does it also inform visitors of your products or services with elevator pitch brevity?
  4. Is it Compelling? Does the site invite engagement and conversions for the business? Does it generate leads for the business? If your business needs sales to thrive as most do, your website must be compelling and be ready to capture transactions.

Branding Marketing

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We define branding as a strategic and emotional foundation that builds customer loyalty over time.

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Marketing is typically defined as the action of promoting and selling goods and services.

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We’ve often been asked if we also offer marketing, and, up until now, we’ve politely declined by stating that we are primarily specialized in brand design, then referring our clients to a marketing agency.

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However, we’ve noticed a gap between marketing and branding—they don’t always work synergistically together, and our clients are missing the opportunity to build brand customer loyalty in the short term and over time.

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So what did we do? We launched a brand-based, full-service marketing, sister organization to modern8—a8ency.

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a8ency is about creating compelling and innovative campaigns that bridge the gap between marketing and design, in order to reach your target audience.

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We are also excited to introduce our modern8 audience to a8ency’s Managing Director, Eric Dahl, who comes with years of marketing experience and will be leading the a8 charge. Eric will share his brand marketing perspectives and experiences, which will provide you with insights on bolstering the value of your brand.

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Your Brand Om

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As consumers, we’re pretty familiar with taglines and the general purpose that they serve.

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Some brand taglines have become so successful that they are well-integrated into our language and pop culture as normal euphemisms, such as “maybe it’s Maybelline or maybe it’s…”.

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But what goes into this deceptively simple element of your brand?

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Taglines are the memorable, compelling, and concise way to tell what your brand stands for and promises.

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They can adapt and transcend as time moves on, while carrying your brand’s essence, personality, and more.

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Taglines are built from a thorough understanding of your brand, and, once you develop a tagline, they should be used frequently and consistently to build cachet.

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“Brand mantras are poetry. And they are powerful tools, not just for building brands, but for building organizations.” – Chris Grams

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(The remedy for your dynamite brand)

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Short and Sweet

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Headlines are a succinct way of creating brand-based communications that are insightful to your brand’s priorities, personality, values, and more.

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As a strategy-first agency, we believe in referencing the strategic columns of your brand in order to build any form of messaging.

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Because headlines are meant to be efficient and effective forms of communication, it’s better to build them strategically and relevantly for wherever and whomever they are placed.

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As prominent copywriter Eugene Schwartz put it, “There is your audience. There is the language. There are the words that they use.”

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Writing intentional headlines with focus also prevents them from feeling generic or, on the opposite side, from being so encumbered that you lose all understanding and meaning.

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A well thought out headline builds additional layers of visible character for your brand. Therefore, develop headlines that deepen your brand perception over ones that only exist to acknowledge and compete with the competition.

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“Good advertising is written from one person to another. When it is aimed at millions it rarely moves anyone.” – Fairfax M. Cone

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(You’re only as solid as what you build on.)

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Brand Persuasion

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Your potential customers need to know why they should buy from you and your brand.

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You’ve done the research and spoken with your brand’s potential clients, and you’ve also spent time defining and understanding your brand and who you are.

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Now the task is to figure out how do you signal your future buyers and bring them into the fold?

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You need to speak to your audience using the right platforms (i.e., social media platforms, events, podcasts) where they exist, and utilize the right voice, tone, and correct message.

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Formulating the visuals and messaging takes creativity. Getting seen in the right place and gauging if it works is a science.

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“Don’t think that those millions will read your ads to find out if your product interests. They will decide at a glance — by your headline or your pictures. Address the people you seek, and them only.” – Claude Hopkins

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Assignment: Write about the last 5 headlines/ads that were served to you, and what you remember about where they were and what they said. What worked to capture your attention? Was it the words? the design? the placement?

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(Make sure they’re the right buyer…)

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Know More, Know Better

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In today’s modern world, brands must be aware.

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It’s crucial to know and understand how other brands, including yours, are currently functioning and living within the real world.

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With how quickly the climate and trends can shift, you should initiate a competitive review process sooner than later, but where do you begin?

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Start simply by examining the visual look and feel of your brand, followed by your key positioning points, mission, values, messaging, and the like.

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These initial metrics are a great starting point for examining your brand’s uniqueness (or lack thereof) amongst other brands within your industry, as most of this information is likely readily available and provided by your competitors.

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As soon as you begin competitive auditing, it will be evident where your brand is strong/weak, outdated/innovative, distinctive/common, etc.

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A competitive audit is usually the push that brings about a rebrand and/or strategic redevelopment that better aligns with where your brand is today rather than where it began. After all, like people, brands do grow.

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(Somebody’s always watching. 👀)

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Get the Picture

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So have you ever taken a hard look at your competitors?

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And do you know who your real competitors are?

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Completing a competitive audit will show you where and how you are positioned amongst your competitors.

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An audit will also help you discover where you must pivot your brand in order to have and maintain the competitive edge.

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A competitive audit can encapsulate a range of data, from understanding the competitor’s usual quantitative measurements to their more qualitative metrics, like world perception, values, brand aesthetic, and more.

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The purpose of a competitive review has a large function for your brand. You and your marketing should look, feel, and sound different (and better) than the competition.

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“An audit is an opportunity to build a complete understanding of the business and establish context for the branding solution.” 
– David Kendall

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(If you’ve got it, flaunt it.)

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Be the Only One

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When you find the thing that only you can provide, it’s time to make that piece very important to your desired buyers.

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Locally owned Nielsen’s Frozen Custard went so far as to put their Onl Only on a sign — “Only Nielsens uses the custard freezing machine patented by Steve.”

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I’ve never thought about the freezing method for custard, but now I personally can’t help but think that Nielsen’s custard must somehow be better because of Steve’s invention!

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Remember you should let the Only Only be known by your buyers, especially if you are the only one who can get a job done.

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And the only people who are turned off by the message in your Only Only are non-buyers. Stick with the group who cares and identifies with your Only-ness.

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If your product or service is identical to other offerings out there, then you need to find something ownable that makes you stand apart, like Nielsen’s—clarify what only you can provide.

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Question: What Only Only, over the next 12 months, would drive an increase of value for your brand? It could be an increase through sales, desire, hiring, or whatever else. What Only Only can you provide and how can you message this to potential buyers?

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(It’s really that simple.)

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Make It Only You

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We believe that all brands have that one unique thing.

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Understanding the unique aspect of your brand, product, service, etc., allows you to play up your distinguishing characteristic, and it is the why that tells someone only you and you alone can accomplish their needs.

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We label this the Only Only. The only thing that you can provide—no one else.

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The Only Only can feel super niche, like it fits in a small pool, or it can be Blue Ocean Strategy large.

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You should only develop the Only Onlys, from the many potential available, that are truly meaningful, distinguishing, and interesting to potential or current customers/clients.

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Only Onlys stem from a variety of things, such as cost, benefits, care, people, availability, specific knowledge, and more.

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Action: Start to list your Only Onlys that easily come to mind. Maybe different products and services have their own unique propositions. For as many different products, services, and/or brands that you manage, work on listing and sorting your Only Onlys accordingly.

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(A shining example of a super niche Only Only ✨)

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