3 Simple Ways to Hold Your Marketing Team Accountable.

May 15, 2019 | blog, consulting, strategy | 0 comments

3 Ways to Hold Your Marketing Team Accountable.

Over the years, I’ve become quite frustrated by the efforts of marketers across the board. From agencies building cookie cutter campaign initiatives to amateurs over promising on things they’ve never really delivered.. Marketing has really lost it’s creative direction. What I’ve truly realized is, not everyone is cut out for the gig – and that’s not a mean thing to say. Marketing is a business decision, I’m not here to make friends. I’m here to help companies thrive if they’re willing.

Remember first cuts during basketball tryouts in middle school? How about auditions for the lead role in high school musical? All you have to do is watch a few episodes of American Idol to understand not everyone was meant to be a singer. If you take a look at a good percentage of marketing efforts, you’ll easily see the same. But you have to know what to look for. Otherwise it’ll continue to be too easy for these sleazes to keep robbing you.

I mean no disrespect. I’m actually saying this out of respect – for those ruining their own reputation and the reputations of their clients. Attempting to do something they truly don’t understand (or have a passion for) is wrong. Listen, marketing is tough. It’s a cut throat balancing act of customer desire and brand understanding. No business should be marketing the same. Every business has unique value propositions, origins and culture. You can’t just put “efforts” into a conveyor belt. You have to really dig into the business and it’s customers in order to truly develop a successful strategy or single campaign. Doing things off a whim is ignorant.

With that being said, I’ve set out to help business owners identify their direction. But not necessarily the creativity behind their marketing – rather the direction their company is headed. Duplicated efforts and unoriginal content is wasteful. It’s an “awareness” technique that typically doesn’t close. Sure, people might stumble across your stock photo’d social media post when they need you, but why pay someone for that?

What type of marketing is worth paying for?

Marketing is all about reaching people with the right measures and the proper message. There’s no such thing as the absolute “right” message. It’s about creating clarity and value behind what you’re saying. It’s the reason I started PreFocus nearly 3 years ago. While its taken me quite some time to get people to listen, they’re starting to understand MY message. But it wasn’t because I pivoted or revised it to conform – it’s because I remained consistent.

What do real marketing results look like?

I set out to prove the worth of a PreFocus by helping a global company decrease their advertising acquisition costs from $445 to $105. This same company has seen their organic traffic increase from 140 in August 2018 to 7,000 this month. They now have a $65K monthly budget that uses the PreFocus model. Competing with and overcoming their competition was exciting for them. Our weekly marketing calls are a lot more enjoyable now that results are in the picture.

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A physical therapist I work with has already hired 3 people in his first year. He’s currently planning his summer vacations while spending more time with his daughters. We turned around a medical practice that was thinking about selling the business 4 months ago. They’re now cleaning house and investing in a first impression and brand culture. They now understand how impactful shaking up the normality of the industry can be. Their PreFocus has allowed them to triple their advertising budget.

I’m not telling you these stories out of arrogance. I want you to experience marketing this way too. But what would you say if I told you that you didn’t have to hire us to see improvement? Look, I get it. Many business owners want to give people a chance to pull through. But you have to do what’s best for your business. While it may feel good to provide someone with autonomy, you have to know what they’re doing and understand why they’re doing it.

At the end of the day, you’re the owner. You’re the expert. You should know the industry and your customers best. Getting too cute or investing in affordability just to market something just isn’t sustainable. You have to build authority, it doesn’t just come. With all things considered, here are 3 simple ways to hold your marketing team accountable and ensure your efforts are worthwhile.

1. Understand How to Understand Your Marketing.

While you probably hired someone to manage your marketing so you wouldn’t have to, you still need to understand the basis of their efforts. Trusting their judgement or believing their experience isn’t always the best approach. For whatever reason, marketers have become uber focused on selling their services instead of enhancing their competence. You have to take the time to understand the basics of what they’re going to be doing in order to know if it’s working. If you’re paying $250/month for a social media strategy because someone told you that you have to, then they need to explain the fruit.

Similar to most sales organizations, many “marketers” are always going to be able to excuse a lack of performance. I’ve even witnessed them making things up to keep the business owner under contract. Social media is a platform that only certain business models can excel at. Don’t just have them prove it’s worked, have them prove it’s worked for a similar business. You’re probably going to have to do a little research yourself, but it’s better than 6 months of $250 ($1500). Confidence in what they’re doing is more than a belief in the person. When you understand how social media works, you’ll be able to ask the right questions and make a solid decision.

This can also be implemented for PPC strategies. Nearly every business can benefit from a paid ads campaign. But does your PPC manager really know what they’re doing? Is ad copy compelling? Are they tracking accordingly? Do you know what your ideal CPA (acquisition cost) is? Do you know what PPC means? Do you know what similar businesses are spending and why? The point is, you really need to understand what each type of strategy entails. This allows you to say “yes” with confidence. If you’re being sold on a strategy without proof, then you’re setting yourself up for failure.

2. Make Sure You Know How to Analyze Results

I recently met with a local company looking to transition out of their current marketing team. Not only have they experienced poor results, but they’ve been waiting for the agency to turn things around for quite some time. They’ve experienced the misleading statements, excuses and lack of focus. They’re completely exhausted.

Although the agency was referred to them by a well-known vendor, they are the absolute epitome of a lazy marketer. For years now, they’ve been milking the business without any type of clarity because of a contractual agreement. The company is now willing to pay them thousands of dollars to cancel. Even when performance isn’t satisfactory, the agency still wins. It’s a sad ordeal.

After looking closer at the ordeal, we were able to uncover that the agreement didn’t require the marketing team to update the client. They were literally held to zero standards. This was because the business didn’t have access to anything. They weren’t able to monitor results or review performance. They’ve simply been at the mercy of this marketer for far too long. While I want to be mad at the agency, I have to blame the business.

When signing a contract for marketing services, you have to understand that it just might not work. In my opinion, you almost have to assume it won’t. Not only should you never sign a contract without industry proof, but you should never agree until they’ve proven their worth to you! A month to month agreement should be required until results are delivered. If the agency balks at your request then you’ll know it was a good decision.

Once you’re under way, it’s important that you schedule routine checks ins in order to understand the direction. Before any campaign is started, you need to determine what success looks like. The marketer should be required to hit a certain number of goals or expectations in order to retain your business. Force them to go through performance reporting with you so that you know what to look for throughout. Again, if you’re unwilling to invest time into your own understanding so you can hold your marketing team accountable, then you’re hurting your business. Monitor your money with clarity and you’ll have a good idea of what you really need to do.

3. Ensure Your Marketer Understands Your Brand

While the aforementioned tips are absolutely crucial, nothing will matter if your marketer isn’t invested in brand understanding. At PreFocus, we develop brand books for our clients. Not only does this prove to the client we understand their business, it creates cohesion across multiple channels while helping them cut costs for other projects. If an agency or marketer isn’t interested in spending additional time to learn about your company then the effectiveness of your strategies will suffer. I cannot harp on this enough.

In order for you to ensure your marketing team is bought in, you have to buy in too. Take a second to notice the theme of this article. Your commitment quality and your effort to help or hold them accountable makes the difference. Banking on the mouthpiece of marketers can be a recipe for disaster. One poor message or statement can alter the trajectory of your business in a heartbeat. Allowing someone to assume or guess with your money (especially when they haven’t proven their worth or commitment) is a recipe for disaster.

In the end, it’s your responsibility to understand the purpose, performance and priorities of your marketing campaigns. If you’re thinking about hiring someone that refuses to bend from their services to cater to your customers – then it’s not a good match. Paying 30% less can cost you 300% growth over a long period of time. Holding your marketing team accountable and making sure campaigns align with the core values of your business is invaluable. You just got to take the time to understand enough to do so.

Be purposeful with everything you do guys.. and always remember to PreFocus.

Request a Brand Analysis Before Investing

Is the Value of Quality Really Valued?

Apr 20, 2019 | blog, consulting, strategy | 0 comments

Is the Value of Quality Really Being Valued?

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Whether a purchase causes inconvenience or disfunction, it normally forces you to re-evaluate your decision. (I say normally because purchases, like cable, don’t really apply). Often times, people pass on higher quality options because the affordable price or message speaks louder to them. But is the affordable option really that much more affordable? What if I told you that in most cases, cheaper was more expensive? Before going into my point, I wanted to take a look at why people might continue making these decisions.

Today’s online scape gives consumers the ability to pretty much buy anything online. When products or services fail them, they’re more likely to take repetitive risks instead of investing in quality for more money. It’s almost as if their subconscious is telling them they already decided to avoid the better option. The ability to haggle online, price shop or negotiate with competitive offers almost forces the consumer to sustain this mindset. But are they really being cheap?

Without getting too much into the psychological element of this (because I’m not a psychologist), can we assume skepticism gets in the way? Maybe they’ve been burned and bitterness now surrounds the need. Maybe the perception of the product or service is vague at best, who knows.. Besides, why would a consumer spend more when they need to balance out their mistake?

If we look into this further, can we assume pride gets in the way? Is their judgment clouded because they’re unwilling to admit their mistake? If so, most customers are content blaming the product or business. But what if their hesitancy was due to their inability to define what a quality purchase is? If this is the case, then they’re more than likely incapable of feeling comfortable spending more. Let’s take a look at a few examples to make sense of this.

1. An Average Consumer that Climbs

Joseph is an avid hiker. He enjoys broadcasting all of his hikes across the Valley. He’s just an average Joe, so he doesn’t necessarily have the best equipment. If you were to ask him what he relies on the most during his hikes, he wouldn’t tell you his camera. He’d tell you it was his boots. But Joe doesn’t believe in spending $250-300 on something he relies on.

He actually despises some of the high ticket items and believes he’s fine with the $100 pair he buys. They’re better than most, he thinks. He’d rather spend that money on a GoPro, right? But time and time again, he captures his boots malfunctioning during a hike.

Quality Doesn’t Change Behaviors Unless It’s Valued

Joseph feels good about traveling back into Boot Barn for some off-brand tread. He doesn’t even think twice about the time he spends doing so. It’s become a part of his reality. This average Joe doesn’t even see the opportunity in front of him to grow his following by reviewing (or endorsing) high quality boots!

The real reality is, he’s buying 2 pairs of low quality boots per year when he could buy a quality pair that would last him 2 birthdays. He’d have nothing to lose but he doesn’t believe in spending more. His pride or stubbornness is playing a big role in his ignorance. With that being said, how are the better boot businesses focusing on this? Is quality being presented in a way that it’s valued?

While I really want to help my man Joe get started as a social media influencer, I also want to help this man realize he needs some better wheels. Even if my only value proposition is finding a girlfriend instead of going to Boot Barn! It’s important that he knows I understand his stance but want him to improve HIS quality of life. Why would he listen to my “better than” pitch if he doesn’t believe my product is better than?

Quantitative Over Qualitative Reasoning is Risky

In my opinion, the most difficult job of a quality business is persuading someone to buy from them when they don’t really have the money. In reality, most people don’t have the money to pay more for something that could be the same. In other words, they choose not to.

Service companies that invest a lot of money in higher quality solutions tend to struggle closing lower income families because of this. They tend to stick with targeting those who have excess capital because the probability is higher. But, they’re missing out on a huge opportunity to educate and benefit a consumer that’s on the verge of trekking down a long trail of misfortune. Let’s take a look at another example.

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2. A Struggling, Broken Down Consumer

Mike ArrSucks bought a “beater” two years ago in order to work as a pizza delivery boy after school. Instead of paying more for a better car, he settled with the 250K mile gem that lacked AC. After finally saving up enough money to get his AC fixed, he let one of his buddies install some new parts he bought cheap on RockAuto.com. After a few malfunctions, he had a friend’s friend (who was a “mechanic”) take a look. After paying him to make a few adjustments, he ran into problems with the AC compressor.

When it was all said and done, Mike was forced to take his car into a mechanic. He ended up paying 3x times the amount it would have cost him to just have them install a new AC. But he remained positive and viewed it as a learning experience. It’s the car’s fault, right? Mike was able to enjoy his cooled cockpit for only 2 months before his transmission went out. Desperate to get rolling again, he followed the same blueprint as the AC problem. Not long after he was rolling again, the head gasket blew.

Low Quality Decisions Cause Low Quality Results, Not Misfortune.

After a few rounds of ignorance, Mike was car-less and broke. Truth be told, Mike got fired as a pizza delivery boy. He ended up taking a job as a janitor at his old high school just to get back on his feet. Talk about a string of bad “luck,” right? Wrong. All of this stemmed from a string of bad purchase decisions where he didn’t value quality solutions.

Why was Mike so afraid to change his behaviors? Did his pride get in the way? Should he have simply scrapped the car and invested in a better option to secure his ability to make money? If he could do it differently, would he have paid $4,000 to avoid all the headaches? I’m not sure. But if someone helped him understand the cost of quality I bet he would.

You see, a bad experience doesn’t necessarily create an “ah ha” moment. To Mike, it’s too easy to blame misfortune or bad luck. Even though he’s to blame. How do we help him now and why wasn’t anyone helping the young man before?

Why Understanding the Value of Quality Matters to Me.

As a strategist, I can’t help but analyze these types of scenarios. It helps me improve our client’s approach while helping consumers actually satisfy their needs. This is something that’s always caught my attention. It’s allowed me to really put myself in the consumer’s shoes and make sure I’m asking the right questions when positioning a brand. I’ve struggled with this myself. As a business that provides a different element of quality, I have to be able to nurture and not sell. If I don’t, then I become susceptible to comparison. If I’m compared off price, I’ll lose. If I’m unable to define why quality costs more, I lose.

I have to understand who values quality first. Then I have to be able to understand why people don’t so I can help them avoid the same mistakes Joseph and Mike made (but from a marketing standpoint). I have to be able to explain why a PreFocus is worth every penny and why avoiding it can be costly. Not in a bashing way – but as an educational approach that feeds their ego. Pride stems from a belief that one’s opinion (or perspective) is better.

The only way I can get them to buy into quality solutions is explain what quality means. An article like this cold create a paradigm shift in itself. When business owners see the value, they feel like they’re making the decision themselves. They’re not being sold on ideas and concepts, they’re understanding the reasoning. When worth is visible, price is invisible.

Executing a strategy that converts for higher priced (quality) items is becoming more and more difficult in today’s digital world. Far too many low quality products and services are able to strategically persuade, “better.” Higher quality products and services need to do more than saying “we’re better than.”

How We’re helping Quality Businesses Overcome at PreFocus

In my opinion, the advertising element is the only thing that’s persuading “better” right now. People are being talked into the fact that cheap is enough. That it’ll satisfy their needs for now. That it’s a safe choice that delivers.. for now. While buyers remorse may plague society more today than ever before, it still hasn’t been enough to really get people to change their behaviors. It’s more likely that they continue to try similarly priced options to avoid paying more for what they need.

Whether their decision is based on need or want, their ability to purchase the item right then and there is extremely opportunistic for marketers. Hounding people (quantitatively) for their business just isn’t sustainable – but it’s what many low quality businesses are winning with right now. Whether consumers have the money or not, they’re always going to want to save as much cash as they can. Persuading with quality is a lot more difficult than persuading with price. The only way for high quality brands to overcome this is to change the market’s perception of quality. Helping consumers see through the pitch and understand the value of quality will eventually help them change their purchase behaviors. It’s really all you can do.

Be purposeful with everything you do guys.. and always remember to PreFocus.

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Being a Podcast Guest Has Helped Me

Apr 11, 2019 | blog | 0 comments

Being a Podcast Guest Has Helped Me

clarify my value and fine tune my processes to better serve my ideal customers.

When it comes to building a business, it’s not as easy as you’d like to think it is. Aside from a few obstacles and hiccups along the way, many entrepreneurs are forced to come into their own on the fly. While it can be liberating to fail forward, it can also be discouraging at times. This is why an ability to hash out your experience, vision and value with a fresh set of ears can be highly beneficial. It becomes even more impactful when the listener can help you sustain, scale and build brand equity.

Over the course of the last few months, I’ve been intentional with explaining the purpose behind PreFocus with similar companies and industries. Although I’ve tended to regret speaking on the inadequacies of marketing agencies, many agency owners have been intrigued by my approach to brand understanding. In other words, it’s been welcomed a lot warmer than I anticipated. Thinking back on the insecurities I’ve had about my business model, I realized I was assuming people wouldn’t see the value in what I was doing. That I’d be forced to conform or comply with their standards. But over the past few months, I’ve simply realized I was targeting the wrong audience.

After years of being a “yes man” in order to provide for my family, I finally realized I needed to be immersed in my element in order to make a difference. That’s what value essentially is, right? Although I speak on differentiation quite a bit, it was still difficult for me to stand out. Maybe it was fear, maybe it was doubt. At the end of the day it was costly; and being a podcast guest has help me persevere through this subconscious idea that my branding concept wouldn’t be valued.

What I had to Come to Terms With Before Speaking Publicly.

It’s not my job to persuade or educate those that don’t see the value in brand clarity – in order to close them. In other words, I don’t want to have to sell anyone on my approach. They have to already know they need it. I have to simply remain consistent (or pursue constancy) until CEO’s and major stakeholders realize they’re ready to take their marketing to another level – with me. This takes time guys. Overnight successes can take years. Instead of continuing to feel like the purpose of my vision didn’t make sense, I came to the understanding I was simply talking to the wrong people. These people (that seemed like low hanging fruit) are still in the infant stages of their business. What I know isn’t going to be coveted by them.

They don’t see the reward in maximizing campaign efficiency. To be frank, they don’t have the budget either. What I do is not a $399/month service. A lot goes into the strategies we build and opportunities our team uncovers. We’re not just slapping together something to deliver, we’re placing substance behind decisions here. Most business owners simply want someone to publish 5 social media posts per week on top of a few blog posts. For whatever reason, they don’t care about convertibility or relevance. While I’ve proven I can execute minimal efforts at a high level, it’s not why I started the PreFocus. In the past, I wasn’t getting paid to care – and I should be. The longer I let stubborn business owners categorize my contribution, the less likely I’ll be able to find ideal clients that want to PreFocus.

Now that I’ve been able to hash out my concepts and processes with other professionals, I’ve realized I need to disregard marketing requests and fully live in my element. This is where I’ve been able to thrive as a guest on local podcasts. Instead of getting behind the mic with an intention to educate or sell, I’m asking questions that make people think outside of the box. The same questions we ask during our discovery and strategy calls. This allows listeners to experience a paradigm shift on their own and understand that maximized marketing is the only way to go.

Changing an Outdated Mindset can be Tough.

Initially, the effort I was putting into persuading people to believe in a PreFocus was wasteful. The messaging I was promoting only made sense to me. My experiences were being used to reach people who knew nothing about the road I’ve traveled on. They only know their perspective and only want to improve their vision. In order to fully explain what a PreFocus means to each business, I have to be able to break their opportunities down individually. I have to be able to understand their story and purpose. Once again, this is something I’ve already spent years developing. I just wasn’t implementing it. The brand identity development process isn’t something you can duplicate across different models. It’s something that has to be discovered and implemented on the ground level of the business. Discussing these things helps people understand the importance of them.

Until people see the opportunities in front of them on their own, I can’t help them. For years, I’ve been trying to prove myself through a number of different initiatives and all I needed to do was remain constant in what PreFocusing actually means. The same questions we ask provide different answers, value propositions and campaign ideas for every client. An ideal target audience in the service industry can vary across different companies. The purpose of one landscaper can be totally different than a neighboring brand’s. No matter how you look at it, when you’re confident about the solution you provide, it’s easy for other people to believe in you. I needed to apply this in my own business.

My Level of Constancy Means Everything Now.

Jumping on a number of local podcasts with an assortment of passionate professionals has encouraged me to stay the course and avoid distractions. Small projects here and there (that don’t funnel into the PreFocus model) need to be referred to the talented partnerships I now have in place. Being able to say no and fully harness who I am as a father, husband and business owner is absolutely crucial to my ability to scale. Aside from a paradigm shift myself (and a huge confidence boost at that), I’ve also realized that I need to constantly look for ways to initiate and sustain relationships.

There’s no need for me to work harder to be better than. There’s no need for me to speak louder in hopes to catch someone’s attention and convict them. There’s no need for me to niche myself in order to scale. All I need to do is stay focused on a PreFocus in everything I do. From here, the value of what I do will be seen clearly. In the meantime, I look forward to talking more about my journey over the last 2 years with whoever’s willing to listen. If you’re not eager to talk about your business, then you’re missing out on a ton of opportunity. I’m sure I won’t be the last person to tell you that.

At this point, I know people are listening and it’s only a matter of time before the fruits of my labor provide my family and I with a hefty return. You should think the same thing if you’re in business for yourself. It’s the effort, purpose and consistency that counts – remember that. Even if I provide you with an amazing strategy, you still have to play your role to ensure execution is maximized.

How You Can Get up to Speed with a PreFocus

If you’d like to learn more about what we’re building or how you can be a part of our round table discussions (we provide these to a group of business owners to improve current efforts), I’d love to hear from you. For those looking to discuss a few ideas or receive feedback, I also provide free 15 minute consultations. These can be scheduled in the sidebar to your right. In the meantime, you can always follow me on social media as I prepare to ramp up my messaging strategy online. Be purposeful with everything you do and always remember to PreFocus!

Real Estate Branding Photoshoot with Kevin and Fred.

Aug 3, 2018 | blog, Branding, Photography | 0 comments

Our Realtor Branding Photoshoot

With Kevin and Fred National Realtor Agency.

Purpose: Brand Personality Imagery for New Website + Podcast.

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Introducing the Brand Image Project.

Back in June, I was contacted by KevinandFred.com about doing a realtor branding photoshoot for their new website. They were looking for creative, candid photography that they could repurpose for content strategies and use throughout their copy. Their main focus was to capture authentic lifestyle images with space for text. These types of photos are ideal for website headers, slideshows and social media memes. You’ll see some of the pictures aren’t centered for this reason. I love working on projects where the client values quality content and wants to communicate who they truly are. One of Kevin’s quotes is, “By being authentic with people that is when the good stuff happens.”

Our “PreFocus” for the Session:

The first step of the proposal was determining the settings of the shoot. Communication on the front end was vital because their office was about an hour away from ours. Alexa did a great job of sending me photos of the property so I could determine how the creative direction would flow. I also invested in a discovery session and additional research to gain a better grasp on who these guys were. Come to find out, they’re pretty successful realtors and are well-known throughout the country. Once I knew more about them, I was able to piece together a shot list that would suit their audience best.

Our shot list for the realtor’s branding shoot included:

Work Arrival – getting out of the car and walking into the office with a serious tone.
Personality – playful banter and laid back value with two ad lib settings (arch and skateboard).
Hero Images – the use of courtyard arches and walls to create perspective
At Work – in the office interacting with each other.

Front-end planning is what we’re all about at PreFocus. Brand photography is more than traditional poses and settings. We want our clients to stand out. Since we set the expectations beforehand, Kevin and Fred were ready to roll the day of. As we kicked things off, we focused on simple poses so they could get comfortable with who we are.

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Editing Styles for the Brand Imagery.

Our editing style with this shoot was fun. We needed to communicate seriousness but also showcase Keven and Fred’s laid back personalities – and the bond between them. We decided to go with a rugged approach for the serious photos and a “lighter” style for the candid moments. We also wanted the mood of each photo to match the setting. This theme was prevalent throughout the project.

hero-image-creative-strategy-with-branding-photographer-prominent-investor-nationwide-for-website-content-development-by-prefocus-solutions-in-memphis-tennessee-brick-wall-theme

As you can see above, the editing style matches the emotions being conveyed in each picture. One is more dark with contrast while the other is brightened to capture the smile. Visual elements help you get your message across with emotions people can relate to. When you add text to a photo, the image needs to speak with the emotions conveyed.

The upward camera angle showcases authority in what most call a hero shot. Looking up at you causes your audience to subconsciously view you as.. well, a hero. We also left space in the photo so it could be used as a website header.

Realty Team Portraits with Personality.

After getting some cool headshots and hero images, we wanted to keep momentum rolling. This is where Fred stepped in and lightened the mood a little bit. As I mentioned above, this is where we lightened up the editing style. Once they were done taking jabs at each other, we zeroed in on a few serious shots of them together. Mixing up the editing styles gives them flexibility for content. Candid portraits are good for social media posts and “about” content while the rugged hero images suit advertising and cover art best.

photoshoot-for-branding-and-hero-images-by-prefocus-solutions-for-large-real-estate-companies-PR-vision-authentic-ideas-memphis-tennessee

best friend business partnerships successful real estate agency with podcast PR strategy prefocus image specialist near memphis tennessee

promotional media strategy near memphis tennessee successful agency company owners posing for podcast promotion with creative director out of memphis tennessee prefocus solutions jordan trask realtor branding shoot

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Work Arrival Portraits with Intention.

The next thing I wanted to capture was “work arrival.” We wanted to start getting them comfortable being themselves and walking with intention. I know it might sound silly but, it’s important to ensure your audience that your serious about your business. So, we did a catwalk type of thing which created some humor that I’m sure they’ll appreciate revisiting over time. Here are a few other images that turned out well.

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creative director holding sun shade and reflector preparing for videography shoot with real estate company for branded podcast imagery now serving memphis tennessee area

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I love how we were able to embody the work arrival mindset. Whether it was from a distance or close up, both guys did a good job conveying a “let’s get to work” mentality. These types of shots are great for social media posts that include a motivating message. Showcasing the entrepreneurial mindset is a good approach during a realtor branding photoshoot.

professional-realtor-branding-imagery-specialist-premier-commercial-listing-strategy-walking-into-work-as-an-entrepreneur-for-group-46:10-memphis-tennessee-personal-PR

Once we wrapped up this awkward portion of the photoshoot, we moved on to close ups. We liked the lighting here and we thought the backdrop against the white wall would be perfect for added text. The main focus here was to capture a few “chill” poses with additional space for website copy.

Getting Creative With Unique Landmarks.

As I scoped out the property prior to the shoot, I wanted to find a landmark that we could have some fun with. There was an arch over a sidewalk by the entrance that caught my eye. It also had a state and American flag flying in the background. After listening to Kevin and Fred crack jokes the first hour, I thought it would be funny to have them push each other into the arch as they walked through it. Here is a photo of me attempting to explain this “angle.”

As you can see below, these guys had some fun “pushing” each other. Since this phrase epitomizes who they really are, you’ll see that we used it again later on in the session. Their real estate brand is all about having fun while pushing colleagues and partners to be better – and do better. We also left some space to the right in some of the photos for header images and text. Since they were preparing to launch a podcast, this was perfect for their title screens.

agency owners fun filled personal branding session for real estate company media strategy using props and identity services to promote culture creative director near memphis tn

creative-branding-photo-shoot-strategist-near-memphis-tennessee-capturing-investors-goofing-off-for-engaging-website-photos-midsouth-creative-direction-interaction-PR- media

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Using Creative Imagery for Personal Branding.

After capturing them push each other around for a long minute, we focused on some poses. It was easy with these guys because they were working as we were shooting. I had them reenact opening up a shocking email and sharing it with each other. These turned into some solid candid photos they can use for their homepage slider. Capturing who people really are during authentic moments is what’s fun about doing branding photoshoots. Whether I’m working with realtors or another personal brand outside of Memphis, the creativity is endless!

looking-at-shocking-email-on-phone-authentic-personal-branding-creative-direction-walkway-office-content-for-PR-during-real-estate-photoshoot-by-prefocus-solutions-in-memphis-tennessee

Using the Real Estate Agency’s Tesla as a Prop.

Now that we had some good headshots and candid moments with the guys, we wanted to focus more on lifestyle photography. Since these two spend a lot of time on the road together (some of their videos are even done in the car), capturing shots in Kevin’s Tesla was a no-brainer. What really made these images cool was that they were actually discussing work while we photographed different angles. Multitasking at it’s finest..

sitting in front seat of tesla SUV real estate business partners well known investors outside corporate office creative imagery specialist near memphis mirrior photos vehicle prop

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We even got some cool shots of them getting out of the vehicle. As you can see, we kept the camera angle low to create the same authoritative look and feel for branding purposes. This creates a little authority, as if the viewer is below the subject and creates a nice profile for the entrance.

creative-entrepreneur-portraits-for-real-estate-branding-session-with-prefocus-photographer-near-memphis-tennessee-using-luxury-vehicles-and-corporate-office-buildings

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Realtors Trying New Things for Brand Imagery.

When we got to their office, we asked if there were any props they’d like to use. Objects with company branding on them always bode well for online content. Kevin happened to have a brand new skateboard one of his clients gave him. He wasn’t sure how to ride it, but gave it a shot. Since we were ahead of schedule, we were able to think through a few creative and funny ways to capture the real estate duo on unfamiliar wheels.

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creative director working with real estate investor on promo video for new entrepreneur podcast for market analysis and growing business skateboard prop thinking things through memphis tennessee

creative director near memphis pushing client on skateboard to emulate how video scene will transpire for intro to podcast prefocus solutions serves

Aside from Kevin riding the skateboard, we knew we had to incorporate Fred. As aforementioned, pushing real estate agents to be better is one of the main characteristics of their business. So, we viewed this as another great opportunity to communicate the message. After Kevin cruised around for a few minutes, I showed Fred how to give him a friendly shove. Even though it looks like he’s going to smash into that tree, no realtors were injured during this photoshoot. Click on the image for a closer look.

realty company owners memphis tennessee olive branch ms area agency creative direction services for real estate listings and business endeavors by prefocus solutions

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Curating Content “At The Real Estate Office”.

To wrap up this realtor branding photoshoot, we wanted to capture Kevin and Fred in their element. Placing them in the meeting room instead of a small office allowed us to take advantage of different angles. The whiteboard also gave us a cool motivational backdrop. We asked them to start their day as they normally would while we took some candid shots of their interaction and facial expressions. Smiling headshots and perfect poses will never speak to your target audience like authentic moments will.

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We altered the editing style during this setting for the same reasons as before. Having image variations allows you to repurpose similar images for different forms of content. Although most of these will be on the website’s about page, we edited a few with an edgy look for social media and promotions (like above).

group-46:10-realtor-meeting-filmed-by-memphis-tn-creative-drector-jordan-trask-during-real-estate-branding-photoshoot-by-prefocus-solutions-while-on-macbook-computers

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Tons of Branded Content to Repurpose for Real Estate Campaigns.

Since our photoshoot with Group 46:10, Kevin has used a few of these pictures on his social media channels. When the voice of the brand embodies work ethic and strategy, these types of images carry value. They’ve been working on tons of new endeavors and their PreFocus library of brand imagery has really come in handy!

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solopreneur real estate personal branding strategies near memphis tennessee by creative director jordan trask in desoto county ms

Looking for a Midsouth Brand Media Expert?

There are plenty of different marketing strategies available to business owners. But, nothing speaks louder than original content and authentic imagery. If you’re in the Memphis, Tennessee area, I’d love to talk with you about some of the benefits and features of our content production services. Otherwise, thanks for checking out my recent realtor branding photoshoot! Any other questions, feel free to ask!

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Advertising Analysis With Action Planning by PreFocus.

Aug 1, 2018 | blog, consulting, Content, strategy | 0 comments

Advertising Analysis With Action Planning

Over the past few months, I've been committed to promoting transparency. I realize others may copy the strategies I use - but, they'll never be able to mimic my passion, creativity and personalized service. With that being said, I wanted to share a recent analysis I did for one of my current PPC clients. I want to be able to show you how I piece campaigns together and why..

I’ve been working with this company since February on a lot of initiatives, but their main focus has been Adwords. Even though PPC in their industry is extremely competitive, they want to increase their adspend by $10,000 to $25,000 per month. This may seem like an easy decision (because it means more money for me). But, making more money isn’t necessarily my prerogative. It’s about helping my clients prioritize opportunistic channels while constantly improving current campaigns. There’s no reason to throw more money at something when there’s room for improvement. If you have a hard time following this analysis, send me an email and I’ll answer any questions you might have.

Increased Adspend Forecast

In order to avoid overpromising, here is my baseline projections for your ROAS (return on adspend):

$20k = 105 Conversions (about 4/day)
$25k = 131 Conversions (about 5/day)

The last few months, we’ve been talking about transparency during the sales cycle. This would definitely help me forecast more efficiently. For example, how many conversions are actually turning into clients? – and what are your margins for each? What are monthly margins?

Anticipated PPC Return

If you were to convert 50% of form submissions and make $500 (low) on every client, that’s a $26,250 (+6,250) return. With a $25k spend, it would be a $32,750 (+$7,750) return. This is a 1.3:1 ROI. For every thousand you spend, you’re guaranteed to make $300.

Analysis:

The ROAS is close because your industry is saturating the PPC market instead of playing the long game. CPA (cost per acquisition) has been consistently rising over the last 6 months because of this and some keywords are now well over $60. In my opinion, an increase in your paid advertising budget may not be a wise investment. Even though I anticipate improving the Adwords CPA, putting an additional $10k into evergreen methods will be more fruitful. Let me explain why..

One-Time, $10k Investment in SEO:

This is the main reason why we’ve been pushing for SEO. With PPC, we’re guessing the intent behind every search and don’t have an ability to get bad clicks back. There’s also no true way to determine if the “searchee” is a qualified candidate. Even when visitors are qualified, they’re comparing and contrasting other websites and pricing. Blogs allow you to nurture like we were talking about today – and it becomes an autopilot campaign that compliments a pay-per-click strategy.

Anticipated SEO Return:

Say you invest $10k on 4 blogs a month over the next 6 months and garner 250 emails and 100 leads.

At least 50% (125) of those 250 emails will be qualified customers at some point.

Using the same math as above, closing 50% of the SEO leads would drive a $25k profit ($15k margin) and almost a 3:1 ROI.

Imagine if that same investment drove you 200 leads over the course of the next year – $10k could turn into $50k ($40k margin) and a 5:1 ROI. and so on..

Suggested Marketing Action Plan:

If you do all of the work in one month and plan out the next 6, you’re left with an additional $50k that you’re still wanting to invest.

I recommend putting more money towards improving your on-site conversion rates. Revising some of the deficiencies of the website and improving your brand image will maximize your current clicks in Adwords.

Reasoning:

In July, we were right around a 7% conversion rate. In the last two weeks, we converted 68 of 975 clicks.

If we can get this closer to 20% (195), that would bring our CPA down around $65. Once we’ve executed this number, we can talk about scaling the campaign by adding $10k to the monthly budget. In addition to SEO, I think there are a lot of little things we can do to improve CPA – outside of bidding, tracking and writing compelling ads.

Additional PPC Improvements:

Conditional forms (similar to what Bluesoft uses)
- submission funnels that encourage people to continue filling out info by asking questions they can relate to.
Short Youtube Videos
- 10-15 second attention grabbing/pitch videos
- 1 minute interviews answering legit questions
- I’m confident in my ability to write and capture these videos by understanding the obvious wants/needs (and hidden wants/needs) of your target audience.
Original company photos on landing pages.
- You speak to consumers more when they feel like they can get to know the company before calling.
- Stock photos or basic images don’t allow you to stand out from the standard pictures everyone else uses.
- Capture photos that show landmarks (signage, building), branded props (letterheads, coffee mugs, pens) and actual employees/clients (meetings).
Graphics Showing a Simplified process
- Icons and branded graphics that explain your process with visuals and minimal text.
Email subscriptions on Landing Pages
- Offer deliverable (ebook, guide, free gift)
- Position valuable information in exchange for email
  - Industry news, law changes, lawsuits, educational content, etc..
  - This would go hand in hand with the blog strategy.
- This encourages interest if they don’t want to fill out a consultation form
PPC Management increase for Retargeting
- Youtube
- Display ads

Other Opportunities:

Hosting Workshops and Special Events
Sponsoring relevant events for brand exposure
Former Client Testimonial Strategy
- Email Campaigns to solicit more reviews (Facebook, G+, Yelp, Angies, Trustpilot)
- Free gifts for cell phone video testimonials (authentic and not a production)
Contests on Social media
About videos for stakeholders, managers, consultants, attorneys.
Create pricing transparency page ($1995 vs $1200 example)

Conclusion to: My Advertising Analysis with Action Planning

As you can see, simply increasing a budget isn’t always the best option. It may improve your lead generation, but if you’re not continuously improving – you’ll eventually become stagnant. Competition is real and they’re always looking for a way to bring you down. So, stop “competing” with them to see who can spend the most money and start investing in your customer’s experience.

The better your first impression is, the more likely people are going to choose you. Just because they click and arrive doesn’t mean they’re going to buy in. Improving conversion rates by a few percentile can save you thousands of dollars every year. Don’t make the selfish decision and PreFocus this time around.. Thanks for dropping by! -Jordan

Would You Like a Free Analysis?

I take pride in my ability to understand a business and it’s customers. In addition to sharing my time and perspective during consulting sessions, I avoid selling at all costs. I would rather you reach out to me down the road than try to talk you into buying into my mentality. At the end of the day, our PreFocus has to be cohesive. I have to know you’ve bought in before we can proceed.

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