How Much Should I Spend on Marketing?

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Even seasoned marketers routinely wonder how their budget stacks up against traditional averages and what they should be spending. Our answer is always the same: “It Depends!”

The first step in determining an appropriate budget is a change in mindset. Consistent, long-term marketing is NOT an expense.  Rather, it is an essential investment that pays dividends in the form of sales, income and market share. Marketing is a business asset that drives revenue. Continue reading →

Marketing Plan VS. Vacation Plan

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JH&A Introduces 3 New Tools to help clients set strategic and tactical marketing goals.

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Planning a marketing communications strategy can be as fun and interesting as planning a vacation – really!

First, it’s essential to decide on the type of vacation you’d like.  Given all the possibilities, what are your preferences?  What’s out there for you to enjoy?  What have others done and do they find the most appealing? Continue reading →

Quickly Audit Your Visual Brand with the JHA Thumb Test

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Over the years, we continue to hear clients say, “We need a new website, brochure, trade show property”, or a myriad of other tactical deliverables. Our reply has always been the same, “Great, we’d be thrilled to help you… after we talk about your visual brand strategy.”

What exactly does “branding” mean? Simply put, your brand is your promise to your customer. It tells them what they can expect from your products and services, and it differentiates your offering from that of your competitors. Continue reading →

Even YOU Can Design Like Apple

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If I had a dollar for every time I heard a client say, “We want our site to look like Apple’s” I would have… lots of dollars. Seriously, who wouldn’t want to look like Apple? They seem to represent all that is good in both product innovation and marketing savvy. Apple just exudes cool, almost without even trying. And maybe after comparing your brand to theirs, you feel like a 90lb weakling at a bodybuilding competition. Continue reading →

Seven Steps To Making Tradeshows Work For You

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The resurgence of vertically focused, industry specific events offers savvy marketers a gold mine of opportunity. Tradeshows and related industry gatherings provide a unique opportunity to meet prospects and influence key contacts in person at a convenient central location.  However, the old ‘set it and forget it’ approach to exhibiting has little chance of winning the rabid battle for attention.   Continue reading →

Is Your Organization ‘Customer Focused’ or ‘Customer Tolerant’?

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We’ve all read corporate mission statements with the immortal words “Customer Focused,” or the even the more lofty “Customer Obsessed” philosophy referenced front-and-center – sometimes even emphasized in ALL CAPS.  However, in reality, most organizations fall far short and are lucky to eek-out something more akin to “Customer Tolerant.”

Most of us occasionally encounter a flash of great customer service.  Those blessed events easily stand out from the countless business interactions we experience over a lifetime. Continue reading →

Supercharge Your SEO – with Public Relations!

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Effective Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a critical component of website development. The objective of SEO is of course to rank your site as highly as possible among search engine returns in response to specific user search terms. ‘On-page’ strategies range from a package of baseline keywords, page titles and descriptions to sophisticated, ongoing analysis and adjustment programs. Pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns are sometimes used to supplement SEO results. Continue reading →

Why A DIY Website And $49 Logo Are Great For The Marcom Industry

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The old adage, “It’s important to know a good attorney and a great plumber” rings forever true. Simply, there are those things in life we probably should not try to do ourselves. When we do, it inevitably costs more to fix them in the long run. In business the “cost” associated with ill-conceived, tactical, stop-gap approaches to marketing are enormous and always (yes, I said always) end in failure. Continue reading →

When is the Right Time to Review Your Company’s Brand?

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Over our twenty-five year history, JH&A Advertising has successfully completed hundreds of rebranding exercises. Corporate rebranding is an important subject that should not be taken lightly. It affects the entire organization and should be considered carefully and strategically.

So how do you know if it’s time to update, refresh or completely rebrand?  Here are five very important criteria to consider: Continue reading →

10 Epic Design Fails to Avoid

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Well-designed marketing materials deliver tremendous value in the battle for potential customers. They position your business as highly professional, relevant and successful.  But with more and more companies cutting budgets, many have resorted to creating marketing collateral themselves, or outsourcing to cousin Sue because she knows Microsoft Publisher. The end result is usually horrifying. Continue reading →