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 →

How to Actually Be Social in the Age of Social Media

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As much as I’d like to say all our business comes from referrals, I still make a concerted effort to hit the streets and introduce JH&A to potential clients. While out and about, it’s convenient to foster new relationships and to drop in on current clients to reinforce existing relationships. If you’re in a client-facing role in the marketing communications field but you’re not a “people person,” you might be in the wrong business. Getting out from behind your computer to build real, personal business relationships will pay-off many times over in a number of ways. Continue reading →

How To Handle A Difficult Client

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In the Advertising industry, we’ve all been there and probably said it hundreds of times, “If I was a client, I’d be awesome.” The truth is, we have no idea how we’d react in our client’s shoes and as great as your current client relationships may be, you will inevitably one day run into a difficult client. They come in all shapes, ages and titles –no two are alike and they can be downright frustrating. When it happens, you just might find yourself sitting in your chair spinning or staring at the wall (drink in hand) wondering, “How can I possibly handle this?” Continue reading →

Optimize Your SEO For Higher Page Ranking

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Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is an ever-moving target influenced by two unique elements.  As we outline an SEO strategy for our clients, we identify “on-page” and “off-page” components.  Each of these elements should have complementary strategies, adhere to industry best practices, and subscribe to the latest Google algorithms in order to maximize performance. 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 →