Branding Archives | Epic Marketing

Executive Branding: The Complete Guide for Modern Leaders

Posted on July 31, 2025 at 9:48 pm.

In today’s world, perception drives decisions. Whether someone is pitching investors, leading a boardroom, or building strategic partnerships, their executive brand shapes how they’re viewed long before conversations begin.

This comprehensive guide walks through how executives can shape a professional identity that attracts business opportunities, inspires teams, and strengthens a company’s reputation. Whether you’re a founder, senior leader, or part of the C-suite, building a well-defined executive brand has become a powerful tool for long-term success.

What Is Executive Branding?

Executive branding is the intentional crafting of a leader’s public presence. It includes how someone communicates their values, shares industry insights, and reflects their leadership style across both digital and real-world platforms.

Unlike basic personal branding, this form of presence focuses on shaping perception at a strategic level. It aligns an individual’s professional image with their role in driving business growth, attracting top talent, and guiding a company’s success.

Why Executive Branding Matters More Than Ever

Executives today don’t wait to be discovered — they’re already visible. The internet creates expectations, and people form impressions within seconds based on a LinkedIn profile, public appearances, or even a single quote in relevant publications.

A robust executive brand helps leaders:

Build trust with stakeholders and potential clients
Stand out in saturated industries
Secure speaking engagements and media features
Build stronger professional networks
Expand into new markets
Share thought leadership that positions them as a go-to source for market trends

Executives who shape their own brand unlock networking opportunities, open doors, and guide their narrative. Those who don’t risk being defined by others.

Core Elements of a Strong Executive Brand

Strategic Positioning

Your unique value proposition should be clear and relevant to your industry. Whether focused on innovation, inclusion, or growth, make it easy to understand how you lead.

Consistent Messaging

From emails to interviews, your language should reflect the same values and clarity. Consistent messaging builds alignment across teams and platforms.

Strong Online Presence

Your online presence needs to reflect both who you are and what you offer. That includes a polished LinkedIn profile, features in relevant publications, and visibility on social media platforms.

Leadership Content

Executives should regularly share insights on industry topics and post leadership content that showcases strategic thinking. Articles, short videos, or expert commentary show you’re actively contributing.

Visual Identity

Use a current, high-quality professional photo across platforms. Your design choices color schemes, typography, formatting — all affect how you’re perceived.

Public Validation

Citations, awards, mentions, and industry events amplify your authority. A compelling executive brand isn’t just self-declared — it’s supported by your industry.

Step-by-Step: How to Build a Powerful Executive Brand

1. Review Your Current Brand

Audit your current brand by searching your name, reviewing past content, and analyzing how others describe you. This sets a clear starting point.

2. Define What You Stand For

Narrow down your executive’s strengths. Tie them to outcomes that matter: scaling companies, launching into new markets, or inspiring cultural change. Clear positioning attracts the right target audience.

3. Align With Business Goals

Your brand should support your company’s growth and your own business goals. Align your messaging with the bigger picture.

4. Update Key Platforms

Refresh your LinkedIn profile to reflect your leadership philosophy, track record, and industry voice. Include a concise bio, featured articles, and relevant keywords like executive branding, thought leader, and business growth.

5. Create Content With Purpose

Create content that reflects your views on market trends, innovation, and team dynamics. This positions you as a reliable voice and strengthens your reputation over time.

6. Show Up Intentionally

Attend industry events, speak at panels, or publish guest articles. These moments build authority and reach a diverse audience who may not follow you directly.

7. Work With a Personal Branding Agency (If Needed)

Many executives recognize the benefits of hiring a personal branding agency. These professionals can help align your tone, visuals, and strategy — especially if your time is limited.

Mistakes That Undermine Effective Executive Branding

Creating content with no clear point of view
Over-relying on curated posts with little original thought
Presenting inconsistent bios or tone across platforms
Ignoring comments, tags, or feedback from your professional networks
Neglecting opportunities to foster trust by showing vulnerability when appropriate

Executive Branding vs Personal Branding

A strong personal brand often includes lifestyle, personality, and broader storytelling. It’s widely used by creatives, freelancers, and content creators.

A powerful executive brand, by contrast, must connect more directly to leadership, outcomes, and influence. It lives at the intersection of corporate branding and individual presence — one that reflects values, vision, and experience.

This doesn’t mean it should be stiff. It means the brand must be respected.

Where Executive Brands Thrive

While social media is one part of the strategy, powerful executive visibility also includes:

Cited expertise in relevant publications
Presence at high-level industry events
Interviews on business-focused podcasts
Smart engagement on platforms like Twitter or Threads
Written or spoken contributions to niche communities

These appearances add reach, invite business growth, and attract top talent that resonates with your mission.

Executive Branding Examples

CEO Branding in Action

A startup founder who regularly shares hiring philosophy and team wins on LinkedIn develops trust with both peers and new customers.

Department Head With Industry Authority

A marketing executive contributing quarterly thought leadership tips in well-known newsletters shows commitment to professional growth and industry care.

Investor With a Clear Narrative

An angel investor who appears in panels, shares concise industry insights, and aligns their public tone with private work builds a lasting, strong executive brand.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is executive branding only for CEOs?

Not at all. While CEO branding is common, directors, VPs, and founders also benefit. Any professional in a leadership capacity can build presence.

How do I manage content creation with limited time?

Batch posts monthly, repurpose existing insights, or work with a personal branding agency for support.

Should I post personal content?

A little goes a long way. Occasional behind-the-scenes or personal reflections can humanize your brand — but always link it back to leadership, values, or impact.

Final Thoughts

A well-defined executive brand builds more than visibility — it builds trust, focus, and momentum. It helps sway opinions, win attention in the right rooms, and speak with intention in the moments that matter.

In a space where business moves fast, leaders must be easy to understand and impossible to overlook. That’s what a strong executive brand creates — not just noise, but gravity.

Why Partnering with a Full-Service Marketing Agency Is a Cost-Effective Choice

Posted on May 13, 2024 at 2:59 pm.

Written by Epic Marketing

Marketing in today’s ever-changing digital landscape requires highly specialized skills and in-depth knowledge. As a business owner, you might find that you are focused on the day-to-day operations that keep everything running smoothly, leaving you with little time to acquire the skills needed to run a successful marketing campaign. That’s where a full-service marketing agency comes in. For a fraction of the cost of hiring in-house marketing specialists, you can partner up with a well-rounded digital marketing team, saving you money in the long run, increasing your ROI, and giving you time to do what you do best, running your business and keeping your customers happy. Let’s explore why partnering with a great marketing agency can help you make a big impact without breaking the bank!

Full-service marketing agencies serve as strategic partners, guiding businesses through the complexities of the marketing landscape and helping them achieve their objectives with maximum impact and effectiveness. With comprehensive, personalized services, like crafting compelling brand stories, designing eye-catching visuals, running strategic digital campaigns, and engaging with audiences on social media, marketing agencies aim to provide a holistic approach that covers every aspect of your marketing needs. Here are some reasons why working with a marketing agency is a cost-effective way to promote and grow your brand.

1. Streamlined Communication and Coordination:

Working with a single agency ensures that everyone is on the same page and working towards a common goal. A dedicated account manager serving as your primary point of contact means you can enjoy clear and consistent communication throughout the entire process. This not only saves you time and effort but also helps lower the risk of misunderstandings and miscommunications, ultimately leading to more efficient and effective marketing campaigns.

2. Comprehensive Expertise and Specialization:

One of the biggest perks of partnering with a full-service marketing agency is the chance to work with a diverse team of experts with specialized marketing skills and knowledge. From branding and design to digital marketing, content creation, and beyond, these agencies have the expertise needed to execute a successful marketing campaign with precision and effectiveness. Rather than relying on multiple vendors or hiring in-house specialists, partnering with a full-service agency gives you access to specialized marketing services all under one roof. This not only saves you the hassle of managing multiple relationships but also ensures that your marketing efforts are consistent and aligned with your business goals.

3. Cost Savings Through Economies of Scale:

By bundling multiple services together, marketing agencies are able to offer more competitive pricing than individual vendors or specialists. Because full-service agencies handle a wide range of clients and projects, they can spread overhead costs across their client base, further reducing costs for each individual client. This means that you can access high-quality marketing services at a fraction of the cost of hiring multiple vendors or building an in-house marketing team, making it a cost-effective choice for businesses of all sizes.

4. Strategic Guidance and Planning:

Full-service marketing agencies don’t just execute marketing tactics; they also provide strategic guidance and planning to help you reach your business goals. Whether you’re looking to increase brand awareness, drive website traffic, generate leads, or boost sales, these agencies work closely with you to develop a customized marketing strategy that aligns with your objectives and budget. From conducting market research and competitor analysis to setting goals and defining KPIs, full-service agencies take a data-driven approach to planning and execution, ensuring that your marketing efforts are targeted, measurable, and effective.

5. Scalability and Flexibility:

Whether you’re a small startup looking to establish your brand presence or a growing enterprise looking to break into new markets, a marketing agency can adjust their services to meet your needs and budget. From launching targeted campaigns to managing ongoing marketing initiatives, full-service agencies offer the flexibility to adjust strategies and allocate resources as needed, allowing you to adapt and to seize new opportunities as they come up.

Think of a marketing agency as your trusted companion, equipped with a wide range of tools and expertise. With a dedicated team of professionals by your side, you can navigate the world of modern marketing with confidence, knowing that you have a trusted partner committed to your success, offering guidance, support, and expertise every step of the way.

The Strategic Advantage of Utilizing A Full-Service Agency

Posted on April 1, 2024 at 7:29 pm.

Written by Epic Marketing

If you’ve ever wondered how you can maximize your business’ potential and impact, have you yet considered partnering with a full-service marketing and advertising agency?

As the landscape of business continues to change and evolve, the distinction between marketing and advertising needs to become less blurred. While both are integral components of any successful brand strategy, understanding the nuances of both elements and learning to harness their synergies can make all the difference.

Goal-oriented entrepreneurs and business owners need a comprehensive solution to the success of a business more now than ever. The solution? Full-service agencies.
Full-service marketing agencies offer the solution and holistic approach required so entrepreneurs can more easily navigate the complexities of modern marketing and advertising.

Rather than viewing these components as separate entities, full-service agencies recognize the interconnectedness of the overall marketing strategy and advertising tactic, making it easy to leverage the two in tandem for your maximum impact.

Below are 5 ways that a full-service digital marketing agency can more fully help you grow and succeed:

1. Unification of Brand Development

At its core, the value proposition of a full-service agency lies in its ability to provide a unified approach to brand development and promotion.

By integrating marketing and advertising efforts under one roof, entrepreneurs and businesses are guaranteed consistency across all points, from print ads to social media campaigns. This meld not only strengthens brand identity but also enhances overall brand perception, fostering trust and credibility among consumers, customers, and audience members.

Full-service agencies also offer a depth of expertise that extends beyond traditional marketing and advertising channels. With access to a diverse team of specialists – including strategists, creatives, analysts, and more – businesses can tap into a wealth of knowledge and experience to address their unique needs and challenges.

Whether it’s developing a comprehensive marketing plan, executing targeted advertising campaigns, or optimizing digital assets for maximum visibility, full-service agencies provide a breadth of services that cover every aspect of brand promotion.

2. In-Depth Support

In addition to the expertise brought to the table, full-service agencies also offer a level of flexibility that is unmatched by traditional marketing firms or in-house teams.

These agencies can tailor their services to accommodate a wide range of budgets, timelines, and objectives for small businesses with limited resources to large corporations with complex marketing needs.

If you’re looking for ongoing support and assistance, full-service agencies will confidently adapt to meet your evolving needs and goals. This ensures that your brand remains agile and competitive.

3. Scalability

Perhaps the most compelling element for collaborating among the full-service agency model is the potential for innovation and growth.

By consolidating your marketing and advertising efforts under a single umbrella, businesses can maximize collaboration and creativity, driving groundbreaking ideas and strategic initiatives that will propel them ahead.

With access to a full spectrum of resources and capabilities, businesses can comfortably experiment with new technologies, explore emerging trends, and push the boundaries of traditional marketing and advertising tactics.

4. Cost + Team Reduction

Partnering with a full-service agency also helps reduce marketing and backend effort costs significantly.

One of the primary ways in which full-service agencies drive cost savings is through efficiently streamlined operations. When you’ve consolidated your marketing and advertising efforts under the same roof, businesses eliminate the need to manage multiple vendors and coordinate separate campaigns. This consolidation not only simplifies the administrative burden but also reduces overhead costs associated with managing multiple external relationships.

So whether it’s combining website design with social media management or bundling search engine optimization (SEO) services, businesses are offered package deals that help move along the growth and efficiency of operations and campaigns.

And, instead of hiring and training an in-house team or relying on freelancers with varying levels of expertise, businesses can fully tap into the collective knowledge and skills of a dedicated team of professionals at a full-service agency. This not only ensures high-quality work but also minimizes the risk of costly mistakes or missteps that can arise from inexperienced personnel.

5. Gain a Better Understanding of Your Audience + Their Needs

Partnering with a full-service agency empowers businesses to gain a deeper understanding of their target audience through comprehensive data analysis, strategic insights, and audience segmentation techniques.

Full-service agencies can provide businesses with valuable insights into their consumer behaviors, preferences, and trends, offering helpful insights that will enable businesses to develop more targeted and personalized campaigns that resonate with their audience on a deeper level.

Whether it’s crafting personalized email campaigns, creating targeted social media ads, or developing custom landing pages, this agency model can help businesses more confidently craft the right campaign to deliver highly effective marketing communications that drive results.

Full-service agencies will also help businesses by conducting thorough market and consumer research to gather qualitative insights and feedback directly from the target audience. This data will provide businesses with a better understanding of their audience that goes beyond numbers and metrics. Once armed with this comprehensive understanding, businesses can make more informed decisions when refining their marketing strategies to build stronger, more meaningful relationships with their audience.

Working with EPIC

Epic Marketing understands the need for highly effective strategies and innovative moves for the success of a business or brand. As a full-service agency, we offer a wealth of resources and expertise (from this list and more) to help businesses thrive in today’s competitive landscape.

With a dedicated team of seasoned professionals and a comprehensive suite of services, technology, and resources, Epic Marketing is uniquely positioned to address the diverse needs and challenges of businesses across various industries.
One of the key ways in which we can help you and your business flourish is through our strategic (and interconnectedness mindset) approach to marketing and advertising, allowing us to develop tailored strategies that drive results.

We also offer a comprehensive approach to your brand development and promotion, ensuring consistency and cohesion across all elements of your business. As we provide end-to-end solutions that cover every aspect of your brand growth, we save you time, resources, and effort so you can continue to focus on what you do best – running the business.

Additionally, Epic Marketing is committed to delivering unparalleled results and driving measurable ROI for its clients. Through ongoing analysis and optimization, we work to ensure that our strategies remain aligned with your objectives and that we adapt to changing market conditions.

We work to deliver tangible outcomes that propel businesses forward. With a track record of success and a dedication to client satisfaction, Epic Marketing is the right partner of choice for businesses looking to thrive in today’s fast-paced, ever-changing digital world.

The benefits of using Epic Marketing as your full-service agency extends far beyond mere convenience or cost-effectiveness. Once you embrace the strategic advantage of our integrated marketing and advertising model, your business can unlock new opportunities for growth, innovation, and success. So no matter if you’re a startup looking to ditch the guesswork or an established brand seeking to stay ahead of the curve, partnering with Epic may be the key to realizing and reaching your full potential.

Hiring An Agency

Posted on July 14, 2021 at 3:43 pm.

Written by Epic Marketing

How to Hire a Marketing Agency

Hiring a marketing agency is a big step for any business. Whether you are a big or small company, entrusting your marketing endeavors to an external team can be daunting. Finding a good agency is an investment. It takes both money and time to find the right fit. And like all things, you run the risk of making the wrong decision. This is not meant to scare you, but to highlight the importance of thorough research and effective vetting. Before jumping into the “choosing an agency” process, it is best to start by asking yourself some basic questions.

Big Picture Questions

These big picture questions are meant to help you look at your business and its needs in a broad manner. Details are important. But a big picture focus identifies the framework of your marketing goals. Understanding why you want a marketing agency and your intent with that agency can set you on the right course when it comes to actually hiring one.

Are You Ready For An Agency?

Whether or not you’re ready for an agency is largely determined by what you’re looking for. A good rule of thumb is if you’re looking to check off tasks, consider hiring in-house marketing help. If your goal is to develop brand strategy and campaigns, opt for hiring an experienced marketing agency. The driver behind hiring an external team is they can look at your business from an outside perspective. They can use their industry knowledge to develop a marketing plan and strategy that you may have never considered.

Why do you want to hire an agency?

Your intent behind hiring an agency is indicative of whether it is the best idea or not. If you’re looking towards an agency because you’re frustrated with your sales and want an immediate fix, hiring an agency would be a waste of time and resources. Marketing is a long-term game with effects that are often felt further down the line. If you’re looking to set in place a foundation and plan for continued advertising, an agency partner can offer you that blueprint.

Long-term goals with the agency?

Consider your long term goals with an agency. Are you looking to develop a campaign for a specific product? Do you want to run ads for the foreseeable future? Figuring out what you want long term from an agency will not only help you choose the right fit but will also help the agency better serve you and adjust their strategic marketing plan to meet your needs.

Detail Oriented Questions

Now that we’ve covered the big picture, onto the details. Marketing is an industry that plays heavily on specifics. Your type of business, brand, and definition of success can all help you select the right agency for what you need. You will soon find that different agencies have different specialties and operate in different ways. Some of these will inevitably not be right for you. Establishing a selective set of needs will make your options more targeted.

Local or not?

The location of your marketing team depends mostly on your type of business and your preferences when it comes to meetings. For the most part, location-based companies, like storefronts, restaurants, or local services, prefer to work with a local company. A local company has a better idea of the advertising market in that specific area and can offer location-specific insights. If your business is entirely online, the location of your team may matter less. This being said, for either type of business, if you prefer to meet face to face and often, a team that is in your local area is better.

What kind of agency are you looking for?

Not all marketing agencies are built the same. There are full-service agencies that offer all marketing services and there are more specific agencies that specialize in a specific part of marketing whether that’s branding, content marketing, digital marketing, video production, social media marketing, web design, etc. If you’re looking for a specific service, say you want solely TV commercials or promotional videos, you may opt for a video-specific agency. If you’re looking for multiple agency services, a full-service agency may be the best fit. This way, all your services are sure to look consistent as they are all produced by the same team.

What are you looking to accomplish specifically?

It is important that your specific goals align with the goals of your marketing team. Different agencies will have different opinions on how to go about marketing your product or service. If you find that an agency is too far removed from what you want, it may not be the best fit. While it is important to keep an open mind when discussing marketing with marketing experts, sometimes it just doesn’t line up. Having a specific list of needs or goals ready to discuss can help guide you towards the right choice.

Steps To Hiring A Marketing Agency

Now that you have asked yourself some basic questions, it’s time to start the process of hiring an agency. It is important not to rush this process. Hurrying through the steps and hiring an agency quickly can not only lead to a loss of time and money but could significantly impact your business. When looking at different agencies, take your time, do your research, and be confident in the decision you make.

Research.

Good research is the foundation to finding the right marketing agency. Start narrowing your field by searching for specific elements you want, whether that is industry, location, price, etc. As you find potential contenders, start putting together a list. Be sure to look at individual agencies’ websites and their past work. Often the website will have a section of case studies or portfolios that outline past projects, processes, and results. Check out client reviews and testimonials to see how other companies would rate their experiences.

Request.

Once you’ve gathered your well-researched list, send out what is called a request for information (RFI). An RFI is an incredibly useful document for both parties. It allows you, the potential client, to outline your business’s background, needs, and wants. And it provides a place for you to collect information on the agencies you’re looking at. The agency that receives the document can now see exactly what you are looking for, and provide any information or numbers that were asked of them. These documents act as digestible summaries of your potential options.

Compare.

This is where the real selection starts. The requests that you collected in the previous step are an excellent launch pad for comparison. You have a snapshot of budgets, skills, and agency services that you can compare and contrast. This is the step where you begin to decide what factors are more important to you. Maybe you have a strict budget and the agency that offers the most within that sum is the best option. Or maybe you’re most interested in skillsets and willing to pay a little over what you had originally settled on. Ultimately this is where you look at all the research and resources that you collected and take your pick.

Start.

If you’ve made it this far, congrats! You have a new marketing agency. Now the fun starts. Your first meeting with the new team can be exciting and nerve-wracking. This is where you can start to outline the plan for your company’s marketing strategy. You’ll go over the different services and goals for each, and see how the team begins to develop your blueprint. This meeting is important for you to confirm that you’re confident in this decision. And remember, if it doesn’t work out, it’s okay to break up!

Marketing Agency Red Flags

When you’re on the agency hunt, it’s important to be wary of red flags. Here are 5 telltale signs to look out for when considering an agency.

They overpromise results

Marketing is a game of patience and consistency. If an agency promises you success immediately, you may want to consider why they would need to oversell.

They lack proof of past success

An agency that is confident in their abilities and has the results to prove it will post it to their site. If you can’t find any proof of success for an agency, it may mean it was never there to begin with.

They have poor communication

If an agency has poor communication at the very beginning, it won’t be there at the end. A lack of communication is a lack of transparency, and that is not something you want.

They use a lot of buzzwords

You don’t have to be a marketing genius to understand the basics of what an agency is helping you with. If all you hear are big, fluffy words and no explanations, it’s best to find someone else.

They have little to no client retention

They say the proof is in the pudding. In marketing, the proof is in the past clients. If an agency shows little to no client retention, the issue isn’t the clients, it’s them.

The Bottom Line

Hiring a marketing agency is an investment. It requires you to dedicate time, money, and energy. It is important to take your time, be thorough, and do your research. But, successful marketing efforts offer excellent return on that investment.

It may seem daunting, but we hope these steps ease some of those nerves. And if you’re looking for some help, fill out the contact form below. We look forward to chatting with you.

Mixing Up Media Buying

Posted on July 15, 2019 at 1:33 pm.

Written by Jenna Reeder

It takes several elements to put together a well-balanced media mix, just like a seven-layer dip. While each layer is great on its own, putting refried beans, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, cheese, onions, and tomatoes all together create the perfect game day snack. The same is true for creating the right media mix, while each media channel is (usually) a decent outlet individually, putting together the right mix can increase the performance of all platforms.

Walking down a red carpet to a formal gala with a seven-layer dip in hand probably wouldn’t go over well. But showing up to watch the Superbowl with one would make you the MVP of the party. It’s important to evaluate your entire situation before determining the mix. The client’s budget, target audience, industry, and market are just a few of the factors that have to be considered when putting together a media mix. You’ll need to understand which mediums you can afford, which ones will reach your target audience, how much media is needed, what the effective spend amount is for each platform, and how they will perform.

Ingredients

But wait! Before you can create a seven-layer dip, you need to decide what layers will be going into it. This dish is particularly flexible as you can simply add or replace one layer with something else. For instance, if you don’t like the taste of onions, you can replace it with black olives. If you’re not a fan of either, you can have a six-layer dip. With the wide variety of both digital and traditional channels, it’s important to know the value of each medium and how they work with the other media in the mix. (Remember in FRIENDS when Rachel made a Thanksgiving trifle dessert and added a layer of beef between the custard and banana layers?) Be sure not to have an outlier channel that throws off the flow or results of the campaign.

Ratio

Like any recipe, there are key ingredients and those that are used only to enhance the flavors. Too much, or too little, of one thing can ruin the entire dish. Similarly, putting together a media mix can be a delicate task. There is no one-size-fits-all media mix that can be used for every client. Knowing what the right amount is for each medium is something that takes strategy, time, and possibly even trial and error. It’s vital to know how much money it takes to be effective on each platform. For instance, you’d never be able to run an effective radio branding campaign with a mere $100. Some mediums have budget minimums for this reason. Know the point of diminishing return on digital media channels so you don’t overspend. Remember, like a seven-layer dip, to make the mix colorful. Utilize the different media platforms to reach your audience in multiple ways.

Developing a strong media mix takes a combination of strategy and creativity. Each client is going to have a different mix depending on their specific needs. In my experience, the budget is among the most important key factors to the plan. Depending on what the budget is, opportunities will either be open or closed for the media mix. There are many strategies of how to spend the budget and it takes some creativity to get everything to work together. If you are looking to advertise your product or service, reach out to me so I can try to help put together a powerful media mix for you.

Launching a Brand New Product: Tricks, Tips, and Traps

Posted on March 30, 2017 at 2:31 pm.

Written by Jared Cannon

Picture this: you just purchased that new piece of camping equipment you’ve wanted and you can’t wait to head to the mountains and see what it can do. But you’re not sure if it’s any good. Before your trip depends on it, you’d love a little guidance or even the chance to give it a test run.

That’s how you can feel when your business begins offering a new product or service. You’re really excited and can’t wait to get out there and tell everyone about it! This is really going to change lives, right? Well, maybe not change lives exactly… But new is better, right? So, where do you start? How do you get the word out about your latest and greatest idea? What obstacles might prevent your newest product from being instantly successful? Here are some key tricks, tips, and traps to keep in mind when venturing out from your main offering into something new and different.

One of the biggest roadblocks for a new business idea is budget. We recommend setting up a budget specifically for promoting the new service or product separate from other marketing expenses. This ensures that the new initiative is funded without depleting any existing promotions. Often, we encounter a situation where the client became overly-focused on the newest offering at the expense of tried-and-true services only to hit a painful surprise when overall sales sag. Don’t fall into the tempting trap of focusing all of your energy or resources on the new and ignoring what’s been working for you!

Another way to safeguard your latest success is to make your marketing effort fun! Creative social media campaigns are the perfect way to start the conversation. Begin with a plan and know what you want to say about the new service. A giveaway, contest, discount, or other incentive is a great place to start. This creates fresh new reason to engage and educate your fans that creates increased awareness for your new idea at the same time. And stick to it! The length of time you run a fun, fresh awareness campaign is vital to its success. Not days or weeks, either. Typically you’ll need 3-6 months for a new effort to gain traction and be able to honestly measure its effectiveness.

Offering a brand new service is thrilling but can be tricky to implement. If you have any questions or uncertainty about what methods you could be using to market your new service, Epic Marketing can help. We have the resources and expertise to take your company to new heights.

5 Common Misconceptions about Marketing

Posted on March 14, 2014 at 7:00 pm.

Written by Jared Cannon

[Updated: August 2018]

The concept of marketing is a very murky one. This is because marketing is the root of many different means of promoting your business. As a result, it’s easy to confuse the idea of marketing with the true purpose of marketing.

Digital Marketing Myths

We encounter a lot of reasons why companies think marketing isn’t right for them. Most of the time these reasons stem from failed attempts at marketing, and many of these failed attempts are a result of common marketing misconceptions. We can’t say it enough, there is so much more to marketing than just having a website, placing an ad, wrapping your car with graphics, or throwing up a billboard. The purpose of marketing is to implement a strategy that raises awareness about your business and persuades people to do business with you.

With that being said, there is a science to it and that is why there are professionals specializing in marketing. Below are five common marketing myths:

Marketing Myth #1: Marketing is Advertising—Well, yes and no. Without advertising, marketing is much less effective and without marketing, advertising can be a waste. In order to truly grow your business, you need both. Advertising is a branch of marketing through which your services can be presented to your audience, whereas marketing is the essence of reaching them.

This client invested in both an advertising and marketing campaign for their company. Through the efforts of traditional marketing and advertising and digital marketing, they continually see over 800 unique, quality leads.

Marketing Myth #2: Marketing is a waste of money—When this thought comes to mind, you’re effectively saying that your service or product is a waste of money. Think about it, you want to grow your business but you’re not willing to invest in marketing it, so aren’t you kind-of saying you’re services are not worth promoting? You’ve already invested in your business, now it’s time to invest in growing it. Without marketing, your business will have a very hard time getting you a return on your investment.

Marketing Myth #3: It takes too long to see a return on my marketing investment—If this is the case, your marketing strategy just might be the wrong one. There are a bunch of marketing opportunities out there and some can provide fast results, while others are more of a slow burn. Having marketing experts as a resource (who have been there and done that) will help you to know which strategies will bring rapid results and which strategies will build brand loyalty.

Speaking of rapid results – let’s put into perspective how quickly you can see an ROI if you invest in your marketing. This client saw a 200% increase in site traffic through digital marketing efforts like SEO, PPC and Facebook Advertising over the course of 4 months.

Marketing Myth #4: A friend of mine is a designer and can help me market—This is true, your friend can design something for you and help you market your business. But does your friend know how to design and target the audience you need to grow your business? Oftentimes, people put together a look for their business without considering the feel of that look. Professional designers and marketers know not only how to create a look, but also a feel for your business, instilling trust with your customers.

Marketing Myth #5: I just want to put a little bit of money towards marketing until I see results, then I’ll invest more—Is this a good marketing strategy? Maybe, maybe not, actually most likely not! We’re not trying to be the bearer of bad news here, but like we mentioned earlier, marketing is an investment in yourself and your business. Would you hire a personal trainer and say I’ll workout with you once every other week, and once I start seeing results, I’ll workout with you more? Common sense tells us you won’t see real results from putting forth minimum effort, you have to push the limits. When it comes to marketing, it’s important to strike a balance between what you can invest and what you should invest. There are strategies available that will get you amazing results for the best price, and having experts in your corner will get you there.

If you truly want your business to grow, marketing plays a key role in making this happen. Having a preconceived notion of what marketing is or isn’t only hurts your business opportunities. Marketing will help you reach the right audience, at the right time, through the right resources, with the right approach, and when executed correctly… it will succeed. To learn more about the campaigns we’ve run for our various marketing clients, check out Epic’s case studies!

The Importance of a Market Analysis

Posted on April 18, 2017 at 9:58 pm.

Written by Nick White

A complete market analysis is a cornerstone of a successful marketing and advertising campaign. All too often companies neglect to perform a thorough market analysis and are left to the bleak alternative of guesswork. Market analysis is a strategic management strategy that provides an analytical approach to answering some of your companies most difficult questions:

Who are our customers?
How competitive is the current market landscape?
How risky is entering this market?
How efficient are our branding efforts?

Most business plans start on a hunch that a product or service could sell or be beneficial to someone. That may have been enough to launch your idea off the ground, but in order to keep your business plans thriving, it’s important you get accurate and concise answers to these questions and to perform a SWOT analysis.

What is market analysis?

A market analysis is a qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the external market and your internal resources. Thorough market analysis adequately assesses opportunity, value, risk, customer purchasing behavior, competition, and economic entry barriers and regulations.

3 Reasons Market Analysis is Important

This strategic management strategy does not tell you exactly how you should run your marketing campaign or position your company’s brand. However, it provides analytical insight that allows you to steer your company and brand around barriers or obstacles that could have impeded or completely halted your company’s progression. So, while there are many, let’s focus on the top 3 reasons market analysis is important.

1. Market Analysis Puts Your Customer First

Not long ago, Harvard Business School professor, Clayton Christensen, shook up the marketing world when he asked, “What job are people hiring your product for?” This simple question opened a door for those selling commodities to differentiate themselves from their competition.

The principle at play in Professor Christensen’s idea can be summed up in just one sentence,

“People don’t want to buy a quarter-inch drill; they want a quarter-inch hole.” – Theodore Levitt

Once we discover that people are hiring our services or products we realize that our competitors are not always what we think. A morning bagel’s competition might be a fruit smoothie, or an ice cream sundae’s competition could be a pastry. These things are often competitors to the problem of morning hunger or late-night dessert, yet they are not always sold by the business you would generally consider your “competition.”

Market analysis allows you to optimize your service or product for the job your consumer is hiring it to do.

TAKE A LOOK AT HOW WE INITIATED A REBRAND THAT RESULTED IN 6.5X WEB CONVERSIONS.

2. Market Analysis Forces Companies to Look Inward

Starting your own company or managing one is often accompanied by a dose of egoism. It’s difficult to look at your product or service offering from a truly objective perspective because of how much you have invested. Market analysis forces companies to look inward and ask, “Why would consumers come to us?”

Critically acclaimed author Simon Sinek prompts business owners to think differently in regards to how they sell. He says, “People don’t buy what you do; people buy why you do it.”

He asks us to compare the following sales pitches:

“We make great computers. They’re beautifully designed, simple to use and user-friendly. Want to buy one?”

Versus:

“Everything we do, we believe in challenging the status quo. We believe in thinking differently. The way we challenge the status quo is by making our products beautifully designed, simple to use and user-friendly. We just happen to make great computers. Want to buy one?”

This principle is especially important when your product or service is tied to the consumer’s self-actualizing vision of themselves. This benchmarking principle is more apparent in the apparel business than any other. Take the members of the surf culture around the North Shore of Hawaii, for example. Do you think they care how breathable the fabric of their t-shirt is? Or the thread-count of their hoodie? No. Their predominant want is to identify with a brand that helps them feel like their best self.

Market analysis forces companies to consider how their product makes their consumer feel and to what degree that feeling is driving the purchase decision.

TAKE A LOOK AT HOW WE TURNED AN INTERNATIONAL LAW FIRM’S BRAND FROM COMMONPLACE TO CONTEMPORARY

3. Market Analysis Helps Determine Your Unique Sales Proposition

Though they are not always semantically agreed upon, there are five ways a company can differentiate their product or service in order to make it appealing to customers. Market analysis enables you to determine which of these methods of differentiation would be the most effective way to enter the market through strategic control.

Brand- Companies differentiate themselves by brand by standing for something or associating their brand with a cause.
Ex: TOMS’ slogan is, “One for One.” Their initiative to give shoes to the impoverished and shoeless is built heavily into their branding strategy. This branding strategy seeks to resonate with empathetic people who can turn a common purchase into one that helps others.
Product- Companies differentiate themselves by product by positioning themselves as the highest quality product on the market.
Ex: BMW’s slogan is, “The Ultimate Driving Machine.” Their branding and marketing goals set out to position themselves as the best car someone can own in the minds of their consumers.
Service- Companies with organizational structure differentiate themselves by service by offering a one-of-a-kind experience for their customer; this is typically done by showing exceptional customer service.
Ex: Nordstrom’s mission statement begins with, “To provide outstanding service every day one customer at a time.” Nordstrom’s has been accredited for having an extremely lenient return policy, swift response time to customer inquiry via email and even social media. Their brand is built around treating their customers with care and they are therefore retained.
Price- Companies differentiate themselves by price by positioning themselves as the most affordable or even the most expensive.
Ex: Wal-Mart’s slogan is, “Save money. Live better.” After Wal-Mart introduced their price matching program, they successfully branded themselves as the most affordable grocer by doing just that, literally being the most affordable.
Audience- Companies differentiate themselves by audience by branding their product or services to specifically aid or benefit a certain group or type of person.
Ex: Whole Foods’ brand is reflected in their motto, “Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet.” Because their branding stands for healthy living, it often resonates with healthy people. Because of this people are often willing to pay more for the shopping experience.

Take a look at these two e-commerce Cheerio’s offers. Can you guess which one is from Wal- Mart and which is from Whole Foods?

Using market analysis to determine your entry point and your unique selling proposition is crucial for creating a sustainable business model.

Marketing analysis is the first step to making data-driven decisions in your business plan. Get in touch with our marketing team to see how we can assist you with finding your brand voice and your audience.

Marketing Psychology 101: How to Get Inside the Mind of Your Target Market

Some of Our Recent Work

The Danger of False Advertising

Posted on April 6, 2012 at 10:00 pm.

Written by Nick White

In the healthcare industry, false advertising claims are not taken lightly. Recently, a prominent chiropractor and marketing consultant was fined $1.125 million in a fraud settlement for making unsubstantiated claims about the DRX-9000 traction device.

According to the filed complaint, the Danville chiropractor sold marketing materials to chiropractors nationwide that falsely promoted the DRX-9000 as “patented,” breakthrough medical technology, “approved by the FDA,” and “developed by NASA.” These claims were determined by officials to be false and that they preyed on a vulnerable audience. Additionally, he received sales commissions from the manufacturers of the device.

In today’s world, your competitors are waiting to file a complaint with your local DA for the smallest infraction. When it comes to your personal brand and livelihood, why leave the marketing responsibilities up to someone who doesn’t have your best interest in mind or who lacks the knowledge of federal and local advertising laws? Ultimately, the business owner is responsible, not the person or entity creating the marketing. Don’t put your business at risk! The use of unsupported content in your advertising material leaves the door wide open for lawsuits and fines.

Typically advertisers include deceptive or even false claims because they want to generate a better response. At Epic Marketing, we take every precaution to create content for our clients that is not misleading or illegal. Through our years of experience, we have learned how to effectively promote your business without putting you in harm’s way.

What Makes a Good Ad?

Posted on February 16, 2017 at 10:12 pm.

Written by Nick White

What is it that makes a good ad? Is it the pictures/video? Is it what is written or said? Is it the creative elements that cause you to feel something after you have been exposed to it?

We believe that a good ad is one that is written and designed to emotionally connect with its target audience. Once connected, your ad’s rhetoric strongly persuades its consumer to want the product or service. The individual recognizes a need for it and feels a sense of urgency until the purchase is made.

Nonetheless, this is all easier said than done. When you’re competing for ad space in 2017 there’s little vacancy for mediocrity. Anything short of disruptive or highly targeted ends up falling short. Here are some ad related statistics that will acquaint you with the advertising industry of today–

-In 2015, digital ad blocking grew globally by 41%.

-Approximately 90% of TV viewers report, “always skipping” ads on DVR.

–Adobe reports that only 8% of people pay attention to online ads, 16% for radio ads and 14% for billboards. Ads in apps and games bottomed-out at 5%.

There are a wide range of ad styles and each are appropriate depending on the product or service that is being offered. With that in mind, here are some things that, if done correctly, will improve the quality and response to your next ad:

Compelling Hi-Res Visuals

After experimenting with the effectiveness of online imagery, Dan Zarrella of Hubspot, reported that, “[A] 37% increase in engagement [was] experienced when Facebook posts include[d] photographs.”

Visuals are one of the first things people look at when viewing an advertisement. In advertising, the old adage, “a picture is worth a thousand words” really fits. For example, you can probably think of some advertisements you’ve seen that are mainly just an image with little text. The ad visual should complement the ad headline, copy, and overall message.

Take a look at how we optimized images and responsiveness for a client website to increase web form conversions by 550%.

Effective Headline

Without question, digital advertisers are in the business of capturing attention. Though you may have put hours, weeks or even months into prepping the content that’s behind the click, your headline is what must compel them to do so.

In regards to the average Google searcher, Forbes reports, “it now takes people on average about eight or nine seconds to find the result they want.”

Moz also reports, “80% of readers never make it past the headline.”

We naturally search the internet with impulsiveness and impatience. When it comes to search engines, we’re anxious to get from A to B as fast as possible. We reserve our consciousness and focus for our destination and not the journey. So it would make sense that we ought to create headlines that cater to our naturally click-happy audience.

Because headlines are implicitly the first thing your viewer pays attention to, your headline should be attention-grabbing but should also encompass the overall message in a short sentence. Headlines can be thought-provoking, strictly informative, humorous, etc., but effective headlines have one thing in common: they all leave their reader wanting more.

Well-written Copy

If your headline and visuals have been effective enough to keep viewers reading, well-written copy will be the next aspect of your ad that will compel viewers to take action. If Moz’s report about 80% of users never making it past the headline is true, that means, if we read between the lines, 20% of users do make it past the headline.

So what now? Ad copy should be creative, concise and easy to read but also have compelling and relevant content. Avoid using jargon or excessive information that doesn’t contribute directly to the overall message of the advertisement.

Calls the Viewer to Action

Without a strong call to action, your advertisement probably won’t get the results you’re expecting it to. A call to action is defined as something in the ad that gives them an incentive to call or contact you now. Your ad’s call to action should be well thought out and defined. Make sure that your contact information is clearly visible and not surrounded by clutter. Though you may feel it’s important that your visitors become informed, have a positive branding experience with your company or visit a high number of pages, remember you ultimately created your ad so people can convert.

See how we helped a new york city client achieve 386 unique first-time callers in a single month.

Here are some key factors to consider when crafting your CTA-

– More than 90% of visitors who read your headline also read your CTA copy.

– Making CTAs look like buttons created a 45% boost in clicks for Create Debate.

– Emails with a single call-to-action increased clicks 371% and sales 1617%.

Overall, great advertisements connect to their audience and provide memorable, informative, and compelling content that get viewers respond to the call to action. Need help creating great ads? Contact Epic Marketing to find out how we can successfully boost your digital marketing campaign with great ads.