My father is a carpenter. He has been a carpenter all his life. For over 35 years that’s the only thing that he did. He works with wood panels on a daily basis . Every day, he counts and manages them and fits wood in various pieces of furniture.
When you ask him something related to furniture you need to be specific. The other day I asked him for a few wooden frames. He said “that’s not how it works,you don’t just ask for a few frames. I need the exact length and width. You also need to tell me if the frame needs a hole for hanging on the wall, if I need to make room for plywood in the back. Also, does it have to be thick or thin, varnished or polished? And what color do you want?”
For me, it seemed just a frame but he approached it in a different way. He needed specific information in order to make a simple frame.
That’s how I see things in marketing as well. When you ask for something from your marketing department make sure you ask a relevant question.
Make sure you provide all the information they need. Don’t give them information that will confuse them after. I know you think that only the marketing department can help you with what you’re asking for. Marketing can move things fast, but let’s not forget that sometimes it can pull you behind. And this is caused by lack of information.
So you need to provide specific information to your marketing department. Also make sure that you’re speaking the same language. If they think in marketing terms and you think in sales terms, or human resources how are you going to understand what’s being said?
It’s the same with design. You think you need a design. But the mere fact that you’re working with an agency that designs logo, websites or manages social media ad campaigns, it doesn’t mean you have a good design.
How many meetings do you have with the agency until they give you a presentation of your brand? How much information did you give them before they designed your image? Yes, Yes, I get it, you don’t have time. You have to sell your merchandise and pay your suppliers.
But if you don’t have the time to define your image then why do you even need it? Because everyone has one? Wrong. If you’re doing it just because everyone has one, you shouldn’t do it.
A professional agency will shape your brand but it will ask for accurate information in order to know what to create. Because they don’t just think about a logo and a slogan they create an image.
How much information do you give your agency to enable them to create a good design? Also, do you know the value of professionals?
At our house, when anything broke, from the closet door to the kitchen faucet to the electric panel, my father knew one thing. If it wasn’t his job, he wouldn’t do it. If the faucet is broken, call a plumber. If we have problems with the power flow, call an electrician. If the closet door squeaks, call a.. actually he can repair that.
My father did what he knew best. He wouldn’t work on things he didn’t know anything about. This wasn’t just about the house, it was other areas as well. If the trees were beginning to make shriveled leaves, he spoke with the neighbor, who had over 30 years of gardening experience. Only then would he do something about it.
If something is broken, call a specialist.
If your brand is “broken”, call a specialist. If there is a problem in the marketing department, call a specialist. If your banner ads don’t look as good as you want them to, learn to work with professional tools.
And furthermore, don’t try to fix something that you don’t know anything about.
So what I’ve learned from him is that you cannot get into an issue you’re not prepared for or you know nothing about.
What about you guys? Did you have any eye opening experience that changed the way you view marketing, advertising or design?