SEO is part of a much larger marketing conversation.

Maximize consumer engagement through better experiences.

Creative Department has a long history of providing our clients with simple solutions for this complex world, a focus which has resulted in business success for our clients.

With so much emphasis on consumers’ digital experiences, we wanted to offer a few basic thoughts on Search Engine Optimization, based on nearly 15 years developing digital content. Here are a few important SEO points to keep in mind as you work to maximize your consumer engagement.

The landscape has shifted. Over the last 3-5 years SEO has become more competitive than ever. This is due to algorithm shifts and an increase in the number of websites. Your approaches to SEO just might need an evaluation and an upgrade, especially considering how quickly things change in the digital world.

Part of a larger marketing strategy. We believe in the power of SEO. However, the Creative Department perspective is that SEO should be utilized as a component to a larger online marketing strategy. It cannot be thought of as just adding keywords to a website and a ranking for a singular term. Because if that’s your expectation, you’re probably missing some serious horsepower in your marketing drivetrain.

When promoting a website online we must think of all of the other digital channels that ladder up to a holistic digital strategy. These include, but are not limited to Paid Search, Content Marketing, Social Media, Video, Display, Remarketing, Email and Marketing Automation. Consistency in messaging – one of the amazing benefits of search optimization – will make certain these touchpoints work as hard as possible, all within the brand’s established guidelines.

Building better websites. At Creative Department, our take is that SEO isn’t just about building a search engine friendly website. It’s about building a website that is better for people. Websites that are engaging, easy to access, and use. (There’s that CD focus on “simple solutions” again.) Because with a focus on maximizing consumer experience, you create websites that solve problems for your clients, resulting in stronger leads and increased sales.

Three basic forms. Not all SEO is created to accomplish the same results. Here are factors to consider:

Technical SEO: Promotes health of site for search engines to index and promote the site within search rankings.

On-page SEO: Website content that aligns to users’ keyword searches for improved rankings of the website in results.

Off-page SEO: Citations, local listings, and online reviews help users discover local solutions, resulting in organic traffic and increased local rankings.

A few words about keywords. Sometimes, when adequate research isn’t available at the start of an assignment, which is often the case in the current climate of ever-tightening budgets, we use our instincts and evaluate a broad range of keywork options. That way, we don’t miss a creative solution that offers a strong consumer connection.

Writing for effective SEO. Once you’ve found your essential keywords, we recommend that you first start by including them in on-page copy to help with SEO. These should be incorporated into current pages or utilized in creating more effective new content. But that’s just the start of their impact.

Ultimately, promotion is just part of the challenge. Yes, a smart SEO effort can help get the right eyes on your website, but you’re not exercising the right marketing muscle if you haven’t considered the consumer experience once they find you. Whether you’re making a simple improvement to an existing site or building one from scratch, you should have a good sense of the actions you want them to take. That’s a key component of a solid SEO strategy.

Emotion, trust, and technology.

The past six months have been a period of uncertainty and tremendous challenge for marketers, as well as the advertising agencies that support them. Yet in the midst of the tumult, opportunities have continued to emerge – an entrepreneur with a good idea is hard to restrain.

Consider the technology sector. From our perspective, technology start-ups have never slowed down. Over the past year, Creative Department has begun working with a number of emerging technology companies. We’re helping them tell their stories in compelling ways, and they’re connecting with their customers on a deeper level.

What we believe is, the value of technology is ultimately determined by its human impact.

Technology without human consequence is essentially a schematic drawing, but technology that understands its relationship to people has a head start on becoming a brand. And the real money is in brands, not schematic drawings.

The writer Darren Menabney speaks to this truth in an April 2019 issue of Fast Company:

“Many startups focus excessively on data, specs, and financials when presenting or pitching to investors, business partners, or prospective employees. Of course, those numbers matter, but data is not enough, and specs are not enough. You need to add some emotion, some relatability, some human dimension to that data. Stories will do that.”

He goes on to say:

“Storytelling is a powerful tool. It builds memory, empathy, and trust between the storyteller and the listener. It’s something that persuades far more effectively than any other form of communication, because we humans are storytelling creatures by nature. The biggest and most successful brands know this.”

You can read the rest of Darren’s thinking here:

https://www.fastcompany.com/90328836/three-stories-every-startup-needs-to-tell

The secret to connecting technology to story? Our deep knowledge of consumer behavior — knowing why people do what they do. That informs everything. Ultimately, there is a human backdrop to everything we do, from strategy to execution. Technology start-ups seem to understand the value in this perspective.

If you’re an entrepreneur with a technology start-up but no story, contact Lauren Anderson at [email protected] or 513-651-2901. It’s time to show your human side.

Creative Department celebrates the “news.”

New address, new website, new clients: the past six months have been particularly active at Creative Department. Let’s take them in order.

We moved into our new office space in January. The address is 532 Reading Road, just two blocks from our original space on Sycamore. Our new space was designed in partnership with Urban Sites and built with an eye toward environmental responsibility. For example, our new space takes advantage of an abundance of natural light, eliminating much of the need for additional light sources. It’s also allowed us to add more live plants, including a plant wall in our front conference room (boosting spirits a bit even in the dead of winter). For the ultimate in abundant light, there’s our roof-top deck – perfect for blue-sky thinking and open-air lunches and happy hours.

But if you know anything about Creative Department, you know that we’ve always been an energetic agency. So, while the new office was being designed and constructed, we created a brand-new agency website. We tore our old site down to the bones, rethought everything, and built from scratch.

The new site celebrates our work – for clients such as the Cincinnati Zoo, the Lindner Center of Hope, Sibcy Cline – as well as some of our most successful campaigns from the past. These case studies demonstrate how we provide clients with simple ideas for a complex world, which is the foundation of the CD brand.

Our site also includes a new blog format, called “Sphere,” where we share ideas and inspirations that help make us a better agency, and better people.

Finally, in the past six months we’ve added five new clients to our roster, from healthcare and finance to AI technology and consumer packaged goods. These clients have allowed us to stretch our creative skills and show our clients ideas they had never considered for their brands.

If you’d like to know more about how we can use our expertise to help you grow your business, give Lauren Anderson a call. 513-434-8552.

We’d love to make the next “new” about you.

Celebrating the launch of our new website on the roof:

Humor is a funny thing. But does it sell?

What a great discussion to have in a world that could use a smile or two.

At Creative Department we believe the value of humor in advertising remains under appreciated within the marketing community. Humor can be bold, confident and memorable, and we’ve never been afraid to give it a go. We’ve leveraged humor in campaigns for a local bakery, a crystal barware manufacturer, and a scrap metal recycling company. And it works hard to gain attention for these clients.

Magda Kay, in her Psychology for Marketers blog, raises some great points about using humor to connect consumers to marketers. She sites examples such as the super funny Dollar Shave Club “Our blades are #@%$* great” awareness campaign, which happened to garner 10 million views online. That’s a lot of views. And you can bet that happened because the target loved the irreverent humor, and shared the campaign liberally.

Magda states “The reason why many advertising and marketing experts suggest you do use humor, is because it’s fundamental to forming positive relationships. We buy from companies we like, and humor is the easiest and fastest way to get there.”

In other words, using humor makes your brand seem friendly, human, and accessible. And when you’re dealing with people these are generally good things. Of course, there are occasions where humor just isn’t right, but we don’t have to tell you that. Some experts warn that there’s a risk that the humor overwhelm the message, and you won’t recall the brand, but we believe true examples of that are rare.

Magda also offers an important thought on the “selling” aspect of a campaign: “Any campaign you work on has the objective of selling. But if you break down the process, sales never come first. You have a list of steps your prospects need to go through before they are ready to see the offer.” Here’s the link if you’d like to read her post in full. http://psychologyformarketers.com/does-humor-in-advertising-help-sell-more/

Overall, we completely agree with Magda. We believe that using humor, when appropriate, gives a brand an instant edge in creating memorable, effective advertising. And maybe the campaign will get millions of shares, like Dollar Shave Club.

So, perhaps the question should be, “Does humor entertain, engage, and ultimately lead to sales?” We believe the answer is yes.

Here are a few examples of Creative Department humor.

SEO strategy: More than just keywords.

Maximize consumer engagement through better experiences.

Creative Department has a long history of providing our clients with simple solutions for a complex world, a focus which has resulted in business success for both clients and agency.

The landscape has shifted. Over the last 3-5 years SEO has become more competitive than ever. This is due to algorithm shifts and an increase in the number of websites. Your approach to SEO just might need an evaluation and an upgrade, especially considering how quickly things change in the digital world.

Three basic forms. Not all SEO is created to accomplish the same results. Here are factors to consider:

Technical SEO: Promotes health of site for search engines to index and promote the site within search rankings.

On-page SEO: Website content that aligns to users’ keyword searches for improved rankings of the website in results.

Off-page SEO: Citations, local listings, and online reviews help users discover local solutions, resulting in organic traffic and increased local rankings.

A few words about keywords. Sometimes, when adequate research isn’t available at the start of an assignment, which is often the case in the current climate of ever-tightening budgets, we use our instincts and evaluate a broad range of keyword options. That way, we don’t miss a creative solution that offers a strong consumer connection.

Remember to use a keyword in headlines and subheads, but use them judiciously. They don’t need to be everywhere to be effective.

The Perfect Client

Really, what we are all looking for, whether agency or client, is a perfect fit.

Recently a prospective client asked Creative Department what we look for in a client? We actually had the answer. Because after 28 years, you think about things like that a lot.

The Perfect Client:

Develops a desirable product – The work is always better when we believe in the product.
Teams with us upfront – We always find when we have a seat at the table with our clients it sets us up for success. This teamwork makes the creative product stronger.
Sets clear expectations – From defining the budget, to clarifying the desired ROI, clear expectations set the course for great deliverables and a great working relationship.
Demands creative solutions – We look at every brand as an opportunity to build something bigger. When you demand creative solutions, we look for new and unique ways to deliver the best solutions.
Resists approval by committee – The sudden death of a powerful creative idea is usually approval by committee.
Takes calculated risks – We encourage creativity, knowing it comes with a certain amount of risk. Our goal is to help your brand stand out in the sea of sameness.
Celebrates results – When our creative makes our clients shine it ultimately makes us shine too. That’s something to celebrate.

When we’re in synch with a client on these points, we’re usually wildly successful. But this isn’t only about our “perfection” criteria; there’s an evaluation that must occur from the client side, too. We recommend that you choose your next agency based on the following factors.

The Perfect Agency:

Respects the power of the consumer – Creative Department uncovers the consumer truths as the basis of a strong marketing campaign.
Teams with you seamlessly – We champion your brand management and help you gain alignment with internal stakeholders and partners at every stage. Never underestimate the strength of an agency’s listening skills and the communication tools they use.
Provides clear strategic vision – With a holistic understanding of your target that’s revealed through the Discovery process, we create a plan to reach the target audience(s) with the right message, at the right time and on the right platform. This strategic vision is key to the success of the work.
Sets and exceeds expectations – Our Creative Brief details objectives, communication priorities and core insights to guide conceptual development and execution. Our focus: Make certain your brand rises above the cluttered marketplace
Cuts through the clutter – There is a human approach to everything we do. Because we believe that the brands that connect on a human level are the ones that build relationships with their customers and do cut through the clutter.
Fuels brand passion in any medium – Digital media channels have completely shifted the balance of power from brands to consumers. As more and more messages bombard those we are trying to reach, the new challenge is to make connections. We believe in the power of Simple Connections in a Complex World.
Celebrates results – We’re driven by our desire to help our clients succeed because we’re obsessed with results. Then we celebrate.

Really, what we’re all looking for, whether agency or client, is a perfect fit. A relationship shared on honesty and trust, where both partners understand and respect the goals and aspirations of the other.

Driven by the thought that yesterday’s brilliance is already getting stale – time to make more. This kind of thought doesn’t just happen. It starts with a great attitude and a driven team. Let us if when you are ready to get started working on that new project, and we will make sure we are the perfect fit.