Blog – Page 4 – Creative Agency Blog

Our Summer Destinations In & Around Haverhill

Ah, summer. Barbeques, venturing to the beach, spending time out in the sunshine… it’s a great time of year. We thought we’d list some of the fun places in and around Haverhill before the fall is upon us. Art, music, food – you name it; there’s something for everyone!

Turkey Hill Farm

380 Middle Road, Haverhill

Summertime is perfect for picking fresh fruit – we are lucky to have such a wonderful farm so close by. Turkey Hill has blueberries and raspberries available for picking, depending on when you go. Keep in mind that come winter months, they are known for their Christmas trees.

Skip’s

32 East Main Street Merrimac, MA

Skip’s, a local favorite, is a hamburger joint located in Merrimac, right next to Haverhill. They have got burgers, fries, milkshakes and your traditional fare. On Saturday nights, they have “cruise night”, featuring show cars, music, a raffle, and more.

Chunky’s Cinema Pub

371 Lowell Avenue, Haverhill

Chunky’s is a unique movie theater experience. Instead of traditional movie theater seating, moviegoers sit in authentic leather Lincoln Town car recliners alongside tables. They have a menu offering appetizers, meals, drink and desserts, which are delivered right to your table.

Canobie Lake Park

85 N. Policy Street, Salem, NH

This amusement park has attractions for everyone to enjoy, from small rides geared towards little ones, to exhilarating roller coasters… and everything in-between! With free parking and plenty of dining options, it’s a great way to spend the day. There are some water rides and a water park, too, for when a break from the sunshine is needed.

Willow Springs Vineyards

840 West Lowell Ave, Haverhill

Last fall, Primary Design took a trip to Willows Springs Vineyard, located right here in Haverhill. The family-owned farm winery produces and bottles all handcraft wines on-site. They offer tours, wine tastings (often paired with cheese – yum!) and sell by both the bottle and glass. Stop by and enjoy a taste on the wrap-around deck while enjoying their great view of Haverhill.

Photographs courtesy of Heather Lindberg

In Advertising, Timing Is Everything

If a tree falls in a forest, and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? This age old question can be used to provoke thoughts into a myriad of things, and one of those is advertising. We as advertisers face the challenge of proper timing – the money spent on media space as well as the design, copy writing and production of your ad can literally be worthless with a bad media buy if your target consumer is not present during the ad’s exposure.

So, how can you determine where your customers will be, and more importantly, when? Below are four steps to take to when identifying which media to buy for your product or service to ensure you’re getting in front of your target audience when it counts.

Step 1: Identify Target Market(s)

There are many different factors that come into play, and it gets a little more complicated than marketing candy to kids during Halloween. Each product or service being marketed comes with a certain set of demographics, which in turn determines the place and timing of all of the pieces of the media mix. So, the very first step in making sure your ads are noticed by your consumers is figuring out exactly who they are.

Step 2: Understand Seasonality

How do you know which season, or time of year to advertise your product or service? If your product relies on seasonality, such as hiking in New England, advertising volume and frequency should be significantly increased leading up to and during the springtime, coinciding with demand. On the other hand you should likely pause your spend during the winter months when your consumers having hiking the furthest from their mind.

Step 3: Know the Decision Day

Let’s take a look at the day of the week. An advertisement involving a fashion item for purchase has the best success on a Thursday. All products that involve travel, like hotels, B&Bs, airlines, etc., experience the highest traffic during the beginning of the week – people want to plan their next vacation when they’re looking forward to the next time they can get away, be it a case of the Mondays, or a Tuesday that seems to drag on forever… you get the idea. Or let’s say you’re having an event over the weekend. You want to remind people leading up to, and even the day of, the event so it won’t slip their mind.

Step 4: Focus on the Hour

Next, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty. What’s the best time of day to reach your target audience? Consumers tend to engage with social media during the week, mostly between 12-4pm. Same goes for eBlasts – emails sent out at once to a mailing list. If your product is targeting mothers with newborns, a banner ad displayed around 7am would probably go unseen, considering any said mother is probably rushing around, trying to get her family fed, and out the door.

At Primary Design, we take all of these steps in order to deliver our Clients ads at the most opportune times. With a little research and introspection into your target audience, you can plan accordingly and have a better chance at capturing their attention. Need some help figuring all of this out? Get in touch.

Ready, Aim, Target: A Guide to Internet Ad Targeting

Humans are creatures of habit – it is an undisputed fact. From rituals like brushing your teeth to watching the game on Sunday afternoons, there is definite comfort in routine. It’s no different on the Internet either. We visit the same websites, during the same time frequencies and patterns as we did the prior week (more or less) leaving a trail of data in our path. As we navigate the Internet, we are being tracked by a series of measures such as Cookies, IP address activity, Tracking and Targeting Pixels to name a few.

Additionally, tracking consumer patterns by collecting data with the wide array of technology that is now available makes the process of predictive targeting quite simple. If we can gauge what a customer likes, does not like, or has repeatedly purchased, we have better chances at predicting what they will do in the future, and discover how to best target them with our ads. How can we, as marketers and advertisers, use this data to our advantage in order to know where and when our consumers are surfing the web during an opportune time for our ad to be served?

As far as Internet advertising goes, there are different strategies you can use to implement your CRM to target these future customers. Here are a few we at Primary Design like to use:

Social Media

With Facebook boasting over 1 billion active users globally (Desktop and Mobile), it’s an important tool for marketers. Facebook allows marketers to target users by zip codes (or radius’ around cities), age, gender, languages, interests, and behaviors such as charitable donations and purchase behavior (like clothing, health and beauty, etc.). In addition, Facebook’s Power Editor allows you to create custom audiences to further target your campaigns.

Ad Exchange Advertising

Defined as “a digital marketplace that enables advertisers and publishers to buy and sell advertising space, often through real-time auctions,” these are “most often used to sell display, video and mobile ad inventory.” Examples are BingAds (Bing and Yahoo) and DoubleClick Ad Exchange (Google). See this effective and easily digestible explanation on Ad Exchanges from Digiday.com.

Programmatic Media Buying Platforms

These platforms function by using software that allows them to filter through millions of data points (such as household income brackets, age, interests, past purchases, geography, content, etc.) in order to reach the core group of potential future customers (based on your CRM data).

SmartPhone / Tablet

This type of advertising is usually targeted by combinations of geofencing or geotargeting and monitoring SmartPhone behavior (purchases made, apps downloaded, etc.). There are endless companies that offer this service. Smaato and Millenial Media are both widely used.

Banner Buys on Individual Websites

This type of media buying allows advertisers to reach audiences at a very local/community level. These individual publishers might include local blogs or hyper local news sites, both of which sometimes allow content targeting, such as confining the banner(s) to a Real Estate page or a Lifestyle page.

As a marketer, the types of targeting you’ll want to implement are determined by the product you’re marketing. For example, if you’re marketing a luxury automobile, you’ll likely not want to filter by age group, since someone in their 30’s may be just as likely to make this type of purchase as someone in their 50’s. If the product happens to be a surfboard, however, it would make sense to aim for groups that live near the coast. Targeting helps businesses zero in on the consumers most likely to make a purchase.

By applying these strategies, you’ll drive more qualified traffic to your website, which will lead to a higher customer conversion rate and a lower cost per customer acquired. Get in touch with us if you’d like to learn more!

4 Tips for Better Performing PPC Ads

Pay per click (PPC) advertising has become one of the quickest and most effective ways to acquire new customers. The attention span of the consumer has diminished, which means there is only a small window of opportunity to compete with other advertisers and capture their attention.

Because of this, it is not only important to have your ad in front of customers at the right time, but also that your ad is engaging and interesting.

PPC ads – you know, those little text boxes that pops up on top and to the side after every search in Google, Bing, and any other search engine – are an excellent way to get in front of your customers. Over a million businesses have turned to Google AdWords alone, which help them to boost online sales and site traffic, among countless other things.

So how do you compete for your potential customer’s clicks among millions of other ads? You’ll need a good headline, a well-communicated message, and a few other details to improve your ad’s performance. Below are 4 helpful tips for better PPC ads:

1. Add interest

Pose what your customer needs as a question. By doing so, your customer sees that that you have what they are looking for.

Ex. Looking for a new car?
Ex. Need a landscaper?

2. Include special offers

This tried-and-true method gives the customer incentive to respond to your ad by offering them a deal they might not find elsewhere.

One month free!
Free kid’s meal!
$99 deposit!
$0 down!

3. Add more content

Avoid repeating your company’s name in the ad since it will likely already be displayed in the URL. With limited characters available, this gives you the opportunity to put more content in your ad. Unless, of course, you’re running a branding campaign

4. Use calls to action

In the ad itself or by using ad extensions. Here’s where you can encourage the customer to take the initiative and pick up the phone and call, send an email, etc.

So, there you have it! By using these four tips, you’ll be sure to produce higher click-through rates which will surely lead to more customers.

Our Top 5 Haverhill Spots for Happy Hour

The Tap

Address: 100 Washington Street Website: TapBrewingCompany.com

The Tap Brewing Company is located in the heart of downtown Haverhill. What makes this spot unique is the fact that it has a back deck seating with a fantastic view of the river, which is perfect for warm summer months. Being a microbrewery, the Tap brews all of its own beer in house – each with a fun and unique name. We highly recommend the Sassy Rabbit, among others.

The Peddler’s Daughter

Address: 45 Wingate Street Website: ThePeddlersDaugter.com

This little spot – with the traditional charm of a cozy pub you’d expect to find in Ireland – is conveniently located in the building right next door to us here at Primary Design. Their menu is known for its classic Irish fare, offering choices such as a scotch egg, as well as a corned beef sandwich. The selection of beer is also quite a delight, and the Celtic music truly adds to the atmosphere. A fun place to meet with friends, watch a game, or visit on St. Patrick’s Day!

The Barking Dog Ale House

Address: 77 Washington Street Website: BarkingDogAle.com

The Barking Dog is a great addition to the restaurant district, and has a vast menu chock filled with beer, cocktail and wine options, and plenty of tasty food. With 40 draft lines as well as a plethora of rare bottled brews, the Barking Dog has beer connoisseurs coming back again and again. Set in an old bank building, the historic charisma of Haverhill combined with the bustling atmosphere is sure to satisfy.

Han’s Garden

Address: 114 Washington Street Website: HansGarden.com

A local favorite, Han’s is known for its cocktails and exotic drinks. It has a sports bar feel, but serves Chinese cuisine. The bartender, Tony, is a true mixologist who makes a mai-tai second to none. On weekend nights it can get very busy, so heading down a bit early for a bite to eat isn’t a bad idea to beat the crowds!

Essex Street Grille

Address: 25 Essex Street Website: EssexStreetGrille.net

This cozy little gem located on Essex Street, right in the building with the Essex Street Gateway Mural. While Essex Street Grille is known for its eclectic dinner menu, it also has expertly crafted cocktails, fine wines and aperitifs. This is a great destination if you’re looking for more intimate, sit-down setting.

Social Media and the Consumer Paradigm Shift

Before social media was such a large part of our culture, options to deliver messages to brands with a compliment, complaint, or feedback about a product or service were limited to snail mail and telephone calls. These methods didn’t always result in a direct or quick answer, and, in all likelihood, fell upon deaf ears since brands really weren’t held accountable by any external forces, like, say, the internet.

Today, thanks to the power and transparency of social media, smart brands are realizing that consumers are now the ones who dictate the products and services they offer – not the other way around. So, in order to be successful in business in the modern era, brands must give their customers what they demand. And brands better start listening… This is what we call the Consumer Paradigm Shift.

Plain and simple, brands need to listen to what their customers are saying. This used to occur in a focus group which took months to set-up, conduct and evaluate but now happens each day, in real time, millions of times a day on social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, etc.

Modern day marketers need to be constantly monitoring and “listening” to these social media websites so they can gauge what your customers are talking about. Then they need to put measures in place and analyze to draw meaningful and actionable conclusions to ultimately respond to their customers with an improved or new product or service.

Let’s be honest, there are two types of consumer feedback – positive and negative. An example of how brands have recently responded to positive consumer demands is how Mattel®, the maker of Barbie™, recently launched a Bald Barbie™ after a Facebook page was created demanding it, which caught social media fire and the attention of Mattel®. The consumers demanded it on social media and Mattel® responded by creating a new doll.

It’s not always positive feedback that will cause a brand to change their ways. Take for example, Subway® and how they changed their bread recipe after it was discovered that a common ingredient in their bread was also used in the manufacturing of yoga mats. The consumers demanded it on social media and Subway® responded by changing their bread recipe.

Many brands have created social media monitoring groups within their marketing departments to keep a pulse on what is happening with their customers. Here, real time coordination of responses take place that allow marketers to respond in real time to increase the engagement of their customers such as NASCAR’s Fan and Media Engagement Center as well as to minimize the impact on crisis situations such as how Nestlé responded to Greenpeace’s attack on them for using unsustainable Palm Oil.

The Consumer Paradigm Shift is not going away as long as consumers have a public outlet to hold brands accountable. Now is the time for marketers to start listening and create actionable steps towards giving their customers what they want. That way, not only will consumers get what they want, brands will too by gaining their customers loyalty.

5 Tips for Smarter Email Marketing Campaigns

Email has become one of the most effective ways for businesses to reach their customers, and has made communication quick, effective, and efficient. The fact that so many of us use it, however, can be disadvantageous. Sorting through hundreds of e-mails from stores, newsletters, political campaigns, work, etc., can be overwhelming, and recipients are unlikely to read through every single one.

What are some ways to ensure your message is effective? How can the sender best engage the recipient in terms of content and delivery? Below are 5 tips for smarter email marketing campaigns.

1. Keep the Message Short and Sweet

Readers should be able to digest the subject line and header message in less than 1 second. This is a considerably small window to attract the recipient’s attention, so it is very important to be brief and to the point.

2. Quality Over Quantity

Focus your marketing on the right target audience. Do your best to avoid large lists of leads, which only serve to lower your average open/click rate. Segment your lists into very specific subsets of your customers.

3. Space Them Out

Give people time to breathe between messages. Too many emails in too short a time could result in people hurrying to report you, landing you in the spam folder.

4. Don’t Be Too Cryptic or Oblique

Try to deliver the information directly and simply. People have been receiving emails for long enough that they know when someone is trying to lead them down the primrose path. Be straightforward.

5. Test in as Many Email Clients as Possible

Outlook, Gmail, Yahoo, etc. Technical errors in your email will hardly lead to your business being taken seriously. Services such as MailChimp’s Inbox Preview are handy tools for this.

By adhering to these 5 tips, you can most effectively market your business using email, and garner the results you are aiming for. One thing is for certain – email marketing is not going away anytime soon!

Researchers estimate that U.S. firms alone spent $1.51 billion on email marketing back in 2011, and that it will grow to $2.469 billion by 2016. With the right campaign and the most effective delivery, your business will be sure to benefit from email marketing.

Property Photo Shoot Preparation Do’s & Don’ts

Ready… focus… shoot! Here at Primary Design, we work closely with our clients to best capture their property for use in their marketing such as advertisements, websites, brochures and other collateral. Take a peek into our photoshoot process for helpful tips on what to do and what not to do when preparing your property for a photo shoot.

The first step is to determine exactly which photographs are needed based on what is available to shoot and what is needed for upcoming marketing materials. First and foremost, we recommend having the models that you would like photographed professionally staged prior to the photo shoot.

A professional stager or interior designer will stage the model for a weekend or you can purchase the furniture and accessories if you plan on keeping the model for tours post photo shoot.

Here’s an example of a typical shot list

Staged model (such as kitchen, living room, dining room, bedrooms, baths, patio, closets, etc.)

Amenity areas (such as fitness centers, lounges, leasing office, pool, WiFi lounge, etc.)

Exteriors (such as signage, building(s), etc.)

Views

The season for shooting beautiful exteriors is much longer on the temperate West coast, where the growing season sustains lush landscapes longer. As you move across the country to the East Coast, the window to shoot exteriors narrows to between about May through October.

Whatever coast you’re on, do not forget to check the forecast and plan accordingly! Exterior photo shoots depend on a nice day, so it makes sense for your photographer to plan a backup shoot day.

Here are some definite to do’s before the day of your property’s photo shoot

Post advance notice to residents/homeowners/guests indicating when certain areas will be closed.

Notify vendors that delivery trucks should stay clear of areas.

Wash windows – you’ll want your property to look its very best.

Confirm that all interior/exterior lights are properly operating and will not be affected by a timer.

Have all landscaping/outdoor cleanup completed (e.g. sidewalks, streets and pool deck free of debris).

Display/activate amenities (e.g. televisions, BBQ grills, fireplaces, fire pits).

Stage interiors with furniture, art, kitchen items, and fresh flowers to create a warm, lived-in atmosphere.

Be mindful that should anyone appear in the photograph, they must sign a photo release

Plan the shoot for the appropriate time of year and best weather day

Even with our suggested guidelines, sometimes the photographer arrives on set only to be greeted with unprepared conditions. No pool furniture, incomplete/unstaged models, or uninformed staff can be very frustrating so always make sure your property is prepared or it will cost you to send the photographer back out!

Now for the don’ts

Don’t use inexperienced photographers. A pro will ensure efficiency and professionalism.

Don’t let a photographer shoot the property without reviewing the shot list and going over any specific directions. Meeting a contact at the property for a quick tour will make sure everyone is on the same page.

Don’t furnish your own models. A professional decorating job goes a long way.

Don’t try to squeeze a two-day shoot into a one-day shoot. Proper planning will yield better images.

Don’t plan too many dusk shots in one day. Dusk views take time and have to happen at a specific time, so being realistic about this can manage expectations and get a great shot!

We use this advice to make our client’s properties look the very best they can. We have in-house photographers as well as a national network of professional photographers that we rely on. If you need any help sourcing a photographer for your next property shoot, don’t hesitate to contact us!

Our Top 5 Lunch Spots in Downtown Haverhill

As a business that prides itself on its convenient and fun location in downtown Haverhill, we at Primary Design try to frequent our food-serving neighbors for lunch as much as possible! Here are our top 5 spots (in no particular order):

Wicked Big Café

Address: 19 Essex Street Website: wickedbigcafe.com

Wicked Big is the perfect blend of bohemian and laid-back. The atmosphere inside is perfect for studying, or for catching up with a friend over lunch. The atmosphere is both relaxing and inspiring with local art covering the walls, big windows to let the sunlight in, and a ceiling-high chalkboard menu. Wicked Big offers wicked awesome sandwiches and breakfast foods, and a wicked awesome coffee menu. We love Wicked Big Café!

Artist Café

Address: 22 Washington Street Website: yelp.com

Some say this little café has the best breakfast in Haverhill – and we might have to agree. The proprietor of the Artist Café, Don, puts nothing but love into his food – and we love him for it! There are plenty of options, as well as lunch selections, too. Bright and open with plenty of art on display to check out, this place truly hits the spot. Artist Café is a Friday favorite for us at Primary.

Sparky’s Wings and Things

Address: 20 Emerson Street Website: sparkyswings.biz

Sparky’s is a great little hidden gem where you can get some of the best pulled pork in Haverhill! With wings being their specialty (hence the name!), there are a variety of sauces you can choose to compliment your meal. They’ve also got sandwiches, burgers, steak fries – you name it! Pop in for a quick bite, or stick around to watch the game on one of their flat-screen TVs.

Krueger Flatbread

Address: 142 Essex Street Website: kruegerflatbread.com

If you’ve got pizza on your mind, look no further than Krueger’s Flatbread. Perfect for just about any occasion, you can watch as the pizza is being made in the wood-fired oven. You really can’t go wrong with great beers on tap, a kid-friendly menu, and delicious salads to boot. Definitely put Krueger’s on your list.

Wang’s Table

Address: 46 Washington Street Website: wangstable.com

Wang’s recently revamped their restaurant, and relocated to the heart of Haverhill’s restaurant district. The new location is great (much closer to us here at Primary Design!), and the menu has something for everyone. With both Japanese and Chinese offerings, as well as an extensive sushi list, this spot is sure to satisfy. Be sure to give it a try.

Responsive Web Design Case Study: Metis Communications

We interviewed Cathy Caldeira Atkins, co-founder of Metis Communications, to provide insight into their new responsive website that Primary Design launched. Here is what Cathy had to say:

Q: What is Metis Communications?

A: Metis Communications is a PR and marketing firm that loves entrepreneurs, startups and great ideas. Metis works with companies of all sizes in many industries, ranging from technology, financial services, consumer goods, biotech and more.

Our senior team of PR professionals employs a unique combination of journalism, social media, content marketing and public relations to help clients get in front of the right audiences at the right time, with messages that make them sound like human beings, not PR super bots. Our clients love us because we simplify their lives, save them money and get stellar results that move businesses forward.

Q: What were the goals for your website redesign?

A: We were ready for a design refresh after a couple of years with our previous site. We wanted a look that reflected modern aesthetics and a design that could showcase the myriad types of content we’re creating: blogs, ebooks, videos, case studies and more. Finally, we wanted our website to be just as accessible to visitors using smartphones and tablets as those using laptops and desktop computers.

Q: Why was a responsive design so important?

A: We asked Primary Design to come up with a responsive plan for our new website, because we know the way our prospects work. They’re online, whether they’re in the office, on a plane or at home, which means they’re using a variety of devices to search for information. We want our content to look great, whether the person viewing it is holding an iPhone or sitting at a desk. Form is such a huge part of that experience now, so responsive design was really important to us.

Q: What are some of the key features of the site?

A: One of our favorite parts of the site is the slider feature on the home page. Visual storytelling is critical in our industry, and the real estate for images at the top of the page helps us convey a lot of detail about our company culture and the value we deliver to our clients. We can also create new slides to highlight industry awards, client wins or other information. Similarly, the boxes at the bottom of the home page give us places to showcase fresh content and give visitors multiple entry points to the rest of the website.

Q: What’s next?

A: The new website is the cornerstone of our marketing efforts. It gives us a beautiful space where we can expand our knowledge center and provide real resources to our clients, prospects and any business leader who wants to know more about PR and marketing. We’re growing and looking at several exciting opportunities in our market, and the site gives us the kind of calling card we need to make a great first impression and keep inbound leads coming back for more.

Cathy Caldeira Atkins is the co-founder of Metis Communications. She has more than 15 years experience positioning, launching and supporting hundreds of companies, entrepreneurs, products and services. Prior to starting Metis, Cathy was vice president at Bell Pottinger USA and account director at LNS Communications. She has represented companies such as Motorola, Dell EqualLogic, Cognos, Adobe EchoSign and many more.