WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT?
Core Creative has become widely known in the San Antonio market and beyond for providing a full range of marketing services while retaining a personalized, client-focused approach, all at a fraction of the cost of many larger marketing agencies. Why and how do we do this? Core Creative founder and marketing director, Katie Rogers, has experienced both sides of the coin--early on in her career as a client of a large marketing firm and then working as an account manager for several mid-sized marketing firms. But she continued to experience the same frustrations--costly overhead, broken communication, complicated structure and wasted resources. Was it the marketing industry itself or was there another way to structure it? There was, and Core Creative was born with the primary goal of providing superior marketing services to small businesses with limited marketing budgets, all while delivering the personal service she wish she had experienced.
Below are a few examples of what makes us different from traditional marketing firms:
WHY DON’T WE HAVE ACCOUNT MANAGERS?
Many account managers are ill-equipped to work with companies/business owners to see the overall strategic marketing goal. In result, the client receives a very “short-sighted” plan that causes more headaches, more expenses and ultimately deteriorates the brand moving forward. In addition, many account managers are not experienced in how to design a logo, build a website, write a press release or compose a branding package. If an account manager cannot execute a project on their own, they become an unnecessary intermediary between the client and the more skilled person actually completing the project, which results in a number of disadvantages including:
Missing or misinterpreted information between the client and designer
Longer turnaround time when adding a third person into the chain of communication
Higher overall costs because the agency has to pay two people to “complete a project” instead of one
WHY DON’T WE OUTSOURCE PROJECTS?
Did you know that a large amount of marketing companies hire subcontractors to execute the majority of their projects, and that most of those services are executed by people that don’t live in the same city, state, or sometimes not even in the same country? Subcontractors that are not local or within the company are not familiar with the local market, the client’s competitors, the client’s branding, and many more factors that can affect the outcome of a project. A few examples include:
Websites: When developed by a subcontractor that isn’t familiar with the client’s brand, websites tend to feel disconnected from the rest of the client’s materials and branding. A website should be an extension of a company’s brand and should clearly feature the client’s fonts, colors, history, goals and more.
Logos: Logos should be designed by someone local who knows the market and its competitors. Many marketing companies hire graphic designers that aren’t concerned with the logo’s application, where and how it will be used.
Social media: Social media posts made by nationwide social media companies often feel forced and generic because they are typically built off of a “one size fits all” program. Social media should feel authentic and intentional.
Core Creative is able to execute 95% of our projects in house and we only reach out to outside sources for assistance if a specific project requires tasks that lie outside of our expertise.
WHY DON’T WE MARK UP PRINT MATERIALS?
It is common practice for marketing companies to significantly mark up print materials. Small business owners typically cannot afford the high design fees plus the markups to the print materials. Many small and mid-sized businesses attempt to handle the design and ordering in-house, usually resulting in materials that look unprofessional and are still very costly.
Core Creative receives print discounts from a handful of local and online printers and we extend those discounts to our clients. We only bill for the time it takes for us to price, design and order the materials. And for all reorders, clients still take advantage of print discounts and are only billed for the administrative time that it takes for us to place the order. Some clients actually walk away with professionally designed and printed materials that cost LESS than it would have cost for them to attempt to design and order the products themselves online. Keeping costs down enables our clients to stretch their marketing budgets, and allows for more materials on a consistent basis that helps them to stay in front of potential clients and customers.
WHY DON’T WE BUILD IN HIDDEN FEES?
Core Creative has a flat hourly rate for all marketing services, with the exception of websites which are quoted per project. Our clients are only billed for the time it takes for us to complete a project---no more, no less. Core Creative works within a client’s budgets without compromising quality or customer service. We have experience working with single person startups, all the way up to companies that have been in business for decades with hundreds of employees. No project is too small for us. We are happy to work with clients on a single project; however, we also work with clients that utilize our services on an ongoing weekly basis to achieve their overall marketing goals.
