Element Three

I was reading an old BtoB magazine in our cafe over lunch the other day and looking at their "rules" for working with interactive agencies. The first was "Define the business objective upfront, even when using new media such as social networks and viral video." AMEN, B2B!

I've been working with many of our clients on their websites over the last several months. Nearly all of them are working on a new site or adding some new functionality to their existing site. My goal is to understand their business goals for the site up front. We can make lots of pretty pictures and make them move and have videos and link to your Twitter account and Facebook. But, at the end of the day, are those things going to help you acheive your business goals? If your new site needs to generate more sales leads than your current site, will having a facebook account help that goal? Maybe. But, sometimes we get so caught up in all the "stuff", and we need to have a place to come back to and say, "How does this help us acheive our business objectives?"

Here at our Indianapolis Marketing firm, we preach "Business First" in all we do. Whether you need an integrated marketing plan, brand development, a new brochure or a website, we want to understand your business goals and needs first so we can create something that will help you acheive those goals. So, next time you are in need of some creative services, think about your business goals for that piece. And, if your agency doesn't ask about them or want to know, you may want to reconsider your choice of a partner!