Let's talk more about the relationship between marketing and creative. A good marketer lays a blueprint for how a vision will look, and a good creative provides the guidance and expertise needed to execute that vision. Marketers, imagine you had a blueprint that never failed you, and a method for harnessing creative input into a toolkit that you could rely on again and again? It's a conversation that could go on for hours on end. But we won't keep you that long. With our print graphics team available, our disciplined teams and extended services make BluEdge a one-stop shop!
The sweet spot in working with creatives, it starts with a trusted process. Here are your guidelines.
1. Agree on a timeline.
When does the project begin and end? Get right with yourself first. What kind of timeline do you feel comfortable with? Confidently communicate that with your creative partner. If you start a project with a clear deadline in mind, you are much more likely to stick to it.
2. Provide Examples.
We can say all the words we want, but pictures can always say more. Give your creative team a visual aid or two, or three! Bring them in on your vision so that they can confidently come to you when it's time to approve their work.
3. Devise a plan for communication.
I can still hear my rhetorical Theory professor from college in my head. "You can't not communicate!" Which means a lack in communication is also sending a message. Therefore, make sure that the communication between you and your creative partner is established early on. Will you have a standing meeting 1x/week? Meet bi-weekly?
4. Make a list of physical assets vs. digital assets needed by the end of the project.
This step is particularly important because it demystifies the end result. Get as specific as you can, while leaving room for flexibility. For instance, you tell your creative partner that you need 10 polished images, but you get word that your campaign will run longer than planned. At this point, you're buttoned up for 10 images but because you structured your ask from the beginning, small changes can be handled with ease, rather than surprise.
5. Keep the answers to these questions, and all correspondence regarding the project in a shareable place.
Dare we say Google Docs/Asana/Trello/Slack, whatever software you are comfy with, so that any and all modifications can be viewed and digested by both teams in a timely manner. If there is anything we've learned, it's that all involved must be on the same page with what's being built, and when, in order to produce our very best work.
