Case Studies

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Apple Pie Anyone? Happy Thanksgiving from 77

Owning and managing a marketing agency can be stressful at times. It requires a lot of running around, meetings, expelling of a lot creative energy, fixing problems, and confirming that clients are happy with the work. Hell, most business owners understand this pretty well. This week though gives us all a chance to recharge and take a small break. Our own Holly Saville shares a great pie recipe on this weeks blog:

 

This time of year we are busy running around, catching up on errands, and hustling around for the holidays season to come. We are working hard to afford all the right gifts for our kids and family members and all the extras for everyone else. But for a small moment during this time a year we ACTUALLY GET TO SIT DOWN, relax, and be thankful for what we have. So take a break, enjoy the holiday and snag your mama’s best recipe! EAT, DRINK & RELAX. “Back to work” will be just around the corner. Happy Thanksgiving from all us at 77 Design Co. Enjoy a piece of pie on us!

Shhh….My mama’s Secret Apple Pie Recipe!

The Best Apple Pie:

6-8 BIG Tart Apples (or more if you want more apples)
Peel, Slice and Core Apples

1 cup of sugar
2 TBSP flour
1 tsp of ground cinnamon
Dash of Ground Nutmeg
Mix with Apples and drizzle 2 TBSP of melted butter over the apple mix.
(you can uses a bit more butter or sugar to your taste…)

Pie Shell:
2 cups of flour
1 tsp of salt
2/3 cup shortening
5-7 TBSP COLD (colder the better) water

Add Flour and salt to bowl then shortening
mix until lumpy, then add the COLD water.
Mix until dough like.
Split the dough to make a top and bottom crust.

Roll out crust with a rolling pin.
Make sure the bottom crust is bigger than top crust.
Place bottom crust in pan and fill with apple mix.
Put top crust on, seal edges with a fork
Brush some milk on top crust, sprinkle with sugar.
Poke a couple of air holes in the top crust

Bake at 400 degrees for about 50-60 minutes.

Best scent you’ll ever have in your house….You’re Welcome!

Sincerely,

Holly Saville

Analyze. Create. Achieve.

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20 Things About 77 Design Co

77 Design Co isn’t just a small (and in some instances, large) business marketing firm, we believe in constantly evolving ourselves and the businesses that we work for. Sometimes this requires taking a step back to find the roots in how/why you got started, where you want to go, and how you differentiate.

This week, it was suggested at one of our professional networking groups, that members create a list of “20 topics about your business” that can be shared with the other members for the following weeks meeting. Immediately, this seemed like a delicious idea. Why not create a solid list of items that differentiate your business from others in your field? It really wouldn’t take that long, especially if you know your business well. Sharing these ideas could easily lead others to better understand what it is that you do, how you do it, and also to better arm them with information about your professional field. We have followed this advise and constructed a list of 20 things, that we feel, make 77 Design Co stand out:

Local marketing vs national marketing firms (having a local firm who understands the area, population, demographics, and is readily available, could be hugely advantageous versus working with a firm across the country that doesn’t even know you.)

  • Diverse backgrounds in the creative marketing field (between the members of 77 Design Co, each of us have worked within varying aspects of marketing and have established a wide range of marketing skills.)
  • Communication (HIGHLY IMPORTANT! Actually this should be at the top of the list. We believe consistent communication is the key to success in every level of any relationship. Not sure how many other firms emphasize the importance of this…or just take it for granted.)
  •  Creative (Nobody in the world can think creatively the way that you do. We are all in our own heads, and nobody else knows exactly how we each think individually which is what makes us all unique. We are all pretty right brained here so creative comes pretty naturally.)
  • Education (At 77, again, there’s a diverse range of degrees that have been obtained through higher education. Education is extremely important to success as well and helps with knowing and understanding many situations.)
  • Insured (77 Design Co carries several forms of insurance covering just about any problem that may arise.)
  • Responsive (We have a 24 hour return email/call/text policy. Usually we’ll respond as quick as within an hour or 2. If you don’t hear back from one of us…there’s a major emergency.)
  • Innovative Ideas (This could be lumped into Creative, but there’s way more to what we do than JUST creative. Often there’s a lot of outside the box thinking that is required to put a plan together. Each client differs and we’ll innovate and establish new ideas for each.)
  • Print (Want those colors to match on your mailers or brochures? Our backgrounds in printing will ensure all printed marketing materials turn out the way they should look.)
  • Psychology of Marketing (Constant research is always being done at 77 to better understand how consumers react to images, colors, fonts, design layouts, etc. We are always evolving our knowledge in this subject and it’s imperative that a marketing firm knows how people will perceive your brand.)
  • Easy to Work With ( Come on, who doesn’t want life to be easier? We are a pretty mild mannered, laid back, and relaxed organization. If you have ideas, we want to hear them! We work WITH others not against them.)
  • Works Within Budgets (Every company differs, and every company only has so much to work with. We get it. After our free marketing consultation, we’ll determine what fits in your budget and do our best to help your business succeed in its goals while staying within that budget.)
  • Honesty (No bullshit here! We tell it like it is and answer any question you have to the best of our abilities and as truthfully as possible. This dynamic helps us build very close relationships with our clientele base.)
  • Cost Effective (Just take a look around at what other firms charge. Enough said.)
  • Experience with Differing Businesses (Our experience with helping businesses of all sizes and professions allows us to offer assistance to a variety of industries. We have worked with 1 man sole prop construction companies up to large manufacturing firms…and even religious organizations.)
  • Years of Experience  (Just between the 2 owners, not including our staff, 77 Design Co has over 20 years experience in marketing and similar fields.)
  •  Program Experience (On a daily basis, we work within multiple different programs and softwares from the complete Adobe Suite, to Microsoft PowerPoint, Excel, Word, WordPress, and a host of other photo editing programs. Plus, too many more to list here.)
  • History (We are well aware of the artists, advertisers, sales and marketing gurus that came before us. We study what has worked in the past and fuse this with what works now. Art history and literature also play major roles here and we’ve studied works from the all the way back to the Ancient Greeks, to current contemporary artists, and as much as possible in between.)
  • Love Helping New Business (As entrepreneurs, we love hearing new ideas from newer business owners. We also love to help guide them towards a successful venture in their profession and help increase sales. This also applies to already established business and we enjoy re-branding projects or just creating new and fresh marketing strategies that will work for them as well.)
  • Analyze. Create. Achieve. ( Our slogan. At 77 we analyze the situations many business owners face. We then assess the best possible course of action to improve upon existing strategies. Next, we create solutions, artworks, online strategies, or plans of action. Finally, we help the business achieve its goals to the best of our abilities.)

Let’s all make some money together!

 

 

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New Life With Old Info-Recycling Content

So when is it OK to recycle old content for marketing purposes? Is it even OK to do this?

YES!!!! Resoundingly YES!!!! Just not every other week. Create content of your own occasionally to show others that you are a thriving and forward thinking entrepreneur that can come up with new ideas on your own too, instead of only recycling.     

Give New Life to Old Data. Maybe your marketing budget is small or non-existent. Maybe you simply just cannot afford professional content writers to whip up new content for your blog or social media posts. Whatever your reason, whether it’s due to budget or writers block, instead of making something new, breathe new life into something that already exists on the web. There are a ton of data studies and stats available on the internet regarding a wide range of topics from any industry.

Do an internet search for a study within your own business and revise it. Certainly DO NOT STEAL it, but craft it to be part of your story and make it relatable to your readers and customers.

Highlight the Most Important or Interesting Parts of the Study, add images (preferably your own,) crank out some charts, and make your own thoughts and predictions based on the data. Always be aware of copyright infringements though. You should also cite your sources when necessary. 

But I’m Not a Writer!

No worries! You don’t have to have a degree in writing for this strategy!  The data will do most of the heavy lifting for you – a content success story! Again, just be sure to cite your sources and give proper credit. Have a friend, colleague, or family member do a proofread to make sure everything looks and sounds as professional as possible, then share it with the world! 

That’s our piece of free advice this week on the 77 blog. As always, feel free to contact us for a free marketing analysis, or any help in making your business better through marketing!

Analyze. Create. Achieve.

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Welcome to the 77 Design Co Team, Holly!

“If it doesn’t sell, it isn’t creative.”

-David Oglivy

 

Hi, I’m Holly Saville, from New Alexandria, PA. I have over 15 years of experience in the sales & marketing business. My initial love and passion was to have my own successful small business(s) while also starting a family and being able to work my own schedule around them. After finding out that I couldn’t just be “mom” of 2 children, and having the work ethic to achieve more, I began to dive into my dream and opened up a small Massage & Wellness Institute for 6 years. After time had passed along with my business, and trying to balance the work and home life, I closed those doors years ago and I’m now a mom of 5 great kids, (3 girls and twin boys) ranging from middle school to kindergarten.

As an entrepreneur, I now run different businesses. Two small businesses to be exact. Both are managed out of my home, while still juggling the children’s schedules. I’m also very involved in my church as the kids/family coordinator at Bridge City Church in Murrysville. As a young mom at first my hobby became a means to earn extra income for my family years ago. Currently, I now run a small yet thriving custom cake business out of my house and take select orders. I’ve also worked in global sales during the open cracks of my day from my phone.

In my spare time when I am not working or being a full-time mom and wife, I still love to play volleyball and spend time with family and friends. I also love to serve others in my church.

My work ethic and desire to help people achieve their goals has never changed. With that said being said, I have teamed up with 77 Design to help them expand and help the companies that they work with grow and do the same. I can say without a doubt that their clients are of the most importance to them and I’ll put my best foot forward as well to help.

I’m now a part of the 77 Design Co team assisting them in administrative duties, social media marketing and sales. I believe I provide efficient and quality service in everything that I do. I’ll also pay great attention to detail and put a lot of my heart into anything that I work on. I look forward to serving the 77 team and their customers to the best of my abilities. I feel that I’m a great addition to 77 Design Co because although I’m a hard worker, I also like to have fun, love to laugh (which the 77 guys also love to do,) ENJOY the work, and I’m easy to work with. I have a great attitude and outlook on life, am easily coachable, but also have a strong work ethic and an easy-going personality. I’m excited to get started and help others properly market their small business to watch them grow!

 

“Always deliver more than expected.” — Larry Page, co-founder of Google

 

Analyze. Create. Achieve.

 

 

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What Do We Do?

Graphic design. Commercial and product photography. Branding. Printed marketing materials (flyers, cards, brochures, books, EDDM’s etc.) Web design. Social media and social media training. These are some of the things we proudly handle at 77 Design Co.

In our endless everyday travels, during networking events, or even discussions with friends and family, we often get the question about what we do here at 77. Other than running our asses off and fielding calls/texts/emails most of the time, we actually do do a LOT of work behind the scenes. In addition to finding the best ways to market a particular business and bring it a personality, we go out of our way to actually find referrals for those we work with as well. We challenge any reader to find another marketing agency that is as hands on as we are with our customers and that will go above and beyond to actually refer work to your business as well!

An initial consultation meeting with us would include questions about what you believe differentiates your company from others in the same field, and a whole lot of listening. Marketing a business requires a great deal of understanding on how it is run, who your customers are (or who you may think they are,) what areas you service, how long you have been in business, and other key aspects important to creating the correct marketing campaign. We have to understand what makes your business tick from the inside and out. Below are just some of the services we provide and a brief description of each:

Graphic Design-ever pick up an obviously poorly designed looking flyer that someone hands out? It makes you want to toss it immediately. The message is lost. We take time to create an aesthetic piece that people will want to read and look at…this is key to both standing out and converting potential customers. Any handout should also be branded to look and feel like other parts of your business.

Commercial and Product Photography-Image is everything in advertising! Having a crisp, well focused and creative image can also get your print, web and social media pages to stand out and attract customers. A creative team photo or eye catching shot of your product will get peoples eyes dancing. Ask any graphic or web designer you know, one of the first things they will tell you they need is great imagery.

Branding-Probably one of the most important things you can do for your company is to brand it effectively. Branding is a symbol or an identifiable feel that is cohesive through every feature of your business. A certain logo, color, font, image, or other design is always visible. The website, print materials, social media pages, or signs all have the same or similar look to them. This helps create brand identity. Our “77” is everywhere we can get it!

Printed Marketing Materials-This goes hand in hand with graphic design, photography, and branding. We have created some killer brochures, cards, and booklets for company’s that we are proud of. We also work with suppliers that use some of the finest inks and paper stocks that can really get these to pop. It may be worth a few extra bucks every now and again to print your materials using a textured paper or an intricate ink that will really create a WOW factor. Creative and interactive mailers can also be a superb way to touch customers.

Web Design-The online face of your business. Creating websites is a large portion of what we do and also one of the most time consuming. Add all of the elements above (minus the print) and you can really have a distinct website that looks and feels unlike any others in your industry. It needs to be user friendly also.

Social Media and Social Media Training-A small piece of the marketing pie for some, for others…HUGE! Depending on your industry, social media marketing can either attract the occasional customer or really bring in a large part of your business. We currently have a client that claims 50% of his business comes from the Facebook posts and ads we do for them. That is a significant chunk! If running a full social media campaign is not in the budget for you, we have a training program available to teach your staff how, why, when, and for what reason to consistently post.

So, thats some of the stuff we do on a daily basis. There’s much more and way too much to list here in this blog, but we hope this provides some information about 77 and what we do!

Analyze. Create. Achieve.

 

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A Blog About Blogs-77 Design Co

Welcome to the 77 Design Co blog once again. This weeks blog is about…blogs!

You may ask, What is a blog? How do blogs help my marketing efforts? What’s the point of a blog? What can spending all that time writing a blog do to help my business? These are all valid questions and questions we’ll answer them here shortly.

Let’s start with the basics. The Dictionary definition of a blog is, “a regularly updated website or web page, typically one run by an individual or small group, that is written in an informal or conversational style.” There you go. A blog is a simple means of communicating something about your business, product, hobby, interest, or any topic of your choice. You may want to write about something relevant in your industry. Perhaps, you may choose the topic of baseball and write a short personal blog about that sport. It can be any topic. It can be any length. Make it yours, just try to make it informative and accurate…especially if you are blogging about a business.

Now let’s get into the nitty gritty a little more. How can it help marketing efforts? Well, a blog can help with SEO (Search Engine Optimization,) it can add credibility to your company, it can be used to market a sale or discount you are offering, or maybe a new product/service. A blog can help in any way you want it to. Promote your blog on social media and see if customers react. Ask customers what they’d like to read about that’s related to your business.

What’s the point of a blog? It can have a very crucial point. Or, no point at all. It can be something that you can direct customers to. It could be about something such as a particular law or legality for a law firm’s blog. Maybe a new product is coming out in the gas well industry. A manufacturer may want to discuss that with their customers through a blog. The point of a blog can be as important or as ridiculous as you want it to be. Again, if you are in business and blogging, make it accurate and informative.

What can spending all that time writing a blog do to help your business? Hmm, let’s see here. You can become an authority in your profession! If you know something and you know it well, share it with others. Write about problems you see and deal with on a daily basis, then give suggestions on the best ways to avoid these problems. If you market your blog properly, customers will thank you for the helpful information. You may also be able to influence a reader into choosing you instead of a competitor. Give insightful information about whatever topic you choose and be the person or business of influence!

Here are a few tips for blogging.

1. Add images, short videos, or a cool design. Not just any old out of focus, uninteresting image or video but damn good looking stuff! The human eye picks up on images 50,000-60,000 times faster than ordinary text. This will keep readers moving along and interested in what you have to say. Keep the blog fresh and the images looking sharp. If you need a hand with this, hire a professional photographer/videographer/graphic designer…or give us a ring!

2. Use terms that are relevant to your industry. Terms or short phrases will immediately attract attention to your blog topic. Plus that will also help with SEO.

3. Be professional and courteous. Write professionally and don’t slander or smear others or your competition in a blog. If you do it better, just say why and leave it at that.

4. Be consistent. Make a schedule of when to blog and stick to it. It takes a while for others to find your blog or gain interest in it, and nothing is better than consistency at helping with this. You should blog to your website AT LEAST monthly, if not daily or even weekly.

Now, get writing and get sharing your blogs with the world! It can be a tremendous help to your business if properly written. For any questions or any help to get started…our numbers and emails are right below.

Analyze. Create. Achieve.