Whatever the case may be, you are thinking about whether to hire a graphic designer or a strategic marketing partner. While the price point and the timeline differ, so does the final result, and here’s how.
5 Benefits of a Strategic Partner:
- Marketing Know-How — Graphic designers aren’t marketers. They focus on making individual projects visually appealing, not promoting your school in a strategic way that differentiates you from the competition.
- A Long-Term Relationship — A strategic marketing partner can be with you for the long haul, offering solutions to marketing problems as opposed to fulfilling short-term project requests. Getting to know the school deeply, they are an extension of your team with the bandwidth and stamina to stay engaged as long as necessary.
- Ability to Elevate the Brand — A good graphic designer will adhere to the brand style guide, but a strategic marketing partner will be able to work within the established brand guidelines while also elevating them in a new way. A way that is sophisticated, authentic, and breaks through all of the noise.
- Verbal + Visual — A strategic marketing partner has a built-in team who is well-versed in developing creative concepts that integrate copy and visuals. They can combine beautifully written brand statements, headlines, and body copy with bold imagery and graphics. It’s a true blend rather than a segmented, linear process where a designer drops in copy that may not connect with the visuals.
- Resources for Brand Cohesion — Once the creative direction has been established, the next critical step is integration across various marketing platforms so the user experience is cohesive and will yield the biggest impact. A strategic partner has expertise and close connections to get this done whether it is a printed viewbook, a digital ad, reskinning a portion of the website, or an admissions video.
