You know that an ad agency creates all kinds of marketing materials for a variety of media – radio and TV, newspapers and magazines, billboards and the internet, to name a few. But do you give any thought as to how those ads are placed in the appropriate media?

That is the job of a media planner or buyer.

A media planner selects media for advertisement placement on behalf of the agency’s clients. This may include analyzing target audiences, keeping abreast of media developments, reading market trends and understanding motivations of consumers. Media buying is the procurement of the best possible placement and price of a piece of media real estate within any given media (Wikipedia).

At Semaphore, both the media planning and buying functions are handled by our media director, Cindy Wade.

There are several advantages to having a professional handle your media as opposed to trying to do it yourself.

First, a professional uses sophisticated computer software that is integrated with rating and audience measurement services. This allows for media placement with the greatest reach and frequency.

Second, experience and negotiating skills are important. Our media director has experience both as a radio and TV sales executive and as an agency media buyer. Having experience from both sides of the table – agency and media – positions Cindy to negotiate the best possible deals for our clients.

Third, relationships are vital. Cindy has long-term relationships with media outlets and sales representatives throughout the state, region and nation. Her institutional knowledge can save our clients time and money they would otherwise have to spend on research.

An experienced media buyer is often able to expand the impact of a placement by negotiating for some added value. This added value can be no charge or reduced price on print or online ads, broadcast commercials or advertorials in magazines.

As you can see, media planning and buying is not as simple as calling a publication and placing an ad. Choose an agency with a media professional that can help provide the greatest return on investment for your advertising dollars.

In today’s digital world, it’s common to complete a business transaction without ever dealing with a human being; for example, buying a shirt from your favorite department store online or ordering a pizza on your smart phone.

Even the field of higher education is embracing digital technology. I teach an online PR class at a large university. Seldom do I actually speak to one of my students; our communication is electronic, through email, discussion boards and the like.

However, in some businesses, there is still a need for organic communication. An advertising agency falls into this category. As an agency client, you don’t want to stare at your inbox wondering when you’ll get a response. You want the option of speaking to someone directly.

At Semaphore, we are proud that over 80 percent of our business is with clients who have been with us for 10 years or more. We like to think that one reason for that is communication – specifically, our responsiveness.

Our clients are on a first-name basis with us. There are no layers of bureaucracy to navigate. As a Semaphore client, you speak directly to those working on your account, whether that’s a copywriter, graphic designer or media planner. We respond to emails and phone calls within hours – usually within minutes.

Many clients prefer handling business via email; others by phone. Some even prefer meeting in person.

We are happy to accommodate all. They way we see it, our job is to make our clients’ lives easier. So feel free to email, call or stop by any time. We promise you won’t have any trouble getting a hold of us.

Until I was in high school, I spent several weeks every summer with my favorite aunt on a farm three miles outside of a little town in South Carolina that no longer exists. The farm was adjacent to the Hell Hole Swamp and the name of the town was Dunbarton, which was erased from the map following the establishment of the Savannah River Plant.

I am named for this former schoolteacher, red-headed, crack-shot aunt. She was Minnie Byrd McElveen Roundtree. I am Cynthia Byrd Gilliam.

Along with the farm, Minnie Byrd and her husband ran a very successful retail establishment in Dunbarton, which was the centerpiece of the community for miles around. They sold everything anyone in a remote farming area might need. They even had an icehouse, a favorite hangout long ago on scorching summer afternoons.

Rather than send me off with spending money, my parents preferred to set me up with a charge account at the store. It was a very informal arrangement, with my purchases recorded on the back of a handkerchief display counter card. When Daddy picked me up at the end of my stay, he would settle my account.

I learned many remarkable things during my summers near Dunbarton: Don’t jump naked into any old body of water without first testing it for leeches. Miracles often happen early in the morning, as when Minnie Byrd woke me to witness the birth of eight plump pink piglets. My first lesson in recycling came while emptying the food scraps from the kitchen into the pig trough. Mules who plow on the right will not turn left on their own, and the reverse is true for those who plow on the left.

When you ride a plow mule bareback, you have to learn how to make him walk in a circle to get where you want to go, particularly to get him to take you through a gate. If getting through the gate requires a right turn, walk the mule (who plows on the left) in a circle and the mule will be perfectly delighted to take you where you want to go.

Believe it or not, this can also be a valuable technique in the marketing business. When I am working with a client who has always done things in a particular fashion, it is often impossible to move them in another direction without walking them in a circle. It is not that the mule, or the client, is stubborn. Far from it! They have learned a technique that has worked well for them over time and are not about to give it up, until they can see that a new direction will get them where they want to go.

Anyone who has worked with mules would agree — they are smart, strong, diligent and dependable collaborators. They work well with others, as long as their particular habits and sensibilities are respected. In my experience, this description also applies to most businesspeople.

So, the next time you need to get a mule that plows on the right to turn left, tug gently on the reins and walk him in a circle. You’ll get where you want to go every time.

You’ve spent a lot of time and money developing a top-notch website. So why aren’t you attracting new visitors? Your thoughtfully crafted masterpiece may be going unseen by your target audience. There are several quick and easy ways to increase your web traffic.

Getting your site near the top of a search engine listing requires a different strategy than it did only a few years ago. Some methods that used to result in a guaranteed top spot are now penalized as unethical SEO (Search Engine Optimization) techniques. For example, over-use of keywords is frowned upon by modern search engines and can have a negative impact on your site rating.

You must use relevant keywords to attract relevant traffic, but don’t go overboard. While cheating the system might get you an influx of traffic, it is bound to be short-lived.

Wikipedia defines SEO as “the process of improving the visibility of a website or a web page in search engines via the ‘natural’ or un-paid (‘organic’ or ‘algorithmic’) search results.” In addition to keywords, referring sites play a big role. The more sites that link to yours, the better. The higher-ranked those referring sites are, the higher your site will rank. Other easy-to-implement SEO tactics include updating your content often, meaningful title tag content, and accurate meta description tags.

Social media is becoming more important to interact with current visitors and attract new ones. If your website includes videos, host them on YouTube. Users can comment on your videos and follow them to your site. Use Facebook to communicate directly with users and keep them up-to-date on your company. As with any traffic-generating method, the key is to use these tools in moderation. There is a fine line between engaging customers and overloading them with too much information.

Analyzing and understanding your traffic is vital before making changes in your marketing strategy. Google Analytics is today’s standard for web traffic statistics. It’s free and only requires copying a small block of code to each page on your site. You can customize the reports you receive to display any number of statistics from the simple to the in-depth.

SEO, social media and website analytics continue to develop at a breakneck pace. It’s imperative for your business to stay ahead of the curve – and the competition.

From the very beginning, Semaphore has worked with energy clients and we continue to today. The first was the Clinton-Newberry Natural Gas Authority. Our signature line for the company was “Your Old Flame,” which resonated with the citizens of those two cities in the Upstate.

Before beginning any work for CNNGA, I went on a road trip and visited with the general managers of eight municipally owned natural gas suppliers in the region. All eight greeted me graciously, but most of them were curious as to why I was there.

After plying them with a list of 10 questions, most of which related to their community relations programs and customer services, I asked the really big question: “Which home appliance is the most valuable to your business?” Much to my surprise, the answer was the gas water heater. Why? The water heater, you see, provided a year-round load. At this time, electric water heaters dominated in Clinton and Newberry.

My next question was, “How much do gas water heaters cost?” Back then, gas water heaters sold for under $100. I returned to my Clinton-Newberry Natural Gas Authority client with a plan to give away brand new gas water heaters to their customers, and even provide free installation.

The client’s objective was to increase natural gas sales in residential areas. By providing free gas water heaters and installation, we were ensuring the home would use natural gas.

It’s the same principle at work when computer companies give a free printer to customers who buy a computer – they don’t make their money from the printer, but by selling the ink required to use the printer.

The credit for dramatically increasing the gas authority’s year-round load goes to the managers, because they immediately saw the value in the business opportunity. They knew that most items – including water heaters – are cheaper per unit when they are purchased in large quantities.

The point to this story is simple: If you continue to do things the way you have always done them, you will continue to get the same results.

Semaphore deals with all types of businesses. We approach each new relationship with an open mind. It is often easier for an outsider to define new opportunities simply because they ARE outsiders.

“Customer retention is more than giving the customer what they expect, it’s about exceeding their expectations so that they become loyal advocates for your brand. Creating customer loyalty puts customer value rather than maximizing profits and shareholder value at the center of business strategy. The key differentiator in a competitive environment is more often than not the delivery of a consistently high standard of customer service.” (Wikipedia)

Think about it. What does it mean when your advertising agency puts the value of you and your company at the center of its business strategy? Three things happen:

1. Intentionally, the agency puts loyalty to you and your business above everything else.
2. You, as the client, receive consistently high standards of service from your agency.
3. The agency profits when you and your business achieve your clearly stated goals.

Some time back, Semaphore worked for the Piedmont Municipal Power Agency. We were charged with persuading customers of electric utilities in 10 upstate cities to agree to have load control receivers placed on their electric appliances. What the customers were really agreeing to was to allow their electricity provider to shut off their electric supply for short periods of each day. Pre-campaign research clearly indicated that the majority of electric consumers were strongly resistant to this arrangement. Consequently, Semaphore was given five years to achieve Piedmont Power’s goal.

Consider the obstacles: 10 different cities, each with its own municipal electricity provider, and 10 different levels of management; limited and inconsistent channels of communication across the cities; research that predicted a negative outcome based on expressed customer resistance. In spite of these barriers, Semaphore achieved the client’s goal in two years while saving the client thousands of dollars.

Smart clients know when their agency is knocking itself out to exceed their expectations. They can measure it in tangible results.

The fact that some 80 percent of our business consistently comes from clients we have worked with for decades is powerful proof that Semaphore puts them ahead of everything else. We are one agency that puts some skin in the game.

The question I hear most often is: “How much would the agency charge for …?” The question may be for a project as complex as a website or as simple as a newsletter layout. As often as not, this query comes from clients with whom we have a long and trusting relationship.

In marketing, situations often arise unexpectedly, much like a tortoise crossing a backcountry road just as you are rounding a sharp curve at 55 mph. These curveballs are usually not accounted for in the project’s budget. (Which is the best argument for adding a contingency fund to every annual marketing budget.)

For the client who has a budget and is willing to share it, Semaphore can create a proposal that fits comfortably within that budget. It is vital that the agency and client understand that they are partners, with everything out in the open and on the table for both to see.

Prospective clients can start small with a new agency relationship. Assign a project with a budget and a clear statement of measurable desired outcomes.

Recently, a longtime client asked if we could dramatically increase the response to an offer they had made to their customers. The client required a large pool of responses to select the prospects that were most likely to need the offered service. Responses were needed within two weeks to meet the client’s published schedule.

We proposed direct mail with postage-paid response cards. The results were so outstanding that Semaphore was recognized with a “Marketing Effectiveness Award” from the Summit International Awards. Most importantly, the effort produced the results the client required to take the next step.

The bottom line is to find agency people you can trust. Talk to the agency’s current clients.  Ask the hard questions. Does the agency stay within budget? Meet deadlines? Produce the desired results? Go to the prospective agency’s website and make a list of their clients you want to call.

On Semaphore’s website you’ll find quotes about our work from many of our clients. We encourage you to ask our clients about their relationship with us.

Once upon a time, “branding” was a method for identifying a person’s cattle by means of a “branding iron.” The word “brand” has evolved to include the identity of a product, company or service.

As we are fond of saying at Semaphore, “A brand is more than a logo.” Or as marketing guru Seth Godin defines it:

A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer’s decision to choose one product or service over another. If the consumer (whether it’s a business, a buyer, a voter or a donor) doesn’t pay a premium, make a selection or spread the word, then no brand value exists for that consumer.

In short, a brand is not what you say it is, but what your customers say it is. And customers must be continually engaged in messages and events that reinforce the brand.

It is not enough to hang a sign or launch a website. Brand building is a never-ending process that adapts to changing times. In the ’50s and ’60s, companies had no clue that the internet was just down the road, let alone an inkling of the unprecedented effect it would have on marketing.

Not long ago, a client once shouted at me in a meeting, “If you mention websites to me again, I will fire you!” I calmly responded, “You may as well fire me now, because it is my responsibility to advise you about all the tools available for effective communication.” A couple of years ago, we launched a website for that same company in five languages.

Every day at Semaphore, we ponder strategies for advancing the brands of our clients. What can we suggest that will strengthen the brand?

When Semaphore was launched in 1971, we had no idea there was a recession going on. We opened our little creative shop on Santee Avenue across from what was then C&S Bank, in one half of a small duplex.  With borrowed office furniture, an IBM Selectric I had won in a writing contest while working for WOIC Radio as a copywriter/traffic manager, and lots of imaginative touches by my artist partners, we opened the doors and the clients came.

In today’s era of intense competition, it is hard to imagine that our first big client was another agency, Cook, Ruef, Spann and Weiser, who had a shop a few doors down from us. Whenever they had more work than they could handle, Bill Spann brought their overload to us. I will never forget the checks they wrote to us and the wonderful assignments they shared so generously. That big agency’s overflow enabled us to lure Frankie Bridges away from Bradley, Graham and Hamby, another big agency in town where both of us worked for a time, to join us at Semaphore. That was the smartest business decision of my life. Frankie is a phenomenal record keeper and bookkeeper. She monitored our cash flow and prevented us from going over any financial cliffs, as she still does today.

Our first big chance came from C&S Bank, where the remarkable Billy Silver was then VP for marketing and advertising. We started with the execution of a presentation that Billy had dreamed up for an annual meeting where record-breaking numbers were to be presented to the bank’s board of directors and top executives. From there, we went on to annual reports, brochures, billboards, newspaper advertising and new branch openings. Because we were located in South Carolina, we handled all of the new branch openings for C&S all across the state during the time of the bank’s greatest expansion.

We worked for C&S for many years – up until the time that Robert V. Royall decided he wanted the challenge of growing NBSC from a small town operation headquartered in Sumter into a statewide giant that could hold its own with the big, well-established banks in South Carolina. We did the marketing for all of the new branch rollouts all over the state. And, we created the NBSC logo and branding.

Another of Semaphore’s early giant steps came about in a most unusual fashion and in New York City of all places. I was attending the Conference Board meeting at the Waldorf, while staying with an actress friend in her bed-sit walk up. Semaphore scraped up the funds to send me to this meeting to get the best two-day education that could be had in our field at that time. During one of the 15-minute breaks between sessions, I noticed a man at the coffee bar, leaning against the wall and obviously in intense pain. This was during the Tylenol scare, so naturally I was somewhat timid about offering him an aspirin. In fact, I said to him “If I were you, I would not accept a pill from a stranger, but I do have some aspirin if you’d like some.” He responded by telling me he had an awful headache and he really needed something for the pain.

How could I have known that he was the director of marketing for Central Electric Power Cooperative, the wholesale power supplier for all 20 of South Carolina’s electric cooperatives? When we returned to Columbia, he called and invited me to lunch and I asked him to test our capabilities with one small project, one that had to produce measurable results. That was the beginning of a relationship that has lasted for decades and came to include most of the individual electric cooperatives in South Carolina, as well as the statewide association – the Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina (ECSC).

Frequently, and mostly in the last decade, I hear advertising and marketing described as a cutthroat business. My experience has been the opposite. For example, there was Van Newman, of Newman, Saylor and Gregory, who sent work to Semaphore that was either too small for his agency or presented a conflict with one of his clients. One of my favorites was a giant waterslide out on Two Notch Road called the “Zoom Flume.” I’ll never forget our headline for that endeavor: “Long, Tall, Cold, Fast and Wet!”

Today, some 80 percent of our business comes from clients we’ve been connected to for over 20 years. In addition to that remarkable fact, two of our incredibly talented creative people have been with Semaphore since they left college. I think that speaks volumes about who we are and how we conduct our relationships with clients.

Forty years since our start and I am still amazed and somewhat humbled by the generosity and good manners of advertising people. There is no doubt about the tough competition. That factor is always there. More important is the willingness to help.