The following are some tips on how to get the best creative marketing work from any designer or advertising agency.

Provide clear and detailed direction from the very beginning
The more specific you can be about what you’re looking for, the less time your designers will spend on your design, which equates to reduced costs. It’s that simple. If you’re vague and keep changing your mind, the hours add up and your costs go up. No one wants that. The designers don’t want to keep going back and forth and you don’t want to spend more money. So provide as much information and details from the very beginning and you’ll get the most efficient work product.

Provide a budget (or at least a clear scope)
It’s fine if you just have ballpark numbers. When you’re looking for a house, you can’t just tell your realtor to find you any property. It could range from a $25 million penthouse at Park Place or a studio in Waianae. Either way, you’re more than likely going to be disappointed with what they come back with, unless you give them at least a range of what you’re willing to spend.

Yes, it’s often hard to provide a very specific scope on creative work you want them to create. And after all, you’re paying them to recommend what’s best for your goals. It’s unlikely you’re going be able to say, I want you to design a 4-color, 3 -panel brochure with a 5″ x 7″ finished size utilizing primarily stock illustrations.

That’s not your expertise.

But if you ask them to design a brochure and you have $2,500 to design and print 1,000 brochures, they can provide you with a good recommendation.

Be realistic
Don’t ask to produce a campaign worth $1 million for a $100. It goes back to your budget. Tell them what you can pay and let them come back with recommendations.

Don’t tell them how to do their job
You probably hate it when other people tell you how to do your job. Customers saying you need to do it this way or that. Don’t be that guy. Provide the same respect you hope all your customers would give you. You’re an expert in your field. The designer you hire should be an expert in theirs. If they’re not, well, then, you shouldn’t be working with them in the first place. But if you hire someone who’s really great at their craft, let them do their thing. You’ll reap all the rewards.

Be open to recommendations
This goes back to the previous point. You’re paying them to create the best product based on their experience. So if they come back to you with a recommendation based on your objectives and parameters, truly take it into consideration. If they know what they’re doing, they should have much better ideas than what you could come up with. If they don’t have better design ideas, then don’t hire them in the first place.

Don’t nitpick the small things
You may have a color that you prefer or think that centering text is better. But overall, do your best to let your designer design what they feel is the best way to do it. You don’t want to instruct you electrician how to exactly place your wires. The same goes for design.

Pay your bills on time
If you’re a business owner, you know how important cash flow is to any business. When you pay your designers on time, they’ll be more motivated to provide the best work for you. They’ll definitely prioritize your work over other companies who don’t pay on time.

For other ways on how to improve your marketing, visit aidiamarketing.com.