With a passion for using design to help businesses succeed, Insight’s newest team member, Veronica Knippling, brings a modern aesthetic and acumen to our team. As Junior Graphic Designer, she joins us as a recent grad from the University of South Dakota. She’s hit the ground running on various projects, and the experience she gained while working in the USD Creative Services Department has proven to be extremely valuable. She’s well-versed in printing processes and design techniques for both print and digital applications.

As excited as we are to have Veronica’s expertise in all things design-related, she adds even more to our company culture. The first time you meet her, you can’t help but get caught up in her vibrant personality and contagious passion for finding beautiful creative solutions to business problems. Having grown up on a working cattle ranch in rural South Dakota, Veronica tackles all design challenges with the tenacious will to not only make things look visually-crafted, but with relevance, clarity and a modern flair. The old adage “You can take the girl out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the girl” has never rung more true. Her favorite things to do are fish and enjoy the wide-open spaces at her father and brother’s Gann Valley ranch. That includes a lot of horse riding and fence fixing!

We’re so happy to have you as part of our team, Veronica.

Welcome aboard!

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Ninety-five percent of our time is focussed on making our clients and their marketing efforts look good and perform even better, but of course we occasionally take some time to work on our own brand. We’re thrilled that the Insight logo was chosen by DesignRush to be featured in their Best Logo Designs of 2024 gallery.

The recent redesign of Insight’s logo pays homage to the past while setting the stage for the next chapters of Insight’s success. Previously a combination of five colors, our pallette was narrowed to two from the past set – a vibrant teal and orange combination. The “eye” icon was simplified to a singular bold ring, with nested circles representing the pupil of an eye, also an element from our previous logo. The wordmark portion of the Insight logo is composed of custom lettershapes.

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Insight welcomes our newest team member and Creative Director, James Strange.   Hailing most recently from Lincoln, NE, James is comfortable with both pure graphic design but also multi-dimensional ad campaigns. 

In his over 20+ years of experience, James has created brands for companies including ConAgra Foods, BassPro Shops, Bombardier, Boeing and Disney. He has earned recognition in prestigious award shows such as Communication Arts, Graphis, One Show, Logolounge and has clinched two gold Effies. Notably, he was a finalist for the grand Effie. James also served as a judge for Logolounge Book Seven, and Graphis has esteemed him as one of the top thirty art directors globally.

As a Creative Director, James will add his talents to create exceptional, attention-grabbing work for our clients.

Welcome, James!

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Maybe you’ve been doing business for years or perhaps now you have a new product or service that is spot on for your business goals; but now what? How do you build lifelong loyal customers? What can you do to make your brand memorable, especially since you have quite a few competitors to stand out from? Great questions. You should create experiential branding.

Experiential branding builds emotional connections with your brand, it’s personality and feeling. Is your brand warm? Is it safe? Is it exciting? A great place to start is by knowing yourself. Once you have established who you are and what your identity is, you can begin to connect with your consumer in the place of their emotional need.

This is important, because consumers are looking for emotional connections in a world that is increasingly becoming emotionally disconnected. Consumers are willing to connect with, and pay for, products from brands that make the effort to emotionally connect. According to a blog written by Heather Murphy of Forbes, titled “Create Loyal Customers For Life: Making Limbic Connections with Experiential Branding”, Forbes, May 2, 2017; the scientific rationale behind what happens is found within the limbic system of the human body. Although this blog was written six years ago, its observations withstand the test of time.

According to the Cambridge Dictionary: the limbic system is a system of nerves and other structures in the brain that control many of our emotions. What’s interesting about the limbic system is it is in the “mammal thinking” part of the brain that is responsible for the emotions, memories and habits that we think about. It’s constantly asking; “Do I belong here?”; you want your consumers to respond with, “Yes, I do belong here.” Essentially, you want to invite your consumers to become loyal brand family members, to feel safe with your brand and experience the consistency that your brand provides.

A great example of this is the South Dakota Farmers Union (SDFU) Safety Trailer. Insight planned, designed and executed this experience design trailer for SDFU. One of the most important aspects of the SDFU brand identity is safety, so we converted a 24 ft. gooseneck trailer into a mobile safety experience complete with an interactive farm scene, grain bin safety experience and loads of facts about how to make farming safer; the participant leaves with numerous ways of how to be safe while working on their farms.

The payoff is huge, not only are farm families going to be safer, lives could be saved and how can you put a dollar value on that? Not only does this provide a safe, emotional connection, it provides a safe lifeline connection. The trailer is just one of the great ways we’ve helped SD Farmers Union spread awareness of its mission among South Dakotan communities. To see more of Insight’s SDFU work, and other experiential works, check out our website.

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Ghosts of Social Media Past

As a kid, I spent most of my life immersed in the ever-evolving digital atmosphere of the 90s and 2000s with video games, TV, electronics and the internet. I customized my MySpace profile with pretty graphics while choosing which top five friends to display. (Was the owner of MySpace, Tom, in your top 5?) Then came Facebook, where I untagged myself from unflattering basement party photos and sent help notifications to my friends on Farmville. It’s hard to believe social media has transcended its role as a mere online pastime, emerging as a dynamic, robust ecosystem.

It’s funny how many years later, I’d have a career established working professionally in social media. I even became Meta Certified in Media Planning. When the many congratulatory email bombardments hit, I suddenly realized this was a bigger deal than I initially thought. It wasn’t the $150 testing fee or the fact that I had to take the test with my camera and mic on; it was all those emails.

Since the certification, I’ve learned why it’s significant for businesses to work with agency-certified partners like Insight regarding advertising on social media. And I’d love to share that information with the rest of the class.

Get strapped in, and feel free to pin this post or open it in another tab to rot with the other 28 open tabs on your browser. 

Playing Facebook & Instagram Ads on Hard Mode

Meta makes creating and advertising on their platform easy, allowing page owners to boost content. Boosting simplifies marketing efforts to the point where it’s hard to understand why someone would want to overcomplicate such a user-friendly process. That is where Meta Certifications come in handy.

The Meta Certification in Media Planning means I have the professional tools and knowledge to use Meta’s Ad Manager proficiently. As part of Meta’s Business Suite, this separate dashboard is where social media campaigns are created, structured and optimized. It can be overwhelming and confusing, even for seasoned professionals. 

Meta’s Ad Manager is best suited for goal-driven businesses that need comprehensive, in-depth targeting, optimization and budget control. As someone who utilizes the ad manager daily for multiple accounts, I’m able to:

• Create and customize complex campaigns with multiple ad sets, creatives and targeting options.

• Utilize every placement to its fullest potential by customizing all ad formats.

• Take advantage of detailed targeting options like lookalike audiences and retargeting based on user actions on your website or app.

• Control budget allocation and bidding strategy, essential for achieving specific goals.

• Make data-driven optimizations and decisions regarding performance with comprehensive reporting and campaign tracking.

You can spread that social media ad budget far when using Ads Manager to its fullest potential. The platform is built for structure, so comprehensive storytelling is possible through multiple messages and creative. More bang for your buck is what I like to say.

Conclusion

Since I have yet to introduce myself – hi! My name is Brooke, and I’m a Meta Certified social media strategist obsessed with ensuring campaigns are 1.) successful and 2.) competitive. Many companies struggle with social media because it’s a relatively new marketing channel, especially compared to the usual gamut of billboards and print ads. Maximize that ad spend and get yourself someone who can fine-tune and coordinate campaigns professionally. If you have questions or concerns about your current paid social media, contact Insight!

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As a full-service marketing agency, Insight provides clients with a variety of services, including branding, social and digital media and web development. We work with clients of all sizes, including those that do and do not have a marketing department. It’s a misconception to think your business can’t, or shouldn’t, work with an agency if it already has an internal marketing team in place. Working with an agency allows you to tap into our industry expertise and collaborative spirit, offering a wide range of benefits to your business. 

Media Buying

Insight’s media director is a veteran with over 20 years in the media arena, researching, negotiating, planning, placing and maintaining media. What does this mean for you? Insight has formed solid relationships with media partners that often provide opportunities not always offered to others, including lower agency rates and bonus spots. We also have strong buying power as we place media for multiple clients and have room to negotiate with media reps. This helps ensure our clients have the best rates and placements available. We can help make even the tightest media budgets go farther than you imagined.

Social Media Advertising

Sometimes Insight works with clients that already have the knowledge and time to run their own social media accounts. To supplement their organic, unpaid social media, Insight can manage the paid advertising, which is an important complement to organic efforts. Our graphic designers are skilled in both static and animated ads, ensuring impactful and eye-catching creative. Our social media managers research and place targeted campaigns that they monitor and optimize throughout the campaign’s duration. 

Videography and Photography

It’s no secret that today’s cellphones shoot high-quality photo and video. But it still takes a trained eye to achieve proper lighting, subject placement and editing to ensure a stellar final product. Even a single day’s photo or video shoot results in a library of assets that can be used strategically for multiple campaigns over a period of time. Investing in photo and video allows Insight to bring your company’s brand to life by telling your story online, on billboards or on television.

New, Creative Ideas

In 2023, Insight celebrated our 20^th year in business, so our staff can add years of knowledge, experience, and industry insight to an in-house marketing staff. Having worked with hundreds of clients over the years, we know what does and doesn’t work, but we’re always searching for creative and innovative solutions to your challenges. Allow us to be the fresh eyes on your company’s goals, so we can plan and develop new ways to help you get there.

When working together toward a common goal – your business’s success – Insight is your company’s partner. It takes a committed team to create any successful marketing campaign, so contact us today to get started.

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As the newest hire at Insight, this blog post is one of my first assignments. “Just say something about yourself,” they said. “You know … something a little more than a simple job announcement.”

But here’s the thing – I don’t really enjoy talking about myself in a professional capacity. It feels boring to review all the places I’ve worked, and it feels cringe to pat myself on the back for any recognition my work has received over the years. It’s not that I’m not proud of my accolades. I am. I would just rather talk about something else.

Like restaurants.

You see, before I became a 28-year-old copywriting intern at JWT in Denver, I spent 12 years working in the restaurant business. Front of house, back of house, management – I did it all. In fact, I was very close to choosing a career in the business, until I created an ad campaign for the restaurant I worked for. That’s when I decided that making ads was a lot more interesting than making meals.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but working in restaurants prepared me for a career in the advertising industry better than any portfolio school would have. Here are a few things I brought with me without even knowing it.

Things are never going to go as expected.

No matter how well we used to prepare for a lunch or dinner rush, the chances were slim to none that it would come off without a hitch. A server gets in the weeds, the salad station backs up, a bartender drops a tray of drinks, or a party of 20 walks in right after you let the two early servers go. Whatever happens, though, the restaurant doesn’t close, people are still hungry and your income depends on keeping them as happy as possible. The contributing factors may be different in advertising – a timeline gets moved up, input changes, weather days during production, or something that was approved suddenly needs revisions – but the reality is the same. There are hungry clients that need to eat.

Being a good conversationalist will get you everywhere.

Nothing teaches you how to speak in public or with strangers better than hustling tips to make a living. Period. Waiting tables or tending bar is a constant state of performing for people who control your success in their hands. How well can you articulate the specials? How good are you at upselling a better bottle of wine? How well are you able to engage with your customers, share a laugh or a personal story, and get them to be a little more on your side? The answers to those questions are directly linked to your tips, and it’s the same in advertising. Whether you’re pitching a new account or campaign ideas to an existing one, good conversationalists can accomplish more toward their goals in the 10 minutes before and after any client meeting than the meeting itself.

The dishwasher is just as important as the executive chef.

Teamwork, y’all. Team. Work. In the restaurant business, if one station goes down or gets behind, it’s a domino effect. Doesn’t matter if it’s the kitchen, the bar, the bussers or the dishwashers – if something gets sideways or people aren’t communicating, your shift is going to be a grind. Now think about any complex, integrated campaign you’ve worked on. Or even a one-off project. If any part of the process is broken, or anyone on the team (including the client) is a liability, two things are going to happen: the project will be twice as difficult to complete, and the final output will be half as good as it could have been. The fix is the same, too: prepare religiously for every project, audit the moving parts of your process, keep talking and step up to help out when you’re needed.

Not every customer is going to be easy, but they all need to be fed.

Ultimately, there’s very little difference between someone spending $50 on a meal or someone who controls a $50M advertising account. Some are going to be the best, nicest and easiest people to deal with, and others simply … aren’t. Working in restaurants taught me that not only can I handle difficult people, their personal style and delivery isn’t a reflection on me. If I know I’ve done my job, I’m more than willing to engage with a tricky client. Just like a restaurant customer, all you can do is be honest and professional while trying to deliver what you’ve promised.

Great chefs take advice.

Just like the food in a restaurant, an agency’s creative product is its opportunity to shine brightest. I worked with chefs with personalities ranging from volcanic to timid, and whenever they were developing a new dish or seasonal menu, each of them had a lot of help. From flavors to plating, they were open to feedback and suggestions, and they trusted the experts they surrounded themselves with to be exactly that. These days, whether it’s guiding a concept through an internal process or working with production partners, I’ve adopted the same philosophy. Better yet, I’ve been lucky enough to work with some incredible editors, composers, effects teams, and yes, even clients who have helped improve both the concepts and their executions. The creative process, like cooking, is a wonderful alchemy, and when you get it right, it’s delicious.

Gotta go. Order up.

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At the time of writing, Universal Analytics (UA), Google’s venerable old data cruncher, has only ten days to live. While we’ve been aware of its ultimate demise for some time, we are now faced with a hard deadline. At Insight we made the transition at the end of 2022 and have been drawing our data exclusively from Google Analytics 4 (GA4) since December. But there are many more casual Analytics users who, faced with the giant countdown clock on logging into their account, and sifting through the increasingly urgent emails from Google, are still confused by what this all means.

We touched briefly on Universal Analytics demise in a previous post, but to help with the transition it is useful to highlight some of the more important GA4 metrics, and whether they are comparable to their UA counterparts:

Users

UA measures two types of users; Total Users and New Users, while GA4 adds a third, Active Users. Total Users and New Users are relatively passive and self-explanatory, whereas Active Users refers to visitors who have interacted with your site in some way, like page scroll, click or another action. Active, or Engaged Users, are very much definitive of GA4’s event-based measurement protocol.

Page_views

Page_views are largely compatible, as the global site tag fires anytime a new page is loaded on both platforms. However, one difference is that, in GA4, it’s possible to combine both web and app data in the same property, provided, of course, this has been set up in advance in the Data Streams setting.

Bounce Rate / Engagement Rate

Back in the day Bounce Rate was all the rage! Bounce Rate revealed the percentage of users who exited your website without clicking through to another page, an indicator of whether or not your site was engaging visitors. GA4 replaces this metric with Engagement Rate, which measures the number of people who do something on your website, whether that’s click to another page, scroll to the bottom of the landing page, start a video etc.

Events

In UA, we set up events by inputting certain parameters a user must match in order to record that event. In GA4, every action a user takes on the site is defined as an event. Some events are pre-defined, such as page_views, video starts, etc. Others are set up as Custom Events that can then be designated as Conversions, and imported into Google Ads.

Conversions

In UA, there were a number of predefined “goals” that could be designated as conversions, like time-on-site, session duration, etc. Other actions, like submitting a lead form on your website, could be set up as events, as described above. In GA4 you specify a conversion event for each action that a user takes that you want to count as a conversion. These can be adapted from the events GA4 automatically collects, or set up custom events.

Purchase

As a fundamental measure of marketing success, especially for ecommerce sites, a purchase is essentially the same metric in both UA and GA4. There are some minor differences in how they are measured, including the fact that in UA it was necessary to enable Enhanced Ecommerce before measuring Purchases, whereas in GA4 this is a pre-defined event.

The above metrics are just some of the data points we look at when creating digital marketing reports for our clients.  There are, of course, many more metrics, data points and dimensions to be found in GA4 and the platform is still very much in its infancy. If we think of all the updates and enhancements that were rolled out in UA in its 17 years of primacy, there is no doubt there is much more to come from Google’s new measurement platform.

If that big countdown clock is giving you the jitters and you need someone to give you a hand in making sense of it all, give Insight a call at 605-275-0011 or send an email to Roger Nolan, VP of Client Services at [email protected].

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Having a social media presence for your business is nearly a nonnegotiable. In some cases, perhaps using social media isn’t right for your customers or industry, but for a majority of businesses there is at least one social platform right for your brand, whether that’s LinkedIn, Facebook, TikTok, or another. Once you’ve identified the platform(s) to use, you need to write the content. Keep these five social media copywriting tips in mind when crafting your posts and ads.

1. Know Your Audience

Every brand has a target demographic. Who do you want to buy your product? Who do you want to utilize your service? Whoever it is, know how they want to be spoken to. If you’re hoping a bunch of teens shop your online clothing store, your social media copywriting can have a more casual tone on Instagram. A hospital looking to hire a new doctor may write more formally on LinkedIn. If you intermix styles among your demographics, your message will be lost and not resonate with the correct target audience.

2. Identify Your Brand Voice

Your business could have more than one target audience and therefore require different copywriting styles depending on the goal of the post/ad. Nevertheless, it’s important to be consistent when writing copy. Decide if your brand uses emojis (which are effective when used appropriately), writes with contractions, or tells jokes. Adopt a consistent tone throughout all your social copy. This is particularly important if you have more than one person doing the copywriting. If there is a standard, anyone in your company should be able to help write social copy. 

3. Write for the Platform

Your business’s campaign may extend across mediums, from TV to billboard, or it may just focus on social media. Even a social media campaign can cross platforms. When writing copy for social media, you need to keep in mind which platform the ad/post will be on. Twitter, for example, has a character limit. TikTok no longer has a character limit, but a user has to “see more” to, well, see more. Instagram heavily utilizes hashtags. A headline for a Facebook ad has a different purpose than the ad’s description. Know the character limits, take time to preview ads and posts on both mobile and desktop, and understand how users interact on the selected platform.

4. Don’t Forget the Call-To-Action

You need to give readers clear direction of what to do next. Once you’ve given them the details of your new product, or told them the benefits of your service, what is the next step? Guide potential customers and clients down the sales funnel by giving them a clear call-to-action. “Click here!” “Buy now!” “Read more.” Providing links in social posts will lead people to your website. Posting a video with a caption telling viewers to post weekly will push them to follow your account. Remember that you’re writing social media copy because you want readers to do something and somehow interact with your brand.

5. Pictures Tell a Thousand Words

I’m sure you’ve heard that phrase before. It’s still relevant today because it’s true! Unique, branded photos (and videos!) stand out on a person’s social media feed and set your brand apart from the crowd. A long-winded post can be summarized with a caption and a photo. For an added bonus, take the next step and make your photos and videos ADA compliant. Add alt text descriptions and captions to describe the content to users using accessibility programs. A photo of a hamburger on a plate should have alt text that reads just that: “Hamburger sitting on a white plate”. Social media copy is important, but it’s not the only method to convey your message.

There you have it – five tips for social media copywriting. You may have the capability to handle your social media in-house. If not, or if you’d like some guidance to get started, Insight will partner with your business to tackle your social media needs. Insight has a full-service social media department where we can do it all – from content planning, copywriting, to graphic design. Contact us today to get started.

Don’t forget to follow us on social media to stay in-the-know with all things Insight.

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