This document provides survival tips for publishers looking to offer creative services to clients. It discusses how the billing models for creative services have become more complex as new marketing disciplines have emerged. It recommends defining goals and metrics in a creative brief to help manage client expectations and projects. The document also discusses how publishers can set up an affordable marketing technology infrastructure using tools like The Marketing Manager, Zapier, and Google Analytics to help centralize data and show marketing ROI to clients without large budgets.

1. Survival Tips for Publishers Offering Creative Services
JU M P O N TH E CREATI VE BAN D W AGO N
( W I TH O U T GETTI N G RU N O VER)

2. YOUR 1ST PRESENTER
Marketing Director,
Mirabel Technologies
A background in advertising, publishing, and growing companies
Worked at The New York Times in-house marketing & creative services dept.
Horizon, Initiative, Grey, OMD (OMG) & Publicis prior to the merger & smaller shops
Major brand experience: Frito Lay, J&J(LifeScan), Clairol (P&G), IHOP, The History
Channel, David’s Bridal & more
Been been a partner in startups/tech companies - Pronology (video playback &
transcoding app), spawned from post production house and Engineation, a software
consulting firm that grew to $1MM in 2 years without funding.
I understand REALLY tight budgets!
10 years in communication strategy & media planning (traditional/integrated/digital)
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3. YOUR 2ND PRESENTER
Senior Account Executive,
Mirabel Technologies
Senior AE for Mirabel’s Marketing Manager
Career focused in software & tech industry
Currently helping publishers leverage the creative services trend affordably
Available for questions after today’s webinar
Feel free to chat your questions. If we can’t get to
them today, we will after the webinar.
Transitioning several MM & NM clients to new tools
Helps define client goals & sets up marketing workflows
Will cover tech considerations during 2nd half of webinar
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4. WHY HAVE THIS WEBINAR?
WWW.M I RABELSM ARKETI N GM AN AGER.CO M
You can’t miss this big trend in publishing.
Publishers and agencies are starting to overlap.
Publishers have the talent, the audiences, and
an understanding of engagement.
When you can’t beat Google & Facebook, why
not profit from the content behind them?
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5. TODAY’S WEBINAR
WWW.M I RABELSM ARKETI N GM AN AGER.CO M
A brief history of creative services billing practices
Avg. rates for big firms & smaller shops
Why agencies use creative briefs & an example of one
Part 1: How to Offer Creative Services
How to define metric goals in your brief
Managing analytics for multiple clients
An affordable marketing tech set-up
How to stretch your tech budget
Part 2: How to Show Marketing ROI with Affordable Tools
Resources to make you an expert
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6. WHAT ARE CREATIVE M ARKETING SERVICES?
WWW.M I RABELSM ARKETI N GM AN AGER.CO M
Addresses client needs beyond ad space
(some clients need creative developed).
Leverages the talents of your in-house
writers and designers.
Can be sold as a service (creative development)
by your same sales reps.
EXAMPLES- Print Creative, Custom Advertorials, Native Content, Free Standing Inserts,
Coupons, Whitepapers, Brochures, Blog Content, Websites & Web Pages
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7. PUBLISHERS ARE EQUIPPED TO START NOW
WWW.M I RABELSM ARKETI N GM AN AGER.CO M
Sells ad space
Sells creative
services
Writes stories for your
publications
Writes content to
promote client brands
Designs your print,
email & web assets
Designs client emails,
brochures & web pages
Overseas publications
Manages clients’
creative projects
Bills the same clients
from the same
publishing CRM
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8. CLIENTS OFTEN USE M ULTIPLE M ARKETING FIRM S
WWW.M I RABELSM ARKETI N GM AN AGER.CO M
Even if you * CAN* write for every medium (blogs, whitepapers, radio, TV, advertorial, collateral, social,
brochures, PR, websites, etc.) you probably won’t handle every aspect.
SURE! WE DO THAT!
Blogs & Digital Content, Native Ads &
Advertorials, Websites & Landing Pages,
Brochures & Collateral, FSIs & Coupons,
Digital Ads, Email Marketing, Magazine &
Newspaper Ads, Whitepapers, Direct Mail
WELL MAYBE I CAN
SEO, SEM, Social Media, Out-of-Home,
Conference Media, Grassroots Marketing,
Slogans, Mission Statements, Logos & Brand
Identity, Web Video, Multicultural Marketing,
Partnership Marketing, Press & PR
HA! FAT CHANCE
App Design, Broadcast TV, Product
Placement, Radio Spots, Traffic/Weather IDs,
Packaging, Gamification, Chat-bots, In-
Store/Point-of-Sale, E-commerce, sports
sponsorships, UI/UE
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9. YOUR M ARKETING SERVICES BILLING M ODEL
DEPENDS ON THE CLIENT & SCOPE OF WORK.
WWW.M I RABELSM ARKETI N GM AN AGER.CO M
Full-service agencies often charged x% of 15% gross media costs back
when creative, media planning & buying were typically consolidated.
Media used to be the biggest advertising & marketing expense for clients
(esp. air time).
The scope of work used to consist of TV, radio, print, direct mail and out-
of-home. 9

10. M ARKETING SERVICES BILLING M ODELS ARE
NOW M ORE COM PLEX
WWW.M I RABELSM ARKETI N GM AN AGER.CO M
Newer disciplines (e.g. inbound content marketing, social media, app design) have changed this.
Media commissions are now usually a hybrid with retainers, flat fees & hourly rates.
Flat rates are GREAT for clients that approve everything (few revisions).
Monthly fees with additional hours are common.
% revenue based models are newer (e-commerce)
A good publishing CRM can handle any scenario above.
Time & material models are common but require accuracy & padding to avoid profit loss.
Blended rates are also common.
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11. HOURLY RATES CAN VARY WIDELY
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Market conditions and overhead will dictate your rates. Some positions can be outsourced but
others are harder to find overseas, esp. copywriters.
To steal share from agencies, you will probably have to charge less. However, if you are really good, clients will pay it! 11

12. PROJECT-BASED BILLING EXAM PLE
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This is an estimate only. Doesn’t
include maintenance costs
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13. M ONTHLY AGENCY RETAINERS
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Large agencies = $5,000-$10,000
Smaller shops = $1,000-$3,000
4 acquisition emails with template
design copy & landing pages
2 blogs a week
Daily social media posts
Monthly reporting
$4,200/mo. 13

14. AGENCIES START PROJECTS WITH A BRIEF
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A brief can save many headaches - and maybe your profit margin.
Defines core objective, strategy, goals & metrics
Minimizes revisions, fire-drills & bad ideas
Briefs are 1-2 pages but may include attachments (Gantt
chart, wireframes, SWOT analysis & content matrix)
Anyone can fill it out but everyone should agree with it.
Brand
Personality
& Tone
Benchmarks
& Metrics
Consumer
Insights
Target
Audience
Objectives &
Strategies
Market
Position &
Landscape
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15. A BRIEF OUTLINES GOALS, STRATEGIES &
CREATIVE DIRECTION
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Brand Personality
Primary, secondary& tertiary target
Segment “personas”
Metric Projections. Etc.
Other brief items
A good brief = people know what to
do & client knows what to expect
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16. A GOOD BRIEF DEFINES SUCCESS M ETRICS
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Even big agency TV optimizers get this wrong.
Entails risk: creative wear-out, PR crisis, competition, market conditions
Curb your projections (e.g. $x will generate x results).
Historic metrics give clients insight
without a promise.
It focuses on what moves product. Effective marketing isn’t always good (TV ads).
It’s approved & includes success metrics.
“I don’t care about ROI,” said no client…..ever. 16

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18. CENTRALIZING ANALYTICS WILL SAVE TIM E
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However, centralization packages can cost $1,000+s/mo.
Content downloads & imps
Web traffic, UVs
Email engagement
Social media e
engagement
# Leads & quality score
Video views,
podcasts
Newsletter, blog, RSS
feed subscriptions
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19. YOU CAN CENTRALIZE M ARKETING DATA AFFORDABLY
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More sophisticated (and more expensive) options are endless
Zapier also opens the doors to other integration possibilities (dynamic
personalization, predicative analytics, AI chat bots).
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20. OTHER TECH CONSIDERATIONS
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Some clients are more ”hands on” than others.
Do they have their own email marketing account or
will you manage it exclusively?
If they are working with leads, do they need to
log in and see them?
Publishing CRM with
built-in marketing
Same system to bill for
ads & creative work
Resell shared marketing
tools @+20%
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21. THERE ARE M ANY WAYS TO CALCULATE ROI
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Even if you are not buying media, clients may want to see ROI attributed to what you
sell or create.
Comparisons & A/B tests help you make better decisions (regardless of B2B, B2C, or
business category).
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22. FREE OR AFFORDABLE RESOURCES
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www.Digitalmarketer.com
Content Chemistry by Anthony Crestodina
Neil Patel: www.neilpatel.com, @neilpatel
www.digitalmarketinginstitute.com
www.contentmarketinginstitute.com
www.socialmediaexaminer.com
www.Moz.com & www.moz/blog.com
www.creativebloq.com
Backlinko.com (Brian Dean) @backlinko
Quicksprout.com
Ahrefs.com
Google Analytics, Google Trends, Google Keyword Planner
SEMrush
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23. SUM M ARY POINTS
WWW.M I RABELSM ARKETI N GM AN AGER.CO M
There is no standard billing model; it depends on the work and your client.
It’s more important to be GOOD than cheap.
A clear creative brief will keep a project scope under control.
Clients love success metrics, but goals should be realistic.
Centralizing analytics will save time, and The Marketing Manager does this affordably!
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24. THANK YOU FOR JOINING!
WWW.M I RABELSM ARKETI N GM AN AGER.CO M
If you would like a personalized demo or a free trial, we are help to help.
There is no obligation to buy.
The Marketing Manager | Mirabel Technologies
Phone (954) 332 3224
Cell (586) 634 8479
Email: ncenovski@mirabeltechnologies.com
Keep in touch! @MirabelTech Facebook LinkedIn
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