Recently I read about a coupon that could be downloaded from a company’s Facebook fan page. Since I suffer from a  “keeping up with the Jones” mentality when it comes to technology, I wanted to distribute coupons, too.

After doing some research, I discovered Wildfire Promotion Builder, an easy-to-use web application that allows designers to create interactive Facebook campaigns. To add to my excitement, I learned that it was much more than coupons—it was also contests and sweepstakes! My head began to spin…the more I learned, the more I had to have it, both to draw traffic to my Facebook fan page and to offer promotions via Facebook to my clients.

I signed up for the free version and installed it onto my fan page. Now I had it and victory was mine! What to do, what to do… I know—what better way to work out all the kinks than to take it for a test drive? Thus, the “Komjati Design FRESH CASH Giveway” was born.

Today is the third day of the sweepstakes and it has had a few touch-and-go moments. Moments that made me glad it was my own personal project. Like the first day when the Promotions tab completely disappeared from my fan page. I removed the Boxes tab, posted the promotion again and all was right in my world, whew!

Not every business can afford a big-name advertising agency but not all businesses need one. If you have professional designers on your team consider yourself lucky. Take them to lunch and ask them if they need supplies, computer upgrades or training. They will love you for it and reward you with quality work done in a timely manner. I am always amazed when I learn of large creative departments that don’t have the basic tools they need to function efficiently.

If you don’t have a creative department of your own—freelance creative directors (like me), designers, copywriters and photographers can be found through advertising clubs and associations. Professional freelancers aren’t cheap but they cost much less than an advertising agency. As a matter of fact, many freelancers have ad agencies as clients. 

Here are five tips to help save time and money when working with your creative team. Inhouse, freelance or agency, these tips will keep the creative process flowing smoothly.

1. Involve the designer in your project from the start. This will give them valuable insight into your goals. The designer may even be able to suggest alternative ways to meet those goals that can save money on paper, printing and mailing.
2. Always provide correct information to the designer. Revisions caused by wrong information are a complete waste of time and money and happen all the time.
3. Involve as few people as possible in the approval process. Office and family politics often play a very expensive role in which everyone suffers, including the final product and budget.
4. Allow time for production. Designers all too often hear “it’s approved, send it to the printer NOW because they’re waiting.” The digital proof used for the approval process can’t be used for professional printing. A new file must be created and this can sometimes be very time consuming because it involves specialized knowledge of the production and printing process. This process varies with every print job and from printer to printer. Rushing here causes mistakes that result in the job having to be reprinted at an additional cost. 
5. Check with the post office during the design process or sooner about mailing rules, regulations and costs. If the direct mail piece needs to be hand-sorted because it was designed with the fold on the wrong side, there will be an additional cost for each piece. Iron out these costly details before it’s printed.

Businesses that stop advertising during slow periods allow their competitors advertising to have greater visibility. Prices have been reduced recently on advertising space, why not ask your print sales reps about these discounts? With a little planning, communication and the right team, you really can afford to advertise.

A coworker once walked into my cubicle at Sterling Jewelers and informed me that she could do my job if she had the software. My reply was that I had been a designer long before they had even thought of the software (see my 1983 hand-drawn newspaper ad layouts above).

Today this “anyone can do it” attitude runs rampant among advertisers. I can’t stress it enough, design is more than pretty pictures and cool software. It’s a complex tool used to change consumer perception and behaviors and I’ve yet to find that keystroke command on my keyboard…