If that’s the question, then it seems the response in this economy should be, “I’d do almost anything. … Tell me more!”

I’d be happy to.

At Go East, part of our job is finding the most efficient way to bring projects to life. One of our favorite methods is showing the cost savings for a series of projects (that is, for projects completed simultaneously). Perhaps your immediate need is to get your next e-newsletter out. Of course, you likely have a series of e-newsletters that you’ll need to publish. Have you considered developing them simultaneously instead of as individual projects? To move forward, all you might need is a coffee or lunch meeting to knock out a rough editorial calendar.

Hmm … having coffee with a friendly agency person to save money on my next project? I’d invest that.

Projects that are ideal candidates for this type of savings effort include the following:

• Regular print advertising
• Monthly e-newsletters
• Banner ads
• A series of related brochures
• Product sell sheets

This approach seems like a no-brainer. The truth is, you have to be willing to invest some time up front to develop the plan. Depending on your campaign, developing that plan could consume a few hours (over lunch or coffee), or more.

When clients “gang up” project work, I’ve seen cost savings range from 10 percent to 36 percent.

It’s a win-win-win situation:

Your brand wins because it benefits from thoughtful strategy AND you can use the dollars saved for even more initiatives!

Your agency wins because it worked on additional projects proactively (vs. reactively).

And you win because you look great to your team and your boss.

Which of your current projects can you “gang up”? What will you do with the savings?

Posted on Tuesday, September 29th, 2009 by Kirsi Dahl