How Can Creative Services Support Your Business Goals?

Prior to founding Cognoscenti Creative, our careers were built on in-house marketing and design teams. For us, that means we’ve seen the full lifecycle of creative: from brainstorming, to iteration, to dissemination, to results (or lack thereof). Through that experience, the most important lesson we’ve learned is that not all catchy creative ideas actually move the needle on your business goals.

While large corporations have plenty of wiggle room in their budgets for creative projects that may or may not succeed, most entrepreneurs and small business owners (our core clientele) don’t have dollars to burn when they’re making those decisions. That’s why, as a company, we feel obligated to advise our clients on which creative services will most benefit their business—even if it means turning down additional work. 

This also means that we don’t have a one-size-fits-all process. Each of our client proposals are built to address the specific goals that underlie their creative requests. Sometimes, that means the works—from 360° branding, to website design, social media strategy and the creation of print collateral. Other times, we work on a single deliverable, like photography, core copywriting or a logo refresh. In many cases, we work with clients on a series of incremental projects as their businesses grow and evolve.

One of the most important aspects of this work is assessing not only a client’s budget and business goals, but also understanding their target audience. A client who sells their product wholesale, for example, is entirely different from one who sells a product direct-to-consumer. Businesses with a physical storefront also have several challenges that a remote service provider will never face (and vice versa!). We’ve found that clearly conveying value and the human story behind your business tends to “lift all boats,” but how we go about it varies from client to client. 

For example—consider our recent brand storytelling and website design projects for Christine Chitnis and Moxie Bread Co. In both cases, we built a custom Squarespace website, but the content and user experience developed for each site was completely different. On the other hand, for PeakMed Life Centers, creating a print brochure for new members was actually more pressing than redesigning their online user experience. 

If there’s one thing we can teach our clients, we hope it’s this: all creative services should directly align with your business goals. So the next time you’re debating whether to invest in video production, joining TikTok or a flashy custom website—we’ll be happy to play devil’s advocate. Chances are, there’s a simpler, more effective way to reach your target customer and incrementally grow a sustainable business.