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Looking for a results-driven marketing agency in Waterloo Region? unLOCKEd Company offers branding, SEO, social media & more to grow your local business. Your Go-To Marketing Agency Near You – unLOCKEd Company in Waterloo Region Are you searching for a reliable, full-service marketing agency near you? Look no further. unLOCKEd Company proudly serves businesses across the Waterloo Region, including Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph, and surrounding areas. Based in Waterloo, we’re your local marketing partner dedicated to helping small and mid-sized businesses grow through creative, results-driven strategies. Why Choose unLOCKEd Company? With over a decade of experience, unLOCKEd Company specializes in outsourced marketing solutions tailored to your unique needs. Our strong presence in the Waterloo Region gives us a deep understanding of the local market, making us the perfect partner for businesses in: Waterloo Kitchener Cambridge Guelph Ayr Brantford Southern Ontario Whether you're looking for social media management, branding, SEO, web design, or digital advertising, we simplify the process by being your one-stop marketing team. Local Expertise. Proven Results. From startups to established businesses, our clients appreciate that we bring a blend of big-picture strategy and hands-on implementation. We know the local audience, the regional trends, and how to position your brand to stand out in a crowded digital space. Let's Talk Local Strategy unLOCKEd Company doesn’t believe in cookie-cutter campaigns. When you work with us, you get customized strategies built around your business goals and location. Our team of marketers, designers, and content creators collaborate with you to ensure every marketing dollar is spent wisely. Recent Local Projects Boosted web traffic by 260% for a Kitchener-based B2B firm Managed a successful rebrand and new website for a Guelph psychologist collective Built a full social media and advertising strategy for a Waterloo Region event venue Visit Us or Let’s Chat We’re proud to support businesses across the Waterloo Region and beyond. Let’s connect to explore how we can unLOCK your potential. Contact us today to book a discovery call or meet up for a strategy session. Contact Us

unLOCKEd Company will make your business stand out with personal, one-on-one service from local branding and marketing firm experts. Serving Waterloo, Kitchener, Cambridge and beyond. Integrated Design, Brand and Marketing Firm in Waterloo Make your business stand out with personal, one-on-one service from local branding and marketing experts. Click to unlock the only marketing contact you'll ever need unLOCKEd Marketing specializes in... Website Design Your website is the first and, sometimes, the only thing your potential customers see when they are searching for your products or services. Having a website that people can find is crucial to growing your business. Social Media Management Let our social media experts unL OCKE the impact of every post, blog, and content block that your business shares. We ensure every word is aligned with your strategic goals, SEO is optimized, and your message is delivered clearly. Our expertise allows your team to focus on what is important: building your business.⁠ Digital Advertising Your storefront logo doesn’t matter unless people actually make it to the store! unLOCKEd helps create digital marketing strategies, content, and advertisements to make sure customers are lining up out your door. AND MORE! .⁠ LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR SERVICES unLOCKEd offers you a different marketing experience. You work directly with one person who has in-depth knowledge of the industry and the region, dedicated to managing and taking care of your marketing projects. This same person draws from a network of experienced professionals who specialize in every niche, identifying the talents, backgrounds and ideas best aligned to your business. Victoria LOCKE ensures you get the best in the specific field you need. unLOCKEd differs in our ability to solve problems for your business. We get to know your business, help you clarify your needs and then develop the solution. Our personalized approach crafts higher quality solutions on flexible terms. Benefitting from years of experience in the management process, Victoria LOCKE understands the core competency of owners and managers and works on your behalf. HOME unLOCKEd offers you a different marketing experience. You work directly with one person who has in-depth knowledge of the industry and the region, dedicated to managing and taking care of your marketing projects. This same person draws from a network of experienced professionals who specialize in every niche, identifying the talents, backgrounds and ideas best aligned to your business. Victoria LOCKE ensures you get the best in the specific field you need. unLOCKEd differs in our ability to solve problems for your business. We get to know your business, help you clarify your needs and then develop the solution. Our personalized approach crafts higher quality solutions on flexible terms. Benefiting from years of experience in the management process, Victoria LOCKE understands the core competency of owners and managers and works on your behalf. What we do Learn More About Our Company Learn More About Our Team We are proud to help local businesses across Waterloo, Kitchener, and Cambridge with their marketing needs. CHECK OUT OUR SUCCESS STORIES Let's get started. Integrated Design, Brand and Marketing Firm in Waterloo Make your business stand out with personal, one-on-one service from local branding and marketing experts. Serving Waterloo, Kitchener, Cambridge and beyond. Call Us Contact Us Submit Thanks for submitting!

unLOCKEd isn’t your average marketing firm. Instead of working with multiple different creative teams and service providers, you’ll get a single dedicated marketing advisor - Victoria LOCKE How We Are Different Dedicated support. True local expertise. A single contact for all your marketing needs. unLOCKEd isn’t your average marketing firm. Instead of working with multiple different creative teams and service providers, you’ll get a single dedicated marketing advisor - Victoria LOCKE, your local marketing expert and project manager. Victoria will draw from a network of experienced professionals who specialize in every niche, identifying the talents, backgrounds and ideas best aligned to your business. This integrated team will be at your side as your business grows, supporting every campaign, grand opening, and design project along the way. The unLOCKEd Marketing Difference. Brick-and-mortar branding packages that include sign permits and installation , so everything is handled from end to end. An integrated approach with the ability to design and produce print materials, signage, social media campaigns, websites, event marketing and more. Project management alongside creative services, keeping everything on track and under control. Local marketing plans that leverage insight, knowledge and market research from experts in the region. One central contact connecting you to high-quality designers, writers, strategists and more. GET STARTED Our Focus Expand, relocate, or open a new business with ease . Let our local branding experts take the stress out of your grand opening. We handle everything from storefront signage, print ads, local websites and so much more. With our help, you’ll catch customers’ attention from day one! Save time and maximize your marketing budget. unLOCKEd knows what works in your target market, and can see every advertising project through from conception to distribution. Our local marketing leaders have a strong track record of helping businesses capture attention across Waterloo Region. Get people talking about your business. From designing your storefront to launching a website and beyond, unLOCKEd gives you the tools to catch local attention. Our one-stop shop is set up to design, produce, print, and install your branding materials, so you can start turning heads right away. Since each project is unique and our ability to tailor the solutions are endless, we thought we’d give you a possible scenario to help explain possible services we can offer you. You work at a local company that is relocating, rebranding or expanding and you have been tasked with taking care of this project even though you have pretty full schedule with your full-time job. You may need help with one or all of these tasks. Interior branding - You want people to walk into your space and see and feel your company culture. This can be done with furniture, artwork, visual branding, feature walls, colour choices and etc. Wayfinding signs - No one wants to see those stick-on washroom signs New or updated vehicle or fleet graphics - Including design, materials and installation. Exterior or storefront signs - This is the first impression someone has of your brand when they arrive at your location. There is design, sign permits, fabrication and installation that needs to be considered. Updated stationary and business printing - Business cards, envelopes, newsletters and more. Including design, material choices and printing. Ads or promotional campaigns - Letting people know you’re growing or evolving. Promotional items - With all your new details. New or updated website Open houses or grand opening - Including planning, PR and execution. You do not have time to deal with a graphic designer, sign company, the city for permits, printing company, website developer, promotional supplier, digital media company…that’s why you work with unLOCKEd. You have a single contact for all of your marketing and branding needs. Tailored Fit Is your business REBRANDING RELOCATING EXPANDING? At unLOCKEd , we take care of everything, that's right, all of it. We are industry experts with an abundance of experience. We will get your business where it needs to be, on time, the first time, and for the right price. Do you really have time for all those moving parts? Get started Our Focus FAQ How do I increase brand recognition? Brand recognition means more than receiving name mentions in front of potential customers; it’s about cultivating the desired perception and understanding of your brand among key audiences. You can gain traction through increased marketing or updated messaging; try adding new tools, adopting new strategies and experimenting with new channels. Create opportunities that will help your audience help you spread the word, providing a measurable return on your investment. You have an inherently built-in base of potential advocates in your employees. Fundamentals like this are often overlooked, but employees can be a great resource if you make it easy for them to spread the word. As you leverage your company’s mission, vision and values to talk about important business decisions or cultural choices in your office, employees can refer to this familiar messaging as a way to talk about your company with others. They don’t need to sell anything, just be visible and excited about your company. To generate positive brand awareness, you need to give before you take. Companies often forget about the opportunity to build brand awareness by doing helpful work for the community and aligning the brand with good causes. Putting structure behind these philanthropic endeavors helps build culture, stronger employee bonds and brand awareness through association. Do you only design logos? We can help with every brand identity touchpoint between a client and their audience. This may include company or product naming, logo design, advertising, web design, signage, and promotional items. What type of clients do you work with? It doesn’t matter what industry you work in or if we have worked with a similar client before—the goal is about communicating what makes you unique regardless of your offering. You could be an insurance company or a musician or anything in between. Do you take on small projects? Yes. Alongside the larger projects we also love working with smaller startups that are excited about what they are doing, understand that design is more than making something pretty, and are willing to invest an appropriate budget. For both large and small projects, the ideal situation is to have an ongoing relationship where we can have a more substantial impact on the brand over time. Should I go directly to a sign company? Most entrepreneurs need professional assistance with signage since they don't have experience in this area. You probably will not know how big the letters should be to be visible from down the block, and you may not know which materials fare best in inclement weather. For this reason, you should visit a professional--either a designer or a sign fabricator. A good designer knows when fabricators are cutting corners and not using the material requested or doing a shoddy job. A designer will also be present at the time of installation to make sure the sign is properly installed. Do I need a sign permit? A permit is required for any sign that is erected or displayed in accordance with the City's sign bylaw. Each City, Town or Township has different bylaws. We are experts at completing the requirements and applying for sign permits from Toronto to New Hamburg. Do you offer help with personal branding? Yes, a personal brand is about developing a calculated, comprehensive and authentic image in the minds of a targeted group of people, in order to accomplish a definitive goal or set of goals. People with the most effective personal brands utilize content, social media, email, networking, and other means of interpersonal and mass communication to creatively portray their tangible attributes (e.g. years of experience, education, portfolio, case studies) and intangible attributes (e.g. expertise, insights, sense of humor, inspiration, unconventionalism). What type of graphic services do you provide? You name it, we know how to draw, illustrate or design any graphics needed for your project. From creative branding identity projects to custom stationery graphic design and social media branding, we do it all. We love the thrill of new projects and new brand concepts. From creative strategy to custom brand engagement and brand awareness campaigns, you can trust that unLOCKEd is a company you can trust to handle all your graphic elements. Can unLOCKEd help with social media? Your business needs to be on social media. If you aren’t, you’re missing out on free and effective marketing tools. With almost 70 percent of people on social media, your social media campaigns can reach a lot of people. However, not every social media platform is a good fit for every business. You should invest your time and skills in the platforms where you're most likely to reach and engage with your target audience. unLOCKEd can help you pick the best social media network for your business, and help you learn about the top channels and how to use them for your business. Frequently Asked Questions We Are Proud Members of

After providing marketing and rebranding assistance to numerous companies, we’ve gained a deep understanding of the process. However, rebranding a franchise comes with its own unique set of challenges. In this blog, we’ll discuss some of these challenges, how we approach finding solutions, and offer some tips for rebranding a franchise – let’s get started! Maintaining Consistency The first challenge of rebranding several franchise locations is maintaining consistency. Since you may be working with multiple franchisee owners, they may have differing opinions on how to go about the rebrand. However, to ensure an effective and recognizable rebranding, it is essential to maintain consistency across all locations. The best way to combat this challenge is to ensure that you have clear and concrete brand guidelines in place with the franchisor, which are communicated to all parties involved. This way, you have a standardized plan to work with, and no one feels left out of the conversation.   Cost and Timeline The next challenge is dealing with the cost and timeline of rebranding franchise locations. It can feel overwhelming when considering the scope of a franchise rebrand. However, in the long run, a successful rebrand will ultimately offset the costs. The most important thing to remember here is to lay out a clear and realistic budget and timeline for the project. Without a plan like this in place, it may feel like you’ll never reach the end. Planning for a phased rollout and understanding the costs and time required for each location will help you celebrate the successes and feel less overwhelmed!   Customer Confusion Any rebrand comes with the challenge of customer confusion. Especially with franchised locations, customers may grow attached to the way their location looks and feels. This can make changing these locations feel worrisome. On the other hand, a well-thought-out rebrand makes these changes for the overall brand strategy and market positioning. Overall, these advantages will outweigh any sacrifices that individual locations may have to make. Once again, the best way to avoid customer confusion throughout the process is a phased rollout and clear communication. When rebranding a location, consider running a targeted campaign in that area or to loyal customers to inform them of the changes while reaffirming your brand’s continued quality and service. You could also put up posters in stores before the rebrand to let customers know what to expect before you get into the job!   Maintaining Brand Equity The final challenge of a franchise rebrand is maintaining brand equity and customer loyalty. You may be rebranding for any number of reasons, from market repositioning to changing product offerings. Your new brand identity may have an altered or entirely new audience. To maintain your brand equity and relevance, conducting thorough research on your brand positioning and audience needs is essential – you don’t want to go into a rebrand blind. If you have done this, then the best way to retain your audience and maintain a positive brand perception is to manage customer expectations and perspectives. Once again, be transparent with your audience about what is changing and why. If you continue to meet their needs and maintain their trust, there is no reason you will lose their loyalty. Furthermore, this transparency is a great way to win over new customers you are trying to appeal to.   Tips Now that we’ve discussed the challenges that come with a franchise rebrand, here’s a compiled list of the tips we’ve mentioned throughout to ensure that your rebrand goes as smoothly as possible! Market and audience research Phased rollout/clear timeline Clear rebrand guidelines Measuring effectiveness Clear and consistent communication Transparency with customers/audience We hope these solutions and insights help if you are considering a franchise rebrand. As always, unLOCKEd is the "marketing agency near me" for all your needs, rebranding or otherwise. Contact us today to get started! Author: Sarah Murphy

Good marketing and branding involve ingraining your brand identity into every little part of your business. In 2025, branding goes beyond a logo and a slogan; it’s in your social media captions, ad design, interactions with customers, and interior design. Interior branding  encompasses everything in your business’s physical location. Whether that’s an office for your employees and clients, a retail store for your customers, or anything in between, incorporating your branding throughout your workplace creates an authentic, interactive, and inspiring experience for your staff and customers! In previous blogs, we’ve discussed some of the best tips for branding projects, including biophilic interior design , creating a branded environment , and the power of branding in the little things . These are great resources if you’re trying to plan, update, or improve your interior branding. In this blog, we’ll add to this list, diving into how wall graphics and murals can transform your business space.   Wall Graphics vs. Murals Let’s start with what these terms mean. Wall graphics are customizable images and graphics printed on self-adhesive vinyl material that is then applied to a wall. On the other hand, wall murals are generally painted directly on the wall. Depending on the artist, these are somewhat customizable, as well. Each of these options can add an aesthetic and inspiring element to your workspace, depending on the look you’re going for. Wall graphics can have sharper, cleaner lines and may be more cost-efficient, but wall murals can showcase local artists and show off your brand’s artistic side.   Wall Graphics & Murals in the Office In the office, wall graphics and murals can inspire employees, impress clients and partners, and encapsulate your brand identity. Putting effort into your office space shows your staff that you care about and appreciate them, and a branded environment can increase their motivation and job satisfaction. Further, specific colours can affect your emotions and mood (stay tuned for a future blog about this), and showing off your brand values and identity can be a great first impression to clients visiting your office!   Wall Graphics & Murals in Retail Similarly, wall graphics and murals in a retail location can help you impress and connect with customers while inspiring your staff! A prominent brand identity helps consumers connect with and trust your brand, and a graphic or mural showcasing your brand values can help communicate this with them. Additionally, an aesthetic, branded environment can make your workplace more enjoyable for your workers. Wall graphics and murals can even act as a photo opportunity for your company or customers to share on social media!   Tips for Adding Wall Graphics & Murals to Your Workplace If you’re thinking about adding wall graphics or a wall mural to your workspace, here are some tips to get you started! Consider brand identity, values, and colours Pick a visible location that staff or customers are sure to see Consider lighting on and around the graphics/mural (natural and artificial) Make sure your graphics/mural won’t be visually obstructed Prioritize a professional installer or artist for the best result   Wall graphics and murals can transform an otherwise plain and boring space into an aesthetic, branded masterpiece. If you’re looking to delight your customers or inspire your employees with an artistic addition to your workspace, be sure to contact unLOCKEd – your local marketing agency in waterloo and the one stop for all your marketing needs!

When it comes to social media marketing, there are many variables at hand, from algorithms to audiences to advertisements to engagement. Seeing the metrics that prove your strategy is driving success is essential, but sometimes the numbers don’t tell the whole story. Many businesses prioritize Instagram and LinkedIn for their marketing efforts, the former for its visuals and virality, and the latter for its B2B digital marketing and thought leadership reputation. However, when you ask which offers the highest engagement, the answer is not as straightforward as you might like. Each platform has different algorithms and audiences that prioritize different types of content and engagement. In this blog, we’ll break all this down, so you get the complete picture before deciding which social media is best for your business.   Content Types The first difference we’ll look at is content types. Visually, this one is starkly obvious. Instagram is for visual content – photos, reels, stories, and carousels. On this platform, creative assets are key, and brands that consistently deliver eye-catching visuals can build loyalty and increase engagement . The algorithm favours consistency and relevance, and brands can drive engagement with hashtags and interactive features. In contrast, LinkedIn is for thought leadership and networking, thriving on text-based posts and conversations. On this platform, conversations and education often outperform overt selling . Brands can drive B2B leads and sales by posting industry insights, case studies, and articles, prioritizing quality over quantity. Despite their differences, brands often have a presence on both platforms. However, understanding these differences can help businesses tailor their content to each in order to drive success and engagement.   Audience Types The next difference is audience types. As mentioned above, LinkedIn tends to be the leader for B2B online marketing. The audience consists mainly of executives, recruiters, entrepreneurs, and corporate professionals, as the platform is designed for business professionals, industry leaders, and decision-makers . This is a significant factor in whether your business will drive high engagement on the platform. If this is your target audience or you are focusing on nurturing leads, LinkedIn is the platform for you. On the other hand, Instagram is great for a wide variety of markets. Instagram has a diverse user base that includes professionals, creatives, and consumers. While not traditionally seen as a B2B platform, Instagram’s ability to showcase company culture, humanize brands, and engage audiences through visual storytelling makes it a valuable tool for certain industries . If your brand prioritizes visual storytelling and creative content, Instagram may be the platform to help you connect with your audience.   Engagement Types Lastly, there are different types of engagement on each platform. Platforms encourage different behaviours and provide different means of engagement. This means that engagement rates will vary as platforms count different behaviours with different levels of intention. For example, LinkedIn prioritizes comments and discussions, while Instagram thrives on shares and saves . Further, not all interactions, such as bookmarks, DMs, and link clicks, are counted in engagement rates. While LinkedIn shows the highest average engagement rate, its lower saturation and prioritization of conversations help to accentuate this. On the opposite end, Instagram shows the lowest average engagement rate, yet more content is being consumed than ever. With reels and stories dominating, users are watching more but interacting differently — passive engagement is rising . Creating shareable and saveable content might be the behind-the-scenes route to success on Instagram.   Overall As we said in the beginning, the numbers point to LinkedIn, but they don’t tell the whole story. Depending on your content, audience, and engagement types, either platform could be best for your brand’s engagement rates. At least now you have all the information to make an educated decision on the matter!   Need more marketing guidance? unLOCKEd is the one stop for all your marketing needs! From expertise to strategy to execution, contact us today to find the best solution for your business. Author: Sarah Murphy