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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!

Do you want to learn more about the team behind unLOCKEd? Learn more about the team behind unLOCKEd Victoria Erica Sarah Victoria Founder/Head of Marketing Erica Graphic Designer Sarah Copywriter Victoria Founder/Head of Marketing From just 11 years old, Victoria was passionate about marketing, deciding she was going to be like Angela from Who's the Boss, a high-powered, successful advertising executive in New York. Victoria has been working in the industry for 20 years and has built relationships with hundreds of companies, specializing in specific niches that all help her clients. Almost 10 years ago, Victoria observed the need for consistency across all marketing mediums, from logo design, to signage, and everything in between. She saw time and time again that when a logo or brand was created, the way it would work across marketing channels, such as on signage or websites wasn’t considered, often leading to brand confusion. With that in mind, she started unLOCKEd Company. Erica Graphic Designer Meet Erica, a graphic designer who knew she was destined for art from a young age. After a few high school co-ops, she realized that Graphic Design was her calling. Erica honed her skills at Conestoga College and started her design career. When she met Victoria at unLOCKEd, they quickly became partners in design crime. Since then, she's been obsessed with all things branding and website design, making everything look beautifully cohesive. Sarah Copywriter Sarah has been in love with writing ever since she was little. Her parents found pieces of paper with song lyrics and stories scrawled across them in crayons as soon as she could write. She nurtured her love all through her schooling, from essays for class to poetry contests in her free time. By the end of high school, she found an interest in marketing and communications and combined her passions through a double major at the University of Windsor. Sarah completes the team at unLOCKEd and allows the company to take on any project with their expertise in every area of marketing.

​ Make your business stand out with personal, one-on-one service from local branding and marketing experts. 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!

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!   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 one stop for all your marketing needs, rebranding or otherwise. Contact us today to get started! Author: Sarah Murphy

Welcome to the final installment of unLOCKEd’s Marketing Mindfulness Series! In today’s hectic digital world, mindfulness practices can provide relief from the chaos when you can’t just shut it off. Mindfulness can benefit your personal and professional life, which we discussed in more detail in July’s Marketing Mindfulness blog . If you haven’t read it yet, be sure to check it out! Over the past eight months, we have shared one mindfulness practice a month to help you gradually implement mindfulness into your daily life. To close out the series, this final blog will discuss the practice of mindful marketing.   Mindful Marketing Mindful marketing  refers to applying principles of mindfulness, like being fully present and aware, to marketing strategies. We’ve discussed these practices over the last eight months in relation to how they can impact marketers. However, by applying them to marketing strategies, your brand and customers can also achieve the benefits!   Benefits Mindfulness practices can benefit employees when introduced in the workplace, and branding when incorporated in marketing strategies and tactics. Let’s get into some of these benefits! Mindfulness in the workplace  provides benefits, such as: Boosting creativity More successful brainstorms Encouraging better teamwork Mindfulness in branding  provides benefits, such as: Enhanced customer engagement Improved brand perception Increased marketing effectiveness Sustainable business growth Competitive advantage For more ideas on how to incorporate mindfulness in the workplace and the benefits it provides, explore the other installments of our marketing mindfulness series!   How to Implement This Practice So, we’ve established that mindful marketing is beneficial for your company, but how do you implement it? Here are three ideas to get you started! The first mindful marketing practice is authentic content creation. Fostering genuine connections with your audience and creating content that is true to your brand and your audience's preferences can help your brand resonate with and engage potential customers. Keep audience interests and brand values in mind when creating content! The second practice is taking a customer-centric approach. Being mindful and present when communicating with your audience allows for more effective and meaningful marketing interactions. Active listening, empathy, understanding, and anticipating needs can enhance brand perception and long-term loyalty. The final practice is strategic decision-making. Mindfulness practices allow for better clarity, awareness, and creativity, leading to more informed and innovative decisions. These improved choices can result in enhanced brand representation, company growth, and overall success.   We hope this blog helps you implement mindfulness in your personal life, workplace, and marketing practices. Be sure to check out the other blogs in our Marketing Mindfulness Series for more!

Welcome to unLOCKEd’s Marketing Mindfulness Series! In today’s hectic digital world, mindfulness practices can provide relief from the chaos when you can’t just shut it off. Mindfulness can benefit your personal and professional life, which we discussed in more detail in July’s Marketing Mindfulness blog . If you haven’t read it yet, be sure to check it out! We are sharing one mindfulness practice a month to help you gradually implement mindfulness into your daily life. Trying to make a big change all at once can be daunting and frustrating, but with one small change each month, you can make a big difference!   February Mindfulness Practice: Focus on the Essential This month’s mindfulness practice is to focus on the essential . As a marketer, endless tasks, deadlines, and objectives are thrown your way every day. Staying on top of everything can be overwhelming, to say the least. However, there’s only so much you can do in a day. Instead of thinking about everything on your plate, try to focus on the essential things that need to be done that day. This is not to say the rest of your responsibilities should be ignored, of course, but if it’s not an immediate deadline, it may just be causing unnecessary stress!   Benefits Focusing on the essential can help avoid unnecessary stress, allow you to prioritize your responsibilities better , and even enable you to do a better job of the tasks you are focusing on. While it is useful to have an understanding of future tasks and effects, especially as a marketer, focusing too much on them can cause premature stress. Focusing on the present and what needs to get done that day can help alleviate some of that. Additionally, it can help with prioritization. When your to-do list is miles long, understanding what is essential by taking it day-by-day can help with deadlines, delegating, and overall work management. Finally, focusing on the essential can help you avoid being distracted by other tasks and projects that are not as high priority. With less stress and distractions, your mind is free to be more effective and creative, resulting in a better end product.   How to Implement This Practice The best way to implement this practice is to apply it at the beginning and end of each workday. Before you dive into your many emails and tasks, create a to-do list in the morning of what you need to get done that day. This may need to be edited throughout the day as new high-priority tasks arise or if deadlines get pushed, but it ensures you begin your day in an organized and focused fashion. At the end of the day, go over your to-do list again. Check off what you accomplished and make a note of anything that needs to be a first priority in the morning. After a busy day, this practice can remind you of your successes and put you in a good mood before you head home.   We hope this mindfulness practice helps! Be sure to look out for next month’s blog to continue this series with us! Author: Sarah Murphy