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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!

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

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!

The world of marketing can be large and confusing at times. That’s why unLOCKEd is here to help. From digital media to interior branding to offering tips and advice, we do it all! Today, we’ll be going over some common myths and misconceptions about marketing and setting the record straight to help make it a little less confusing. Let’s get into it! Myth: Marketing is expensive and only for big businesses. Truth: Marketing can be effective and affordable for every business – big or small! Many strategies, such as social media, email marketing, SEO, website design, and more, can be utilized on a scale that is tailored to your business needs. Marketing is essential to grow your business and engage your audience, no matter how small or niche! Myth: You need a large following to see results from social media marketing. Truth: It’s all about quality, not quantity! If your small business is engaging a small following, you can see just as successful results. Large numbers that do not translate to strong, loyal customers will not have effective or sustainable outcomes. Myth: Word-of-mouth marketing is enough. Truth: Although positive word-of-mouth can be valuable, it is not enough by itself. An effective marketing strategy utilizes multiple tactics, such as social media, email marketing, and more, to reach a wider audience. In other words, don’t put all your eggs in one basket! Myth: SEO is no longer important for small businesses. Truth: SEO is still an essential part of a small business’s marketing strategy. Ensuring your website is optimized to show up in the search results can help attract more customers. Especially locally, setting up your Google Business Profile can do wonders to get your business in front of people. Myth: Marketing and advertising are the same thing. Truth: Marketing is a much broader set of activities than advertising. Advertising is a company paying for space for promotion in order to reach an audience. This can be part of your marketing activities. However, marketing also includes your owned media, such as your website and branding. It aims to foster connections between a brand and its audience, understand how and why campaigns are successful, and create a meaningful brand identity in the eyes of consumers. Myth: We need to market to everyone because everyone is our customer. Truth: There are a very small number of products and services that appeal to everyone. Whether it is simply because they do not need it or because they connect more with another product or brand, your business cannot attract everyone. It is more effective to identify your target markets, tailor your products and marketing tactics to appeal to them, and focus on creating long-lasting, engaging connections. Myth: Results from marketing campaigns need to happen immediately to be successful. Truth: While the focus of online marketing is increasingly based on the dream of “going viral,” this often does not lead to long-term effects. Quick results can bring you your fifteen minutes of fame, but a company that can create long-term connections and sustainable success will do much better in the long run. Myth: Social media strategies aren’t important. The interns can handle it all! Truth: Running a business social media account is not as simple as scheduling a post and watching the notifications stream in – that’s why we need social media managers! Creating content tailored to your target audience, crafting captions that have intention behind them, analyzing your metrics and results, and implementing your knowledge to continue growing your company and improving your social media strategy is no walk in the park, even for an experienced marketer! It is essential to devote the time and consideration necessary to create an effective social media presence – or hire someone who can! Myth: Having a popular social media account means I won’t need a website. Truth: It is important to diversify your marketing strategy, even if one part of it is doing well! While social media can be a great way to connect with and grow your audience, websites offer many tools that these platforms do not. Different types of information are communicated most effectively in many different ways. Websites provide a stable digital location for information that may be useful to your customers, whereas social media may not. Social media is also better for shorter content; websites are a great place to expand on this and offer more information. Websites provide powerful SEO tools that help your business show up in search results, as well. Myth: Everything is digital, so online marketing is all I need to be successful. Truth: Once again, information must be communicated in the most effective medium to reach your audience. Digital and traditional media can both be used to create creative marketing messages, and can often be used together to create a more successful strategy. Be sure to check out our blog on why printing is still an effective medium for communication. We hope this clears up a thing or two, but we are always here to help! Contact us today for marketing expertise and services! Author: Sarah Murphy

Google, as the #1 search engine, may have seemed irreplaceable up until now, but there appears to be a growing shift in where the younger generations are choosing to type their search queries. While Google isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, this is still a matter that affects businesses that rely on Google and SEO to get their names out there and end users who may not realize how trustworthy this new source of information is. In this blog, we’ll take a look at the implications of this switch, both positive and negative, for businesses and consumers. The Business Side – Social Media SEO By now, you’ve heard us say it a million times – SEO is essential for businesses. It assists with general user navigation on your website and helps to make sure your business shows up in Google search results. But what happens when the search results aren’t on Google anymore? With social media becoming the new search engine, businesses' use of social media is more important than ever. Social media SEO is the art of optimizing your profiles to reach customers who are searching for terms relevant to your products and/or services. In the past, optimizing your social media might have meant using it to connect with customers and foster engagement. Now, it means utilizing it to acquire new customers. To do so, posts should be the best quality they have ever been to entice users to click on them in the search results. However, even getting your post into the search results is reliant on the caption. Similar to blog posts or website content, captions should now contain keywords and even hashtags that users might be searching for. Additionally, to turn those page visits into conversions, be sure to include your website in your social media bio! The Consumer Side – Amplifying Misinformation According to HubSpot, 31% of consumers now use social media to find answers to their questions. Millennials and Gen Z tend to prefer this option because it has not yet been optimized for businesses. While the Google search results page is filled with sponsored sites and keywords to get you to click, social media is more likely to provide unbiased answers from transparent, authentic people. This feels like a more reliable and accurate answer for many. However, this new way of searching does not come without its issues. Social media is one of the primary platforms where misinformation often spreads. While Google may have sponsored sites, their search results are more likely to be evaluated for factual information and reliable links. Of course, there are still scammers and fraudulent activity on Google, but it’s a little bit easier to weed through. It can be much harder to tell the difference between an authentic answer and deceptive misinformation on social media, especially with the rabbit holes that social media algorithms tend to create. While social media search engines can act as valuable tools, users should be cautious about how quickly they believe the answers they get. When social media has this big of an impact on your business’s performance, you want it in the best hands possible. Here at unLOCKEd, our marketing experts are on top of the newest trends and have the experience to put them into action (and so much more!) Contact us today! Author: Sarah Murphy

A like, a share, a comment, a view – how long did they view it for? Was it more than two seconds? Was it in the tab they were looking at? How long until they clicked Skip? The era of the internet has made marketing metrics infinitely more complex and unreliable. As marketers, we know that metrics are the currency of advertising and are essential to measuring campaign success. So, to keep your head in the game, we’re sharing this marketing metrics guide, including the different types, their history, and how to utilize them for your business. Definition Like any useful guide, we’ll start out simply with a definition. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a metric is a standard of measurement. A marketing metric, then, is a standard of measurement in marketing – that is, the standardized way marketers measure their success. Types of Marketing Metrics There are two broad categories of marketing metrics: impression and engagement. Within these categories, the number of possible metrics has exploded depending on the type of content, where it is displayed, and what the goal of the ad is. With impression metrics, you can see that people have seen your ad, but you aren’t able to gauge their reaction to it—these metrics measure exposure. Impressions measure how many people your ad has been in front of, but not much else. They can be helpful in certain situations, such as for use as a baseline for views. Some examples of impression metrics are cost-per-mille (CPM) and cost-per-view (CPV). Engagement is the only metric that directly measures the way the user behaves towards the content. Engagement metrics allow you to see audience and consumer behaviour, and help marketers understand what is working and what is not. These metrics also allow you to see consumer journeys, acquisitions, or any number of activities. There are many examples of engagement metrics, but a few common ones are cost-per-action (CPA), click-through-rate (CTR), and cost-per-click (CPC). The History of Marketing Metrics When traditional forms of media were the dominant advertising space, impression metrics were the only possibility. Third-party services conducted surveys and audits of listeners, watchers, readers, and subscribers to track what they were viewing and how often. While this was only basic information, it was reliable. This form of measurement was standardized across platforms and companies – the data was unbiased. With the rise of the digital era, this all changed. Engagement became the dominant measurement in a world oversaturated by advertisements. In addition, the growing concern for privacy has resulted in a movement away from third-party tracking. Companies with first-party data now hold the power. However, they also hold biases. Companies want to make it look like ads have the best results, and thus, they may use a slightly different measurement system than other companies. This has resulted in a confusing, unstandardized world for the average marketer. How to Utilize Marketing Metrics So, with an overwhelming number of metrics and a concerning amount of confusion, how can your business utilize marketing metrics? We have two tips to help you navigate these issues. First, track and make use of any first-party data. Any data your business collects itself can be measured and understood without any uncertainty. While companies may have too much data or insufficient bandwidth to do this in every case, use it to your advantage where possible. Second, focus your metrics on your goals and find the metrics that create conversions. While you may not always know what constitutes a view, you can track whether they increase or decrease. If you figure out which metrics and strategies create the best results and help you reach your company objectives, you don’t need to worry about all the rest. If metrics are completely out of your wheelhouse, an additional tip, of course, is to contact our unLOCKEd marketing team to help you reach your marketing goals! Our experts are well-versed in the world of marketing metrics and so much more! Let us take care of your marketing so you can focus on running your business. Author: Sarah Murphy