Nice to meet you. We’re Linden.
Here at Linden we build partnerships on trust, honesty + hard work
We are adaptive
We’ve been in business since 1996 – and in 20+ years we’ve learned a lot.
One of our most important lessons has been about people: we’ve learned that it takes a certain type of person to put in the time and do things right, making both our clients and our business successful. People who live creatively every day, whose passion is authentic, who live for strategy and inventive execution, and who have the ability and the compassion to step into our clients’ shoes and be present in our clients’ goals are our kind of people. That’s who we have on the Linden Marketing team.
The Linden team excels at helping organizations like yours demonstrate your value through a variety of thoughtful, strategic marketing approaches. It starts with relationships – making connections and establishing trust in order to become genuine advocates for you and your objectives. Then we begin to build the marketing strategies, materials and tools that will tell your story and help you meet your goals.
Let’s do this together
Successful partnership involves everyone.
Everyone involved makes contributions, shares accountability and benefits from our combined efforts.
It’s important for you and your team to understand the level of accountability and involvement that each of us must demonstrate in order to be successful. The Linden team will be responsible for creating, organizing and launching projects, but to do so on time and in order to remain on budget, we’ll rely on your team to supply materials, information or approval at key milestones.
Our promise
By partnering with Linden,
you can expect:
01
Insight
We’ll take everything we learn about your company and industry — such as your history and personality, your product and services attributes, target audience profiles, consumer market share, market trends and competitors, etc. — and apply it to our marketing strategies, which will help position you for success in planning and execution stages.
02
Connections
Our staff has deep roots in our region and connections in many industries. We have the ability to naturally leverage long–held, personal and professional relationships to secure the best possible pricing options, earned media opportunities and publicity for your organization.
03
Results
Because your company is unique, your marketing plan — and your results — will be one-of-a-kind. We won’t make unrealistic promises about what’s possible through marketing, but we will help you set and implement measurable, real-world goals that align your organization with its short- and long-range objectives. Although we can’t guarantee a certain rate of return, every marketing investment you make with Linden is designed to deliver a benefit.
04
Dedication
We always enter a client relationship with the intent of forming a long-term partnership. Our understanding of your company, its brand and your marketing history will grow in proportion to the duration of our relationship. The more we come to understand you and your needs, your audience and their needs, the more successful our combined efforts can be.
YOUR PART TO PLAY
In order to be successful, we’ll depend on your:
TRUST
We’re creatives.
Our team is full of ideas — some will be similar to yours, while others may be outside your comfort zone. We encourage you to try a new approach, have patience once it’s implemented and be open to outcomes you may not have anticipated. Trust also means being willing to learn about what we do at Linden, just as we are learning about you. There’s a systematic art to the science of marketing — the planning, implementation and control of the many business activities intended to bring you and your target audiences together — and it’s what we excel at.
JOIN IN
You came to us to help your company grow —
— but we can’t do it without you. We understand that you’re busy running your business, but it’s important to your success that you make yourself available in the decision-making process.
We will carefully create timelines and action items designed to move every project forward. Timely participation on the part of your organization’s decision makers and/or support staff will ensure our ability to meet our projected deadlines and, ultimately, your goals.
HONESTY
Please be clear and up front with us about your goals,
your team’s availability, your company’s data and your budget. We can only operate to your best advantage when we have accurate information — whatever that information may be. For instance, we can’t create an accurate timeline if we can’t estimate how quickly your team can respond, nor can we craft a strategy that’s mindful of your budget if we don’t know what it is.
We’re a small team, which means we really have to work together.
This not only brings us closer, it makes every project we complete a cohesive effort and a piece of art composed of experience and talent. And because each individual member of the Linden team is an accomplished professional, when we work together, the possibilities are boundless.
At Linden, we take our work seriously and we take life as it comes. We love our dogs, espresso-inspired conversations, long walks downtown, cocktails on the patio and finding joy in the details. Essentially, we’re design-obsessed-word-nerds with a passion for strategy, results, and a really good story; and we’re excited to help you tell yours.
So how does our process work?
RELATIONSHIP BEGINS
Linden Accounts Team & Client
Linden and Client meet
Accounts and Creative teams work together to draft and send a general proposal and scope of work
Terms are agreed upon and the project is secured
Client is introduced to Linden team
PROJECT BEGINS
Linden
Accounts team conducts orientation with the Client
Accounts team conducts project kickoff with Creative team
Work orders, timelines and budgets are set
Tasks, work and project elements are assigned and prioritized within Creative team
PROJECT MANAGEMENT & CREATIVE SERVICES
Linden
Creative, Production and Accounts teams work together to:
Strategize
Collect assets
Perform any necessary external research
Confirm turnaround and check specifications prior to production
Proofread and perform pre-production reviews
Provide reporting
PROJECT MANAGEMENT & CREATIVE SERVICES
Linden Accounts Team
Provides updates to Client
Procures materials from Client teams, vendors, etc.
Keeps project information up-to-date
Monitors progress and deadlines
Receives and inspects proofs, ensures accuracy before passing on
Secures final approvals from decision-maker on Client team
Coordinates project delivery
Prepares job for billing
BILLING
Linden Accounts Team & Client
Linden invoices for completed work
Request for feedback from Client
Arrangements made to approach the next project
What to expect
Turnaround
Linden strives to deliver all work in a timely manner, whether it supports a time-sensitive campaign or ongoing brand management. While we are often able to work production miracles under exceptional circumstances, our best work depends on diligent, long-range planning.
We encourage you to meet with your Account Executive on an annual, bi-annual or quarterly basis to identify and map out any anticipated needs. This proactive approach is the most effective use of your time and budgetary resources; unplanned jobs tend to be at greater risk for errors, unnecessary revisions, overages and additional charges associated with expedited production or shipping.
When beginning a new project, we request as much lead time as possible. In general, however, please take into account the following common turnaround guidelines,* keeping in mind that, often, elements of and deliverables for your project will overlap.
Small print collateral such as business cards or handouts
Digital marketing graphics
Website audits and recommendations
Social media audits and recommendations
Marketing strategy development
Research and needs assessment
Logo and brand development
Mid-range printed piece such as a brochure
Basic website
Video production
Large print piece such as a publication or newsletter
Robust website
Large-scale video production
*Guidelines are provided for comparison purposes only and assume on-time delivery of materials and approval by client decision-makers. Your project may not follow these exact parameters, and therefore cannot be guaranteed in the above turnaround period.
plan + communicate
Don’t let revisions eat a budget.
Our estimates include two rounds of revisions. The first time you see your project, you may make changes (e.g., editing verbiage, substituting images, providing additional content, changing colors) and send it back to our creative team.
The second version will reflect your changes and give you an opportunity for final tweaks. The following version will be “final” version. After that, we can continue making changes, but an hourly rate will be incurred for each person who is involved in the project, including your Account Executive and our Creative team.
Here are some tips to help minimize unnecessary rounds of revisions:
1
Provide clear, specific direction. Include examples when helpful.
2
Deliver all edits, graphics or questions at once, rather than delivering them one by one as you find, create or receive them.
3
Double-check specifications including dimensions, sizes, color profiles, delivery particulars, etc., before ordering.
4
Show the first proof to all pertinent decision makers at once and combine their input before returning your edits and comments to Linden.
5
Set personal opinions aside and do what’s best for the brand.
Open Monday-Friday 8:30am – 5:30pm (except major holidays)
Work in Mountain Standard Time
Working, calling, responding to email and traveling outside business hours is at our discretion, but you’re welcome to leave a voicemail or email 24/7.
Please allow 24 hours notice before scheduling or canceling meetings, and we’ll do the same.
Industry standards suggest an average marketing investment of 3-8% of annual gross revenue.
Start-ups may require 10-25%, while established small businesses may invest as little as 2%. Based on your organization’s objectives, we’ll strategically develop, review and revise your marketing budget on an annual basis.
Linden respects your organization’s privacy. Staff members have signed blanket non-disclosure agreements, but project teams are willing to further commit to confidentiality if you require it.
As industry experts, we are occasionally retained by similar companies who, if not direct competitors, are peers in our clients’ industry. While we don’t promise exclusivity, we do work hard to avoid conflicts of interest. Therefore, Linden is transparent about our client list and extremely serious about not sharing information.
If market exclusivity is required, we are open to an agreement that considers fair compensation.
Open Monday-Friday 8:30am – 5:30pm (except major holidays)
Work in Mountain Standard Time
Working, calling, responding to email and traveling outside business hours is at our discretion, but you’re welcome to leave a voicemail or email 24/7.
Please allow 24 hours notice before scheduling or canceling meetings, and we’ll do the same.
Industry standards suggest an average marketing investment of 3-8% of annual gross revenue.
Start-ups may require 10-25%, while established small businesses may invest as little as 2%. Based on your organization’s objectives, we’ll strategically develop, review and revise your marketing budget on an annual basis.
Linden respects your organization’s privacy. Staff members have signed blanket non-disclosure agreements, but project teams are willing to further commit to confidentiality if you require it.
As industry experts, we are occasionally retained by similar companies who, if not direct competitors, are peers in our clients’ industry. While we don’t promise exclusivity, we do work hard to avoid conflicts of interest. Therefore, Linden is transparent about our client list and extremely serious about not sharing information.
If market exclusivity is required, we are open to an agreement that considers fair compensation.
outside vendors
We have trusted and reliable partners.
Representing many decades of industry experience, Linden provides valuable, long-term working relationships with key vendors, including print and bindery providers, mailing houses, specialty item suppliers and many more.
LINDEN
CLIENT
Quality
Linden’s and our vendor’s staff are involved in quality assurance in all phases of production.
Linden and vendors stand behind the quality of the final product.
Quality
Linden cannot assume responsibility for poor quality service provided by your chosen vendor.
Deadlines
Linden staff has the in-depth expertise required for ordering, purchasing and avoiding pitfalls.
Deadlines
Linden cannot assume responsibility for deadlines missed by your chosen vendor.
Pricing
Linden is able to secure better-than market pricing based on ongoing relationships.
Pricing
Linden cannot guarantee your chosen vendor’s pricing structure or compare it to market standards.
Technical
Support
Linden is able to work directly with our vendor to resolve unforeseen technical issues during production.
Technical
Support
Linden cannot assume responsibility for incorrect production based on specifications provided by you or your vendor.
Linden reserves the right to bill for additional work incurred to modify files or otherwise intervene on your behalf during production.
Linden will provide a high-quality, production-ready file of your designed piece, but cannot furnish the source files, links or fonts to an outside vendor.
Need more help?
Contact us directly!
Your single point of contact, Maggie York will be responsible for all contract management activities.
Maggie York
VP of Account Services
307-772-1552
maggie@golinden.com