Shop Talk

What Makes a Great Logo?

admin Behind the Brand

In this issue of Behind The Brand, we dive into LOGOS. Though there are many aspects that make up a brand, the logo is typically viewed as the main element. A good logo should speak some identifiable truths about your brand and they should be able to stand the test of time. The best logos… continue reading »

Why Are Marketing Campaigns So Important?

Amanda Paxton Article

Let’s discuss successful, effective marketing campaigns and why they are important to the success of your business. What is a marketing campaign? To put it frankly, it’s an essential part of any business strategy. Marketing campaigns are designed to promote a brand, product, or service all while increasing revenue by attracting new customers and, of… continue reading »

3 Tips to Write to Relate–and Convert.

Sarah Carper Article

We’ve all been there: whether at a party, on a date, or networking, we’ve all experienced the presence of someone who boasts their accomplishments, credentials, and interests the entire time you’re together. They tell you what they’ve got goin’ on–and belieeeeeve them, it’s a lot–and ask very little about you, or what you like, need,… continue reading »

Stay The Course

Sommer Grogan Article

Marketing doesn’t stop if and when business slows down.   I know you feel it. We feel it too. What’s to come in 2023? Will there be a recession? What about inflation and interest rates! How do we prepare? The opinions are endless surrounding these topics, and all the noise creates uncertainty and fear for… continue reading »

Your Guide to Hiring A Web Developer

admin Article

So, you need a new website.  Why would you need to hire a web developer in the first place when you can hop on a website building site like Wix or Squarespace? Isn’t the idea of those services that anyone can build a website? Yes, that is true. Most anyone can build a website, but… continue reading »

Control Or Growth? You Choose.

Sommer Grogan Article

More and more business owners (regardless of industry or size) have decided “enough!” of trying to keep up with their own marketing, and have reached out and asked for someone (maybe even anyone!) to take it all over. ALL OF IT. Let’s be real for a minute. Marketing is hard. It’s actually never been harder… continue reading »

Behind The Brand: FLAVR

admin Behind the Brand

In this issue of Behind The Brand, we dive into the fun new brand we developed for a Boseman, Montana-based ice cream shop. Flavr is a hip little shop in offers smoothies, bubble teas, and more. They believe in supporting farmers and purveyors, and source all of our ingredients from sustainable sources. The brand is fun… continue reading »

What Is Local SEO?

Alec Kirby Article

  There can easily be a lot of confusion around the terms and acronyms surrounding digital marketing initiatives that businesses can undergo these days. There are plenty of times when individuals can feel overwhelmed or confused by such terms that have to deal with strategic and technical search engine optimizations. Today, we’re going to address… continue reading »

Email Marketing and Why it Works

Amanda Paxton Article

Many businesses these days are asking themselves if email marketing is really worth it, and the answer is YES! One of the top benefits of email marketing is that it has the highest ROI (return on investment) of all forms of marketing, averaging about $42 in return for every $1 spent. But ROI isn’t the… continue reading »

Behind the Brand: The Market Development

Dustin Neal Behind the Brand

Background Family-owned and operated, The Market stores is your grocery store down the road. From their first store in Ridgway, CO, to new Markets across the mountain west, customer service is their top priority. Their friendly staff works hard to ensure your shopping trip is exceptional. Their commitment to the towns they serve and their… continue reading »

Behind the Brand: WCDA Campaign

Dustin Neal Behind the Brand

In this issue of Behind The Brand, we dive into our new campaign we developed for WCDA! The new campaign “Too much house, not enough home?” centers around homebuyer education and illustrating the pitfalls of homebuyers who end up with too much house and not enough money left over for anything else. Getting educated means you’ll… continue reading »

Tips On Building A Company Website

Alec Kirby Article

When it comes to your company’s website, what really matters these days? There are many elements to a website that companies have to consider. Depending on your business, product, or service, the website that represents your company should be unique enough to represent your brand while maintaining a certain level of standardization that matches your… continue reading »

What Social Platform Is Best For My Business?

Sarah Carper Article

  First, there was MySpace. Remember MySpace? Glittery GIFs met custom backgrounds and your favorite song of the moment playing in the background as your peers rushed to your “My Top Friends” section to see if they made the cut. It was our first introduction to social media (and if you were good at it,… continue reading »

An Ode… The Twelve Months of 2020

Sommer Grogan Article

The 12 Months of 2020 In the first month of the year, January gave to me: High hopes for 2020! In the second month of the year, February gave to me: A couple COVID cases, but still high hopes for 2020! In the third month of the year, March gave to me: Three weeks of… continue reading »

How Do Google Ads Help Small Business Grow?

Alec Kirby Article

The Power Of Search Intent Today’s consumer has higher expectations on businesses and shorter attention spans than ever before. This isn’t necessarily a problem, though, as businesses everywhere are adapting to this new tech-savvy consumer. The gap between a consumer’s problem and a business that is selling a viable solution has grown smaller over the… continue reading »

Change The Conversation

Sommer Grogan Article

Change is neither good, nor bad. It simply is. It can be greeted with terror, or joy; a tantrum that says, ‘I want it the way it was,’ or a dance that says ‘Look, something new.’ PR people understand this, but they can never execute it. If you don’t like what is being said, change… continue reading »

Company Culture/Shift

Dustin Neal Article

Everyone talks about company culture but what is it really and why should I care?   Here is the basic idea. Your company’s culture is a reflection of your shared values, attitude, and behavior. These attributes are not only pushed by the company, but they are embraced by the employees and are reinforced by the decisions… continue reading »

Creativity During COVID-19

Corin Knowles Article

Working as a CREATIVE during COVID-19 How can nothing and practically everything change so much since November 2019? We have a few reflections we’d like to share from the past few months on how we’ve been working as a Creative Team and as a Marketing Agency. Brainstorming remotely This is not our first rodeo, working… continue reading »

What Does Your Digital Storefront Say About Your Small Business?  

Alec Kirby Article

  In such a chaotic time, operating your small business may seem almost impossible. With so many physical spaces either shutdown or under regulation, it can make doing business in-person difficult. This is especially true for small businesses that have a storefront where customers regularly engage to conduct transactions. Though this can cause headaches for… continue reading »

Communication In (Or Not In) Crisis

Sarah Carper Article

By Sarah Carper, BARK Social Media Manager + Designer I’ll never forget my first experience with crisis community management as a marketer. Fresh out of college, I woke up on a Saturday morning away for the weekend with friends to my social media notifications full of a growing number of red pings for a Facebook… continue reading »

Now is the Time to Optimize

Dustin Neal Article

OPTIMIZE op·ti·mize /ˈäptəˌmīz/ verb make the best or most effective use of (a situation, opportunity, or resource). We don’t need to tell you things have changed. Right now businesses need to take a proactive approach to move forward in an effort to come out stronger on the other side. What we see is an opportunity… continue reading »

Say Something Real

Sommer Grogan Article

Story Matters. Especially Right Now… In the midst of the absolute chaos our entire world is trying to wade through right now, the last thing anyone wants to see, read, or engage with is empty content.  This post is literally a public service announcement of sorts from our team to yours. We believe (with every… continue reading »

Cheers To A Decade! BARK Brand Refresh

Sommer Grogan Article

Why Now? Because after 10 years of being The BARK Firm (YES! It really has been 10 years), it’s time for a refresh that reflects the “US” we are now. So, who are we now, exactly? First, we are a team that is humbled and thankful to have made it a decade! And, incredibly grateful… continue reading »

Digital Strategy In Small Business Matters

Sommer Grogan Article

The buzzword “digital marketing” has evolved quite a bit in recent years. Though there may be some confusion around the term & how it is applied to small businesses, the fact remains that it is not going away & is growing year-over-year. The number of users who now have access to the internet is growing… continue reading »

Cut Your Marketing Slack

Sommer Grogan Article

As professionals, we all have to “take inventory” from time to time and evaluate the areas of our company that may need a little streamlining. We have found, that all too often, marketing is definitely one of those areas.  Here at BARK, we define “marketing slack” as any marketing effort that absorbs time and resources… continue reading »

Humor Me! Why being funny works in marketing.

Corin Knowles Article

Can you remember your favorite commercials of all time? Or maybe a billboard that made you say “HaHA! That was clever!” Well humor has been used in advertising for a long time, and it’s not changing anytime soon.    We buy from people we like, and humor is the easiest and fastest way to get… continue reading »

Real Advice On Social Media Strategy From The BARK Firm (And It’s Free)

Sarah Carper Article

Ahhh, the world of social media. The ever-evolving, ever-addicting, ever-confusing world of best selves, algorithms, and love-hate relationships intermixed with strategy and great content.  It’s also an endless bank of consumers that want to know you, and your product, directly.  There are a lot of factors to a good social strategy between all the hashtags,… continue reading »

You’re Not An Artist; You Solve Problems

admin Article

“If we were making a movie or a play, we’d be embarrassed to do this,” Peggy Olson complains to her boss, Don Draper in an episode of Mad Men. Peggy is a copywriter for an ad agency, and she’s hesitant to work on a campaign for a client because, in her mind, it leaves very… continue reading »

An Idea Alone is Not Enough

Dustin Neal Article

We may like the notion that our business, brand, product, service, or idea is so great that it can stand alone, but the truth is that none of these things can develop, grow, or be successful by themselves. You need people. Partners, collaborators, builders, relationships, and connections. Every successful brand/business rallies behind their people. It… continue reading »

Ask Yourself Why

Sommer Grogan Article

Very few companies can clearly tell people WHY they do WHAT they do. And when we’re talking about WHY that doesn’t mean “for money.” That’s a result. By WHY we mean what is the PURPOSE of your company? WHY do you exist? What drives you? What is it that makes you tirelessly work for your company each and every day? You must believe in… continue reading »