You Will Be Forgiven.

The Easy Path to Loan Forgiveness (We Have a Free PPP Expense Organizer and Calculator for You!)

Here’s something you don’t see every day—a creative agency giving financial advice. But hey, strange times, right? If you’re a business owner, you’re probably aware that the SBA announced it had exhausted its PPP loan funding. But the President and Congress are finalizing an additional $310B in funding to help small businesses keep workers employed during this unprecedented time. That’s great news.

As a fellow small business, we have had dozens of conversations with our clients about the PPP loan and what can be forgiven as a part of the program. Simply put, monies loaned from the program that are paid out within the first two months (eight weeks) for payroll costs, mortgage interest payments, rent, utility, interest payments on debt incurred prior to February 15, 2020 can be forgiven by the government. Hooray! BUT—what is included in “payroll costs” and what exactly does that mean?

Here’s the brief synopsis that we received from Sherri Neasham at Navix. “Payroll costs” generally mean the following compensation elements for employees (not any independent contractors) whose principal place of residence is in the US:

Salary, wage, commission, or similar compensation for any employee whose principal place of residence is in the U.S. (capped at $100,000 on an annualized basis for each employee)
Cash tips or equivalents
Payment for vacation, parental, family, medical, or sick leave
Allowance for dismissal or separation
Payment required for the provision of group healthcare benefits, including insurance premiums
Payment of any retirement benefit
Payment of state and local taxes assessed in connection with the foregoing

The PPP loans are essential to keep businesses running and employees employed right now. But it can be tough to keep up with the numbers and ensure you’re making the right moves to receive loan forgiveness. But—more good news: Thanks to our good friend from the Entrepreneurs Organization Matt Rinkey at Illumination Wealth, there’s an easy way to calculate your PPP expenses: The PPP Loan Expense Organizer & Forgiveness Calculator. If you would like to use the calculator—free of charge of course—just email us and we will send you the file.

Big thanks to Sherri and Matt for sharing this info with us—and you. Let’s keep this economy running.

– The JT Team

Everyone is listening right now. What do you want to say?

The Most Captive Audience You’ll Ever Have.

Like almost every person and every business, we’re still at home. Have been for four weeks now. But we’re not idle—far from it. Our clients know that while we are facing unprecedented times, business must carry on, however it can. In fact, we view these times as an opportunity for our clients and for every business. There is no better time to market your product or service than right now. With most of the world idle, you have the most captive audience you will ever have. Don’t waste it. While people may not be able to buy your product or service right now, they can start the decision process.

COVID-19 is deadly serious, but people don’t want to spend 24 hours a day in fear. That’s why we decided to get creative and start our own magazine. Well, maybe not a full magazine but we designed a funny cover. People need a good chuckle every now and again. Laughter is a warm feeling, and warm feelings are what your clients are looking for from your brand. Now is the perfect time to get that across. We’re not suggesting you create a fake fashion magazine cover (definitely don’t do this)—but speak to your customers in a way that’s appropriate for your brand. Talk about something other than the coronavirus. Bring a sense of normalcy to their day. Most importantly, say something that will endear people to your brand. When things get back to normal, you might just find that you have a bunch of new customers.

Everyone is listening right now. What do you want to say?

-The JT Team

Model: Les Kollegian – Jacob Tyler Founder & CEO

4 tips on Effective Remote Working

Business Hasn’t Shut Down—It’s Just Moved Online

We are living through an event unlike anything we have experienced before. The coronavirus has temporarily upended “normal” life as we know it and thrown a wrench in a lot of business plans—conferences and travel are being cancelled, people are working from home, and toilet paper is now worth more than gold. Much has changed in a short period of time. But here’s the reality—business isn’t shutting down. It’s just moving online.

At Jacob Tyler, we’re primed and ready to help you fill in the gaps created by COVID-19 with an online strategy that will help your business continue to drive leads and revenue during the virus response.

Eventually, this too will pass. In the meantime, we are dedicated to helping our clients seize opportunity in less than opportune circumstances. Give us a call anytime, we’re ready to help (unless you need toilet paper. Can’t help there.)

Working remotely? Here’s how to do it.

At Jacob Tyler, we’ve perfected remote working, as we have been doing it for a few years now. Every business is different, but here are a few things that have worked for us.

4 Tips on Remote Working

It looks like most businesses will be working remote for the next few weeks. At Jacob Tyler, we’ve perfected remote working, as we have been doing it, in part, for a few years now. Since we implemented a hybrid workforce—gathering the best talent from across the country to complement our in-house team—we’ve learned a few things about how to successfully conduct business online. Every business is different, but here are a few things that have worked for us:

Implement Communication Technology

As a creative agency, constant communication is essential to our business. By using instant messaging apps like Slack and videoconferencing platforms like Whereby, we are able to communicate and collaborate even faster than we can in person! In fact, we commonly slack each other when we’re sitting more than 10 feet away in the office. It’s not lazy—it’s efficient.

Kick Things Off with a Huddle

Every morning, we jump on a 15-minute video huddle to give each other a quick rundown of the hot-button issues of the day. We call this meeting our “Daily Dose of Kickass.” You can call yours whatever you like, but it’s a great way to stay connected with your team when in different locations.

Meet with Clients

More often than not, we hold our client meetings via videoconferencing. We have clients spread across the globe, and it’s not always feasible or cost-effective to meet in person. With videoconferencing platforms like Whereby, Zoom and Google Hangouts, you can share documents, execute presentations, and talk to people the same way you would in person.

Keep the Water Cooler Talk Going

Part of the joy of being in the office together is talking about things that don’t involve work. A little personal interaction is good for morale. At JT, we have an internal Slack channel where we share everything from funny memes to pictures of our dogs and kids. It keeps us connected with each other and allows for a little fun in the middle of a busy day.

Want to talk specifics? Give us a call anytime. Need help executing an online strategy for your business? We’re working—remotely.

Jacob Tyler is a Top B2B Company Worldwide

2020 is shaping up to be a big year for advertising, from augmented reality to interactivity. At Jacob Tyler, we pride ourselves on being on top of the latest trends. Every year, Clutch announces the Clutch 1000, a list of the 1,000 highest-performing B2B companies based on Clutch’s verified reviews. We are thrilled to announce that Jacob Tyler has made the 2019 Clutch 1000!

Not only did we make the list of the 1,000 highest-ranking firms on Clutch, of which there are more than 160,000, but we are also ranked #6 overall. That puts us in the top 1% of companies on Clutch! We are also one of only 23 advertising companies listed on the Clutch 1000 and one of 15 companies based in San Diego, California.

We are honored to be considered a top company on Clutch! Based in Washington, DC, Clutch is a B2B market research platform. Their team conducts independent interviews with the past clients of service providers to ensure all data on their site is accurate and verified.

“This is the third year in a row that we have been named in the Clutch 1000. We are beyond proud and thrilled to be named #6 out of 1000 on a list of amazing global agencies. We have noticed consistently that Clutch has had amazing growth and client reach which has in-turn brought amazing visibility and clients to Jacob Tyler. We hope continue to deliver successful work that creates notable reviews and growth for our firm and clients.” – Tom McFadden, Jacob Tyler

We are also featured on Clutch’s sister sites, the Manifest and Visual Objects. The Manifest shows Jacob Tyler top design projects by listing their notable past clients. Users can also search through business survey data and how-to guides to guide their buying decision. Our branding and design projects are also showcased on Visual Objects, which allows companies to post their portfolios.

We are thankful to all of our clients who made this award possible by leaving us reviews on Clutch! At Jacob Tyler, we are looking forward to what the new year will bring. Check out our Clutch profile or get in touch to start your next project today!

How Jacob Tyler Does Trade Show Marketing For Clients — 21st Century Style.

People think trade shows are boring, jam-packed with forgettable booths, and always headlined by some act that couldn’t headline a county fair.

And … they’re right.

But hear me out, I actually think that’s a good thing. Because prospective customers are going to the trade show regardless, because they need to scope the latest industry tools, products, or tech. So, it’s kind of a necessary evil right? While we can’t fix the entertainment part (we always duck out and hit the nearest wine bar anyway), we can make sure that our clients stand out by not being boring, banal, and forgettable. So let me share a bit of what we do in case you’re planning your next tradeshow appearance. Oh, and by the way, this is an extremely simplified overview. A ton more thinking goes into this stuff. Ok, let’s do it.

Understand that design matters, a lot.

Booth design is marketing. It’s advertising. It’s sales. You don’t settle for cookie-cutter ads or signage in any other place do you? (Call us right now if you do.) We always make sure that our clients have a presence that is rooted in their overarching brand identity, the product strategy and that it’s always built out with a creative design that will make passersby stop and think “Whoa, what’s this?! I should stop” But it’s not just signage, it’s the booth experience as a whole as well — from colors and materials used, to interactive elements, to lighting and event-goer flow. Repeat after me: design matters.

Embrace social media advertising.

Promoting your presence using social ads is such an obvious and effective tactic and it’s so underutilized at these events that our clients ALWAYS see huge results. With geographic targeting, custom email list audiences, and a plethora of interest-based targeting, it’s just a no-brainer. We break the social ad comms strategy into three Ps: Presence, Product, and People.

Presence – Let people know that you’re there and where you are. Booth number is particularly important.
Product – You’re there to showcase something, so tell the audience about it. Create content that makes it clear why you’re worth visiting.
People – The people from your company at the tradeshow are often experts who have tons of knowledge and experience. Maybe they’re even speaking or presenting outside of the trade booth itself. The event-goers want to know this stuff, even if they don’t know it yet. Create content for each person.

Obviously there’s so much more to this, but we save the tactics for paying clients.

Don’t forget about Brand Giveaways.

“One of the best ways to ensure your booth is unforgettable is to bring top-notch giveaways, like custom printed plastic cold cups, also known as Promotional merchandise. These aren’t just any trinkets; think useful, innovative, or high-quality items that attendees will actually want to keep. Whether it’s branded tech gadgets, eco-friendly products, or exclusive samples, the goal is to create a lasting impression. The right giveaway can extend your brand’s presence beyond the trade show floor and into the daily lives of your potential clients. Plus, with strategic branding, every time they use your Promotional merchandise, they’ll be reminded of the great experience they had at your booth. So, invest in Promotional merchandise that speaks volumes about your brand’s creativity and commitment to quality.”

Go beyond the convention center.

We love it when a client wants to think bigger than the tradeshow. Killer happy hours, IV drips the morning after the killer happy hours (JOKING … actually, that’s a decent idea), coffee and donut meet-ups, or even a product seminar with a Q&A will get people out of their convention floor sensory overload and into you customer data base. Does it cost more and require more time and effort to put together? Definitely, but any experience that’s interesting and informative will always win the day.

That’s it in a nutshell. It sounds simple, but zig when everyone else zags and you’re gonna stand out. And we’d like to help you get there. Send us a message. And hey, why not tell a friend about this blog post?

Jacob Tyler Wins Gold!

Congratulations to Richard Truss for submitting his Fireside Restaurant Ad in the 2020 Graphis Advertising Competition! We always knew the ad was awesome!!

Jacob Tyler’s Solutions to Common Remote Work Complaints. (#3 Is Kinda Controversial)

As a business that’s created a successful hybrid workforce (more about that in this blog post), I wanted to start sharing more about our methods and philosophies regarding remote work. The way I see it, if we can make it work, so can you. So this is the first of many blog posts you’ll see. I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Common complaint 1: More productivity comes at the cost of less social bonding.

With 91% of people surveyed expressing that they were more productive outside of the office, it’s no wonder remote work is taking off. But it has to be noted that in the process we’re missing out on some serious bonding opportunities. When you’re in a creative field like we are, you need those bonds to help drive ideas and client results. As a solution to this we use BlueJeans — a video conference product — to help stay connected with each other and our clients (we have a less formal solution for off-the-cuff needs in the next paragraph). You’d be surprised at how well video calls bring people together. You get to see expressions, body language, and emotions. Those are the foundations of strong relationships. Phone calls just don’t cut it. The key here is making sure everyone understands that although you can dial in and turn your video off, we expect your video to be on — unless you’re having a bad hair day and you think you’ll be called out for it like I was once by a remote contractor. : )

Common complaint 2: Communication suffers with remote work.

In Adam Heitzman’s article for Inc. he writes, “A major drawback to remote work is that you can’t walk across the office when you need something”. Well, Adam, that’s right, but if you plan around not having a physical office with all of your staff present, it’s not that hard to overcome. Here are the policies that work for us for both on-site and remote staff.

Be available and flexible most of the core working day. If you’re not going to be around, let your immediate teammates know. Even if one person is in New York and one person is San Diego, there’s still five working hours overlap to collab and communicate.
Use technology that works. As I mentioned in the previous paragraph, technology is our friend. We use Slack and an app that integrates with Slack called Whereby (super cheap and easy) for off-the-cuff group conversations, video calls, and meetings. Highly recommended.
Buy into “over communicating” and hire those who buy into it as well. You know what’s never pissed me off once? A staff member making sure I saw an important email, text, or calendar invite. That goes double for getting clarity on a project or creative direction. The “hey, did you see my email from last night” double check takes less than a minute and saves countless hours if something gets missed. Over. Communicate. Often.

Common complaint 3: Managing people is too hard remotely.

After 20 years of running this business, I can safely say that managing people is hard no matter what, and if someone is not physically present you may have a tougher time. I don’t, because I came up with a sure-fire solution that will probably be seen as controversial (that’s kinda my brand, btw): Don’t hire people that you need to manage. Ok, there you go, see you later. Just kidding. I wouldn’t leave you hanging. What I’m saying is that in my experience and from what others have told me, the primary qualifier of a successful remote work staff is having people who are highly-organized self starters. When you work with people like that you’ll find that managing isn’t an issue. They manage themselves. That doesn’t mean you won’ have to give direction or discuss projects, because you will. At Jacob Tyler, we only hire people with 10 years+ experience for most roles and at least a couple years remote work experience. That’s our policy and it works. Depending on your industry more or less experience could work for you.

“Don’t hire people that you need to manage … the primary qualifier of a successful remote work staff is having people who are highly-organized self starters.”

There you have it. If you have any questions about remote work just hit us up on LinkedIn or Twitter.

-Les

How A Multichannel Approach Can Save Your Brand’s Online Presence

Let’s face it, changes in social media platforms — e.g., evolving newsfeed layouts, algorithm changes, and data targeting limitations (thanks Cambridge Analytica) — are the bane of a marketer’s existence. These changes drastically affect how you communicate and interact with your consumers.

What if we said there was a way to insulate businesses and brands from some of the volatility of these platforms? It’s possible. The secret? Diversify your online presence by adopting a multichannel approach.

Yup. That’s it. Diversify. Build up your online presence in other places to help offset the impact of changes that happen on social channels. That way when Zuckerberg decides to crush brand reach or when a celebrity tweet crystallizes the downturn of a once darling platform, you’ll be ready.

On board? Cool. Here’s what we often recommend and implement for our clients.

Seriously consider a blog

Sure, the blog is considered passé by a lot of marketers. Not us. We like the SEO and being in the top spots on Google search results. We like having an owned place where we can share press releases, news, thought leadership, hot takes, silly GIFs, and rants. It’s content that will always be available for you to share with the world. Remember, in 2018 your brand is a publisher and this is your newspaper.

Have a strong web presence

Your website is the hub of your online presence. It’s where people go for information. It’s where consumers go to BUY. It should communicate and inspire with gusto. When your website is ho-hum, your brand is ho-hum. Honestly, that’s not a risk you can afford to take. Website strategy is more important that many realize and it can mean the difference between success and failure for a business.

Capture 1st party data

Capturing 1st party data through email forms, tracking pixels, or social logins allows you to build a community of fans, advocates, and influencers that can be activated in a variety of different ways. And those lists are your property. You can send great emails, retarget your social ads with custom messages based on web pages visited or actions taken, or reach out directly through social messages. 0.5% organic reach sucks but with 1st party data you’ve got other ways to connect with your audience. Your site should be built with this in mind and your digital strategy should include tactics for making 1st party data work for your bottom line.

Hey, we still love social. It’s super powerful, interactive, and fun for your customers. We just think having a integrated approach to your online presence is a smarter and safer bet.

Want to learn more about what you can do to tune up your online presence? Give us a ring or drop us an email.

Jacob Tyler was ranked as a top 10 agency globally…

WASHINGTON, D.C., May 30, 2019 – Clutch officially announced its list of the top creative and marketing agencies for a variety of categories, based on their industry leadership, creative and marketing expertise, and client feedback.

“The marketing and creative sectors are increasingly adopting a digital-first mentality,” said Clutch Senior Business Analyst Sara Philibotte. “The best agencies must effectively incorporate creative strategy with the most cutting-edge technologies. These agencies have proven their ability to excel as versatile and adaptive leaders in this new market.”

Jacob Tyler was ranked as a top 10 agency globally for Social, Print, TV, Out of Home (OOH), and Radio advertising. As well, Jacob Tyler is in the top 25 of the Clutch branding firms out of 20,000 branding agencies listed on the Clutch platform.

Clutch’s research is ongoing and rankings are dynamic. The Clutch team invites interested companies to apply to get listed in the report next year.

The results are a snapshot of Clutch’s Leaders Matrices on Thursday, May 16, 2019. Rankings are dynamic and may not reflect the rankings currently listed on Clutch’s website.

About Clutch

A B2B research, ratings, and reviews firm in the heart of Washington, D.C., Clutch connects small and medium businesses with the best-fit agencies, software, or consultants they need to tackle business challenges together and with confidence. Clutch’s methodology compares business service providers and software in a specific market based on verified client reviews, services offered, work quality, and market presences.

About Jacob Tyler

Founded in 2000, Jacob Tyler is an award-winning Brand and Digital Agency with headquarters in San Diego California. Jacob Tyler focuses on helping companies grow through effective brand development and communication strategies that increase client revenue. The company specializes in developing unique experiences that attract, engage, and convert new customers to its clients’ business – pairing inventive creative with proven digital strategies to build brand campaigns that work. Over the last two decades, Jacob Tyler has worked with hundreds of different clients across a variety of industries, including hospitality, health/life sciences, consumer goods, financial services, education, and technology. Jacob Tyler’s roster of clients includes Novartis, Princeton Identity, YMCA, Hensel Phelps, and more. For more information, visit www.jacobtyler.com.

Jacob Tyler recognized as a Top Beer Logo Design Company on DesignRush

This year we are proud to have been named one of the top 25 agencies for Beer Logo design on DesignRush. Thanks for the Kudos and we appreciate you loving our rebranding work!

As well, we have made the best of lists for: Food & Beverage Branding Agencies, Small Business Branding Agencies, and Naming Agencies. We are excited to be honored by Design Rush for our work.