As evidenced by the pollen caked on the back window of my car, spring is officially here. Though with the sloppy weather of the last couple days it feels more like fall.

Regardless, it’s suddenly seems like everything is waking up around us, and in terms of New Business Development, everyone.

After a very brief lull, proposals have kicked backed up again with a vengeance. This means the majority of my days at DDA are now being spent on conference calls, e-mails, preparing proposals, internal meetings and discussions, and returning calls.

It is a very time consuming and involved part of my job. A large reason for this is the way DDA handles inquiries and every job it does — whether it’s web development, video, animation, graphic design, etc. — as I know I’ve written about before, in a very customized way.

There’s a process to determining what the best strategy for any project is — and it almost always begins with a conference call. This is where we connect with the client and really flush out what it is he or she is looking for.

From that, one of the department heads — website, video, graphic design, or programming — will prepare a time estimate. As we pride ourselves on being as cost efficient as possible and always staying as close to possible within the perimeters of the estimate, this can be tricky, and often requires several revisions and changes.

As one of four professional writers on staff, it is my job, as well as that of the other writers, to take the time estimate and turn it into a quote.

As you can imagine, with so many inquires flooding in as of late, this little process takes up quite a deal of time. But it’s a critical piece to retaining the customized and detail-oriented approach that makes us DDA.

Here at Dynamic Digital Advertising (DDA), we do something that makes others jealous — work four 10-hour days. Maybe that in itself doesn’t cause envy, but the three-day weekend does.

I’ll admit it was a transition that was easy to get used to and one that would be hard to let go of, but even with that extra time, we haven’t forgotten the most important thing — our clients.

This past Friday sitting in a car dealership, negotiating a trade-in, the salesman came back to find me talking to my own perspective client. A call had come in from a company interested in our services. I suppose we could have waited until Monday to return the call, but as a full-service advertising and marketing company whose first concern is the clients, that’s just not our style.

Being accessible to clients, even on days we are closed, isn’t only important when it comes to New Business Development. We are on-call to all of our clients, whether it’s a website, video, print production project, or more, in case of urgent situations or questions.

This past fall, we completed several tradeshow items for a dental practice — we also created a DVD and website. They were at the show to recruit new dentists and specialists. As a growing practice, it was very important to them. We took care of everything from beginning to end, including all of the necessary paperwork for the tradeshow.

But the most important piece, and the one that could’ve avoided a minor disaster or catastrophe, was a list of cell phone numbers of all of the people at DDA who were directly involved in the project. There was a number for the website, the DVD, the tradeshow material, and one in case anything went wrong administratively.

Our client knew that they were covered, not only in terms of presentation, but for any of those unexpected issues that pop up from time to time.

I like my Fridays, most definitely. But when it comes to making sure our clients needs are met, I don’t mind taking the time.

The kick-off meeting I had yesterday went well. We have done work for this client before and they are well aware of our capabilities.

Since this website will be highly search-engine optimized, the first step is keyword research. This is a very intricate, and sometimes painstaking process, where thousands of keywords are searched in an effort to determine search patterns and to prioritize keywords.

This research will set the tone for the entire content plan to follow. It will determine which keywords we  reference in every page and also which keywords will be used for the pages on individual services. This is the foundation of SEO writing. We want to identify the most relevant and common keywords that people use to search for the particular services our client provides.

We will then integrate these keywords into original, interesting, and informative writing that will be entertaining to visitors to the site, while helping our client achieve high search engine rankings.

We have a lot of clients who come to us with misinformed ideas about search engine optimized writing. They assume that all you have to do is pepper in a few dozen keywords and you’ll be able to reap results.  In reality, it’s a very systematic and calculated approach, with multiple steps toward achieving the end result.

This morning we have a kick-off meeting for a website we will be developing. It will be a highly-optimized site, with 35 pages of new content developed by DDA’s writers, specifically crafted to reach top rankings on search engines like Google.

It’s a common affair here at DDA — not just website development, or developing optimized copy, but a kick-off meeting.

For nearly every project we undertake, the first step is a meeting with the client to determine their goals and the direction of the project. It’s the first taste of a what will be a long string of client involvement.

Regardless if it’s a video, website, animation, brochure, or trade show booth, we are developing the product for our clients, which means their opinion and feedback is vital. We don’t move forward during any stage of development without approval.

This approach is indicative of so much of what DDA is and does — the fact that we were created with the needs of the marketing or advertising executive in mind; that each project is customized specifically to that client no matter how many times we have developed something in that medium; that we have a strong sense of pride in the work we create.

The other week we had a conference call with an existing client. Before finding DDA, this client had signed on with another company to do website development. We had undertaken a completely separate project for this client, but during the course of working together, it was apparent on both sides that there was a strong working relationship. As it turns out, the company this client signed up with for website development, did not treat them well, or more like not at all. After the initial meeting, this client barely heard a word again and had no clue as to what stage the project was on.

While we of course were more than happy to take on the website project, it was bitter sweet. They should have never had to go through that in the first place. There are so many companies out there that care little about the work they produce or their clients.

I am glad I work for a company that respects its clients and values their business. And as for my kick-off meeting this morning, I know that it’s just the start of what will be a long relationship.

My younger cousin e-mailed the other day to ask if I ever had to do public speaking. It was for a college class project. She was referring primarily to my days in journalism, but after mulling over the question, I realized how important verbal communication is in my position as a writer — nearly just as vital as my writing skills.

A large part of what I do is interacting with existing and prospective clients. This runs the spectrum from phone calls to check up on progress, to troubleshooting any technical issues, to conference calls to discuss new projects.

I am always conscious that how I present myself is directly representative of Dynamic Digital Advertising (DDA).

We do great work. From the programmers, to the designers, to web developers,  videographers and everyone in between, we have a very talented group who can get things done well and on time. But there’s another aspect to what we do as well, which is client relations.

That genuine concern for a client’s project, their feedback, and the end product, is like adding just the right topping to a project that already combines some of the most innovative and cutting-edge technologies.

Effective copywriting often comes down to knowing your audience.

At Dynamic Digital Advertising, we deal with many different types of clients in a variety of industries. As one of five writers, I am often called upon to write engaging copy for a variety of different needs and audiences.

There are many factors you have to keep in mind as a professional writer. You need to know the difference in style between mediums — website content will vary greatly from a video script — and in whom you are trying to reach.

Since a large part of our business is medical, we do a lot of medical writing. Obviously,this varies from corporate work but there are a lot of variations even within the moniker medical. For instance, if I am addressing pharmaceutical companies their needs and concerns are going to be different from a physician, and likewise a health care worker’s primary needs will not be the same as a patient’s.

The first thing you need to consider is to whom you are writing. What are their greatest, needs, concerns, what are they looking for? Then you need to find a way to write it so it will grab their attention. You want to hit the most important points, relay a message you know is sure to bring them to action.

It’s not always easy knowing the exact needs of every audience to whom you are writing, but it’s in critical in effective copy and in making sure our clients are achieving the results they seek.

“Can you give me just a standard price?”

I often hear those words several times within a week. Working with New Business Development means answering several inquiries a day, through e-mail or phone. It’s in these moments that I am often reminded how fundamentally different Dynamic Digital Advertising (DDA) is from all other advertising and marketing agencies.

It’s not just that we are a full-service agency, able to meet multiple needs under one roof, the difference is in those words that I hear.

Many times people shop around for quotes, whether it’s for videos, website development, animation, copywriting, or graphic design services.  They expect that since they are able to get a one-size-fits-all estimate from the other guys, that we can do the same. Right there, they began to realize the DDA difference. Everything we do is customized to the client and their specific project, which is why we prefer to schedule a conference call for each inquiry that comes in.

Knowing the details of the project is more than just about customization, it’s about integrity. We pride ourselves on being honest and forthright from the very beginning. We also pride ourselves on never having missed a deadline. We will never just throw a random price out the window, only to go back and charge a company three times what we originally said.

Those cookie-cutter quotes may OK for the other guys, but there is nothing standard about DDA.

A large part of juggling multiple tasks and making sure nothing splatters on the floor is always being as efficient as possible.

I am a thinker, so for me whether it’s Project Coordination duties, New Business Development or Copywriting,  I try to map out what I am going to do, formulate some sort of plan before tackling the job. This works especially well with my writing. The first sentence has always been the toughest for me. If I don’t have that perfect intro then I am unable to continue. So plotting out what I’d like to say before I begin writing speeds up the process exponentially.

There is a fine line between being efficient and rushing the job, so it’s really important to be as relaxed and calm as possible, regardless of the task at hand, kind of like the hurry up but take your time theory.

It’s a bit of trick learning how to continuously keep time on your mind but at the same not letting it bog you down with added anxiety or stress. Once you get it down, however, you can sail a lot smoother through all of the obstacles ahead, rather than rocking back forth against the jarring waves.

Some may call me a liar if I said I like Mondays, especially if they have seen me first thing in the morning, but I do. It’s the start to a fresh week, where anything can happen.

When you work in an environment like DDA, there is always something different or new going on. On any given day, a website could be going live — in some cases a site that has been months in the making — another highly-innovative, interactive animation or tool has just been developed in house, or we are just staring a new project that is highly involved or intricate in nature.

It can be exciting, though admittedly as  a Project Coordinator, at times it can also be a bit hectic.  Mondays are about putting the pieces in place for the coming week, checking the stauts of all projects or prospective projects, responding to questions or inquiries, and setting up the workload for the week.

Not every business can bring a whole new set of challenges and experiences each week, but with a full range of services, and so much going on under one roof, come Monday morning you have to be prepared.

One of the greatest things about being a Project Coordinator is the completion of a project. And I mean this in the pride that comes from a job well done, and the pleasure in hearing or reading the happiness of our clients.

I will admit some projects go smoother than others. When you deal with such a wide breadth of mediums, whether it’s websites, video, or illustration, and industries, Medical or Corporate, you’re going to encounter a lot of different personalities and some bumps along the road.

But in nearly the year I have been with DDA, I can honestly say that every single time we have completed a project, it has been turned over to the hands of a pleased, and a more than happy client. It’s a good feeling knowing that everyone, sometimes within all departments, from design and video to programming and Search Engine Marketing, have come together to meet the clients needs and deadlines beyond the typical.

I think with DDA, and as a full-service advertising agency, it’s greater knowing that we are able to accomplish just about any kind of marketing or advertising need,  and the cross pollination allows for the most innovative, cutting-edge techniques.

One of the projects I am coordinating, an animation, is very near completion. We are waiting for additional information on the client’s end. But so far, the process has gone beautifully. There were nearly eight people involved in pulling this off and every single one worked seamlessly together. The client has been happy each step of the way, and I know when we finally turn it over, we will be keeping DDA’s winning track record intact.