Finding A Better Way

We know that marketing is often confusing and ineffective for many business owners. When businesses lose resources, time and energy on neglectful marketing, they cannot thrive or have the peace of mind necessary to fully engage in the work they’ve set out to do.

After years of managing significant marketing budgets and working on teams for a variety of businesses – including oil production, luxury camp/retreat facilities, ESPN, international nonprofits and large newspapers – we decided there had to be a way to deliver quality marketing that’s attainable for small- to medium-size businesses and nonprofits.

In short, we are compelled by the idea that good companies deserve the chance to thrive and be known.

That is why we focus on creative, transparent marketing that delivers clear results. When businesses succeed, that means more people can uniquely contribute to communities, markets and society.

Stop Wasting Money on the Wrong Messaging

If you can’t clearly state why people should buy your product, you are losing customers. What you say – and how quickly and clearly you say it – is often the difference between a growing business and a going-out-of business. People don’t always buy the best product, they buy the product they understand the best.

Does your website pass the “grunt” test? Are you still trying to be the hero for your customers when you should actually be their Guide? Can your employees explain in 15 seconds exactly what you do, why you do it, and why people need it? Are you sending advertising dollars into the information abyss and hoping for the best?

There’s a better way.

Our team includes Tyler’s first StoryBrand Certified Guide so that we can help you develop a marketing strategy that implements a clear narrative woven throughout all your marketing collateral.

Doing things differently

We have decades of experience being a part of an agency, working with agencies and serving businesses with our marketing and consulting. We have worked for large media corporations (ESPN), large nonprofits (Sky Ranch Camps, Heifer International) and large for-profit businesses (oil and gas). And we have all arrived here because we believe there are too many good companies paying for ineffective marketing. Companies are doing great work but struggling (or not meeting their potential) because their ideas aren’t being seen by the right people. And that’s no good. So we set out to change it.

Your 14Forty Team

Kyle Carter

Partner | President
[email protected]

Luke McGrath

Director of Sales and Development
[email protected]

Amy Carter

Partner | Content Manager
[email protected]

Kelsey Kaigler

Marketing Coordinator
[email protected]

Austin Lake

Digital Marketing Manager
[email protected]

Rachael Smith

Project Manager
[email protected]

Jake Smith

Creative Director
[email protected]

Mattie Thomas

Social Media Manager
[email protected]

Wait, is that the whole team?!? No, not even close...

The Power of Partnerships

Perhaps the greatest lesson we have learned as lifelong creators and marketers is that there is no substitute for talent. Strangely enough, in our experience, some of the most creative and talented people don’t like working for large corporations. The hack (shhhh) to being able to offer exceptional, unique and creative results at affordable prices is forming the right partnerships. And we have them.

Thrive and be known

Book a Consultation

A simple start:
Fill out the this form and we’ll reach out to schedule a 15-minute consultation where we can learn more about your business and your marketing goals.

Creative Advertising

Targeted Digital Advertising:
Strategic and targeted (and re-targeted) digital ads meant to drive leads to the website and increase your social interaction. Comes with your own dashboard with clear data from all ads and website traffic. (We will determine appropriate platforms after demographic/audience build).

Suggested Platforms:

  • Facebook & Instagram
  • Google

We are a Google Partner, which means we have been vetted by Google on our management, strategy, and ROI for clients. They stringently monitor budget allocation, ad builds and ROI to award a Google Partner Badge.

Additional Advertising:

  • Tyler Today Magazine
  • Strategic billboards
  • Promotional videos / commercials

Monthly Management:

  • Digital Marketing Dashboard Reports
  • Weekly A/B Testing of Ad sets for optimization
  • Weekly audience/ad monitoring and adjusting
  • Budget Allocation Optimization

Targeted Digital Advertising

Return on Investment: Targeted digital advertising without a constantly evolving strategy wastes money. Our account management ensures you’re getting the best price per click on the right search terms that will lead real, interested customers to the website. We track and report on the user’s movement every step of the way, so we can know exactly what you are getting from your investment.

Targeted Digital Advertising: Strategic and targeted (and re-targeted) digital ads meant to drive leads to the website and increase your social interaction. Comes with your own dashboard with clear data from all ads and website traffic. (We will determine appropriate platforms after demographic/audience build).

We are a Google Partner, which means we have been vetted by Google on our management, strategy, and ROI for clients. They stringently monitor budget allocation, ad builds and ROI to award a Google Partner Badge.

Suggested Platforms:

  • Facebook & Instagram
  • Google

Setup Includes:

  • Setup of Facebook/Instagram verified Business Manager
  • Google My Business Account Setup/Integration
  • First set of audience build
  • Initial Ad(s) setup/build

Targeted Digital Monthly Management:

  • Digital Marketing Dashboard Reports
  • Weekly A/B Testing of Ad sets for optimization
  • Weekly audience/ad monitoring and adjusting
  • Budget Allocation Optimization

Things to Note:

This is outside of ad spend. Recommended ad spend will be suggested once audience(s) are built. This is also for a max of (2) marketing platforms, (i.e. – Meta, Google) should a 3rd platform be requested an additional $250/mo. will be needed for management

Organic Social Media

Return on Investment: Customers want to know more about a company than its products and services. They are more likely to purchase from a business whose story, mission, and personality they are familiar with. By creating content that shows your audience what you do and how your offerings fit into their lives, you develop a relationship with your customers. Sharing relevant content on social media helps you get attention, build loyalty, share vital information and increase engagement.

Organic Social Media Strategy:

Once brand messaging is in place, Organic Social Media will support the same messaging strategy as your website and targeted digital. With a consistent social media presence, your social media followers will stay engaged and know why your brand matters to them.

Suggested Platforms:

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • TikTok

Setup Includes:

  • Research of local market, trends, hashtags
  • Social media best practices for platforms
  • Instructions on how to grow and engage your audience
  • Content calendar for consistent messaging
  • Establishing posts, topics and ideas

Organic Social Media Monthly Management:

  • Organic Social Media Monthly Management
  • Copywriting for 10-12 posts per calendar month
  • Creative/graphics for 14F-produced posts
  • Scheduling & posting for 14F-produced posts
  • Analytics & reporting for social media accounts
  • Management of audience engagement

The 5 Pillars of Visual Branding

What are they and why do they matter?

What are they?

The 5 pillars of Visual Branding are Logos, Typography, Colors, Visuals, and Elements. Each of the 5 pillars are needed for a brand to be fully utilized, recognized, and distinct.

Why do they matter?

These 5 pillars all work in tandem to strengthen and complement one other.

The pillars establish a consistent look and feel that your client (and employees) will instantly be able to recognize and relate to. A brand with 5 strong brand pillars outshines the competition.

Deliverables

Logo:

Rules: The correct and incorrect ways to use the logos
Examples: How it should look on your business cards

Typography

Rules: What fonts to use, where to use them, size, etc.
Examples: How your company’s letterhead will look

Colors:

Rules: Color formulas for a printer, website, social media, etc.
Example: What color your billboard/digital ad should be

Visuals/Photography

Rules: Style of lighting/mood of the scene
Example: How your website homepage should look and feel

Elements

Rules: Where to use unique patterns/textures, etc.
Examples: How you visually stand out on Social Media

Website Development

With a clear message, your website is straightforward and effective. It will feature:

  • a headline that tells website visitors at a glance what you offer
  • a clear and strategically placed Call to Action to direct your audience
  • a succinct description of the problem you solve and your unique solution
  • a description of how your customers will succeed after doing business with you

Custom Content and Design:

With the messaging as our guide, our copywriting team will write all copy/pages. And then we’ll design develop your website from scratch. Our design team will work with you to think through each page’s design and function.

Fully Responsive:

Your site will be easy to use, and will adjust to the size of the screen that is accessing it. It will perform well on any device.

Hosting and Management:

(optional) Your website will be hosted ($50/month) on our premier hosting platform, with SSL encryption. Your site will be built with Elementor, the #1 web creation platform for WordPress.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) :

Your website will be written to impress both humans (users) and computers (search engines). We will incorporate industry keywords into your core messaging and strategically place them on the site to drive conversions from search engines.

Brand Message

Why does the message matter?

Connection: An effective marketing strategy resonates with your audience, connecting them to your brand.

Clarity: If you confuse, you’ll lose. People support brands that communicate clearly and concisely.

Consistency: Good brands are easy to recognize. Consumers remember brands that look and sound the same wherever they encounter them.

Deliverables

Brand Messaging Document

This document contains concise language about your brand that is used to guide all other marketing materials. This includes:

  • Audience profile
  • Brand Narrative
  • Elevator Pitch
  • Tagline

The Process

1

Our team guides your leadership through a brainstorming workshop focused on understanding your target audience(s) and the problem(s) you help them solve.

2

We collaborate with your team until you have messaging that accurately reflects your brand.

3

We weave that messaging into all marketing materials we create for your brand.

Consulting

We love helping good businesses thrive and be known! You might need messaging help, an advertising analysis, an assessment of your current website, social media advice, or any other piece or part of our combined experience, and we’d love to help. Our ultimate goal is your success.

Digital Advertising

Expertly worded, targeted digital marketing gets your message in front of the right people and maximizes your investment. We create ads that lead to actions, that lead to conversions, and we can do it on just about any platform:

Google Ads | Facebook Ads | Instagram Ads | LinkedIn Ads | Connected TV | And More

Graphic Design

Good design is food for the soul. We take pride in a design style that is simple yet beautiful and adds to the customer experience. We can design for digital, print and everything in between. We utilize local artists when possible so that your website uses unique, personalized art like what you see here.