Jon Stojan
Image credit: Kelly Maret
Branding and advertisement are critical elements in today’s market landscape, and Kelly Maret, founder of MAKE SOCIAL, is achieving powerful results by doing things slightly differently. With a unique blend of creativity, strategic thinking, and data-driven decision-making, Kelly has created an innovative way to approach branding and marketing that sets her agency apart. Here’s an in-depth look at the tools, strategies, and methods Kelly employs to help clients build cohesive, dynamic, and authentic brands.
The Power of Photography and Branding
At MAKE SOCIAL, Kelly combines her experience in photography with her extensive marketing expertise to create a unique and compelling branding experience. Kelly sees the connection between photography and branding as two sides of the same coin.
“I believe that my photographer’s eye helps me be a better marketer, and my marketing background supports how I plan, take, and use my photos,” Kelly explains. This blend of creativity and strategy is what sets MAKE SOCIAL apart. By strategically planning and shooting photos with branding objectives in mind, Kelly ensures that the imagery she captures does more than just look good – it serves a purpose in growing the client’s brand.
For example, SEO-optimized photos are a core aspect of Kelly’s strategy. She leverages the power of imagery to increase organic traffic, ensuring that her clients’ brands are visible and engaging to their target audiences.
Bringing Client Stories to Life Through Visuals
The foundation of Kelly’s approach to branding is visual storytelling. At MAKE SOCIAL, the focus is always on creating authentic content that resonates with the brand’s identity.
“Authentic, personalized images are essential to truly reflect the brand,” says Kelly. By capturing real, meaningful moments through her lens, she helps clients tell their unique stories in a way that feels both genuine and compelling. This approach fosters a deeper connection between the client’s brand and its audience, ensuring consistency in both visual identity and brand messaging.
The emphasis on visual storytelling is key in crafting a cohesive brand identity. “As a photographer, I can capture and represent a brand in all marketing aspects, ensuring alignment with the personal brand,” she adds.
The Crucial Role of Analytics in the Creative Process
While creativity is at the heart of MAKE SOCIAL’s work, Kelly believes that analytics play a significant role in the creative process. Creativity alone isn’t enough – it must be paired with data to measure success, identify areas for improvement, and refine future strategies.
“Analytics are huge! Without them, you miss out on an incredible opportunity for growth, improvement, and optimization,” Kelly says. She emphasizes the importance of adopting a data-driven approach in marketing, especially when it comes to visual content. Through A/B testing, Kelly ensures that the content is continuously optimized for better engagement and conversions. Iteration is another critical component of Kelly’s strategy, by constantly fine-tuning creative output, she ensures that each campaign becomes more effective in reaching the target audience.
Overcoming Client Challenges with Tailored Solutions
Common concerns include inconsistent branding, lack of relevant content, poor online presence, and difficulty integrating content across multiple platforms. Kelly’s approach addresses these issues head-on by creating tailored, strategic content plans that help clients overcome their specific weaknesses.
“My approach starts with establishing a personal brand foundation,” she explains. This ensures that clients have a clear direction before diving into content creation. From there, Kelly develops highly personalized strategies that ensure consistency across visuals and platforms.
Additionally, she helps clients repurpose content efficiently across multiple channels, maximizing the value of each content piece. This saves time, reduces costs, and ensures that the brand message is always aligned.
Keeping Branding and Visuals Relevant Over Time
Maret believes that the most exciting aspect of working in branding and marketing is the constant need for reinvention. Kelly emphasizes the importance of staying relevant and continuously refreshing content to reflect the evolution of the client’s brand.
“I love how branding constantly forces you to reinvent yourself,” she says. Kelly regularly checks in with her clients to assess the performance of their content, identify necessary adjustments, and determine whether new content is needed to keep the brand fresh.
Additionally, the market requires that companies stay on top of industry trends, not by following every trend, but by understanding what consumers expect and which trend would actually be of benefit for each company allowing her content to be in line with the latest consumer and market demands without falling into the trap of blindly following trends.
Client Education: A Key Method for Empowerment
A significant part of Kelly’s process involves educating her clients which is very uncommon in agencies of the field. She believes that it’s crucial for clients to understand not only what is being done but why it’s being done. This ensures that the clients are involved in the process allowing for greater authenticity.
“I don’t think it’s my role as the agency to execute for my clients without them knowing what I’m doing or how I’m doing it,” Kelly explains. She prioritizes co-creation, where clients actively participate in the process, ensuring they learn how to capture their brand’s essence themselves.
By empowering clients with the skills to represent their brand, Kelly ensures that they can continue creating high-quality content in the future.
Conclusion
Kelly Maret and MAKE SOCIAL are redefining how branding and marketing are approached in today’s digital world. By blending creativity with data, focusing on authentic visual storytelling, and empowering clients with the tools and knowledge they need, Kelly is helping brands build lasting, meaningful connections with their audiences.