Capabilities
Our company was begun in 1972. Over those years, we’ve learned how to make Advertising work – and how to bake a strategy into the final product. We offer simple and affordable campaigns and projects that pay off at the bottom line. If your company has marketing “issues”, it’s very likely we’ve “been there, done that.”
Strategic Development
We create strategies for our clients – and often for their subs and internal departments. Those strategies are literally a formula for success. Sometimes called “Creative Briefs,” strategies lay out both the background and the current procedure in place. Next, the strategy outlines what success looks like. It concludes with an Action Plan and ROI. Taken together, the strategy explains (1) what’s up, (2) what happened, (3) best alternatives, (4) recommended way out and (5) forecasted investment and ROI.Websites and Microsite
Great websites and microsites come from the combination of market savvy and business wisdom, including a heavy dose of technical expertise. We design sites to meet a company’s unique needs. We provide sites that can be managed by company insiders – or we offer site management as part of our package. Our websites can provide for viewer interaction (testimonials, product and service research, pricing and specifying) as well as a connection to your company’s inside and outside databases.
Websites and microsites are the most efficient (and inexpensive) way to advertise.
There are thousands of ways to leverage the power of the internet to reduce advertising cost and maximize your market impact. In five minutes, we can give you at least three different ways to improve your net revenue using a website, microsite or both.
Learn the difference between a website and a microsite or check out the FAQ’s.
Digital Marketing/Publishing
In your lifetime, digital marketing and digital publishing will completely replace standard media. Get used to it. Your company’s sales success depends, in large part, on your ability to partner with people like us who can help you adapt digital marketing opportunities to your needs. Here are some facts to get your brain around:Marketing Myth #1: Digital marketing and marketing over the Net means you are advertising to the whole world, not just your local market.
This may have been true twenty years ago, but it is way wrong these days. It’s possible to get your company in front of “just local” buyers. You can buy exposure on Google Local, Yahoo Local, the Yellow Pages as well as a whole bunch of internet networks, all of them delivering prospects from your particular neck of the woods. Add to that the advertising potential on Facebook and LinkedIn, and you have the potential for very concentrated advertising messages, delivered over the internet.
Marketing Myth #2: My customers don’t use the internet, they like paper-based information.
Actually, that’s wildly untrue. There is no segment of the business or consumer population that isn’t seeing big growth in internet usage. Recently, it was reported that Seniors, 65+, were using the net three times a week for shopping.
Media Budget Development
Two important skills we offer are (1) calculation of pro-forma ROI, or a value for a given media buy, and (2) the ability to negotiate discounts and promotional considerations to improve overall return on media investments. Our media development includes:- Media Efficiency and Delivery Analysis
- Budget and ROI Preparation
- Media Contract Negotiation
Creative Direction
Good ideas plus pro-grade skills and top notch tools make advertising work. Good creative is when the revenues pick up steam – and when the CEO stops the marketing director in the hall and says, “Hey, saw the spot in our Golf Sponsorship. Good work!”IS Applications: Middleware and Add-Ins
From the beginning, we have built marketing solutions that leverage technology, creative design and federal compliance. We deploy affordable, secure technology solutions (such as in-house online account opening, Reg E opt-in processing for community banks, web portals and Intranets). Here’s a glimpse of recent projects:- Developed device independent database applications to keep a sales force up-to-date on critical data – competitive profiles highlighting client product superiority.
- Converted a printed membership directory to an online, browser-based resource which permits members to update their information.
- Developed proof of concept for a device-independent database of manufacturer’s parts, updated over the Net, for use in a wide variety of sales environments. The resulting digital catalog resides on the device, so it’s accessible even in absence of an internet connection.
- Created a customer-accessible, Internet-delivered email management system so consumers can go online and update email addresses which are, in turn, uploaded into the client’s core processing (CIF) system.
Sales Management and Sales Builder Support
Multiply the value of your sales staff with simple sales sheets (one sheets) or complex trigger mail (and email). Learn about our data-driven lead generation programs, featuring Quick Response (QR) codes and Personalized URLs (PURLs) – which are excellent ways to segment benefit-laden messages to a variety of sales targets.Things we do
Advertising Media: Newspaper, Radio, TV, Cable TV, Outdoor and Direct Mail Sales support: Flyers and one-sheets, Lobby and Counter-Top Posters, Promotion Items, Employee and Customer Loyalty and Incentive Programs Sales Management: Lead generation and management, CRM support, Customer Feedback systems Digital Media: Web sites and microsites, downloadable electronic sales and service flyers, catalogs and manuals, web banner ad programs, web remarketing Show Exhibits: Simple Point of Contact devices to complex, automated “communities” Technology: Website Automatic Program Interface (API) development and implementation, Smart Phone and Tablet Apps, remote data display and retrieval Video/Animation Simple and complex sales, training and communication videos, simple and complex two and three dimensional animation.
Research Projects
Knowledge is power. The more you know, the wiser you will be. Market wisdom equals better use of resources and better strategies. We have extensive expertise in gathering market information by research. Here’s a list of our day-to-day research capabilities:- Customer/Non-Customer Awareness Research (Web, Mail, Telephone and Intercept)
- Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. (SWOT)
- Competitive Analyses
- Geographic Customers/Non-Customer Studies
- Customer Satisfaction Index (NPS) Studies
- Employee Surveys
Marketing Support
Advertising success doesn’t happen in a vacuum. The support of collateral material, print or electronic, is very important because they supplement the sales and promotion effort. Here are a few collateral support projects that can enhance the advertising program:- Video Training (supplement or replace printed sales sheets and catalogs)
- Intranets and Web Portals
- Video Product Demonstrations
- Sales sheets and folders (supplemented by videos and web distribution)
- Product catalogs and manuals (supplemented by videos and web distribution)
- Media Relations and PR
Media Buying, Budgeting and Reporting
Advertising media works very well, no doubt. But, did you pay too much? Did you miss opportunities? We perform pre-buy and post-buy analysis to make sure the media hits the target. Those analyses include evaluating a mix of all the media that should be considered. All this before you spend any money. Once a decision is made, we make sure the schedule you bought is delivered by the media. Finally, a post-buy analysis is done to make sure the schedule delivered the audience we paid for. Media reporting is especially necessary if you’re spending media money over time, say a six-month schedule. Media reporting should take place as part of the process, so you can learn early on if there are modifications needed. Then, there’s media negotiation. In most cases, media rates can be negotiated to deliver lower cost, value-added services, or both. Caution is needed here since the media’s deep discounted programs most likely offer the least effective media reach.Need a strategy?
Need help to execute a strategy? Let’s get the conversation started.
Call 800-521-0236 or