CMA Central

CMA's blog has moved!

2012-01-27T15:00:00.001-05:00

As part of a year-long celebration of CMA's 25th anniversary, we have recently redesigned our website. Please go to www.CMACentralBlog.com to follow our blog from now on. Be sure to update your RSS links - this RSS feed will no longer provide blog updates. Thank you for reading!

Introducing a Series of Helpful Hints for Marketing Success!

2012-01-06T08:53:00.000-05:00

In celebration of CMA’s 25^th anniversary in 2012, we will be bringing you weekly posts with a “how to” theme to help pass on the knowledge that has kept our clients thriving for 25 years. You’ll hear from a variety of staff members – each are experts in their own fields. We hope you enjoy our new initiative to bring you the most useful information to aid in your success in 2012.

How to Turn Your Website into a Lead Generator

2012-01-06T08:49:00.000-05:00

With Matt Kulcsar, Interactive Art Designer

A corporate website needs to be more than just a static, marketing piece. Your website should be a dynamic lead generation tool. If your website is not powering your growth or reinforcing your brand than its time to consider a website refresh to maximize your online presence. Keep these simple tips in mind when you look to enhance your website in 2012:

Be precise. Pretty much every website has standard analytics built-in but few users are tapping into the data to help take them to the next level. Make sure you log in regularly to see what’s working and what isn’t so you can take action. The design of your website should be flexible so you can easily make adjustments based on the insights from your review of the sites stats. Content management systems are usually the most cost-effective platforms that allow for on the fly updating.

Be engaging. Get to know your target audience better by finding out what means the most to them. Incorporating an interactive survey or problem/solution component into your website will give you valuable insights into your customers needs and also help them find the content they are looking for on your site. Be careful and don’t overwhelm your audience. Engagement doesn’t mean unnecessary bells and whistles with no real purpose. Interactivity is the key to connecting to your audience and drawing them into your site.

Be clear. You won’t be able to convert a website visitor to a qualified lead if they don’t stay on your site for very long. You have maybe ten seconds to grab a visitor’s attention and draw them in to your website. One step towards keeping traffic on your site is to make it easy for them to find what they need. Navigation needs to be straightforward, intuitive and descriptive. Using non-traditional navigation through the use of imagery and other techniques can guide users smoothly through your site to a conversion.

Be relevant. Content is still king as long as it speaks to your target audience and it’s optimized for search engine performance. Here’s where the analytics come in again. Study up to see which pages have high traffic and which pages are low performers. Evaluate if the content needs to be enhanced or are you getting a message from your customers about what they are really interested in.

Be analytical. In real estate the key is “Location! Location! Location!” but the mantra online is “Data! Data! Data!”. The common thread that runs through all of these topics is analysis of your data. You need to have the right tools in place and the right people who can interpret and implement needed action. Site traffic has to be understood on the granular level in order to understand the finicky patterns of today’s web users.

Most Viewed Blogs of 2011

2011-12-30T11:11:00.000-05:00

Since 2012 is almost here, let's take a look back and reflect on the top 10 most viewed blog topics from 2011. What was your favorite?

Groupon - What's Behind This Retail Sales Bonanza?

The Complex World of Healthcare Marketing

Online Marketing Trends in Manufacturing

Finding the Right B2B Bulls-eye

Utilizing Custom Facebook Pages

Social Media Do's and Don'ts

CMA Named Best in Show at ASTRA Awards

3.5 Marketing Ideas for 2011

Foursquare – A Fun Location to Be

Media Planning Demystified

What’s on Your Marketing List for 2012?

2011-12-22T14:13:00.002-05:00

As the song goes, Santa makes his list and checks it twice. With 2012 just about a week away, it’s not too late to make your marketing “list “for next year. For many businesses, it seems long-term planning has been sidelined by a focus on short-term success and survival. While we all have to do what we can to survive, a sensible marketing plan with real goals and objectives will help make sure you don’t end up with a lump of coal under the tree next year.

A few key questions to ask as you finalize your 2012 plan:

Are there changes in the marketplace or other environmental factors that may affect how you do business now or in the future?
Have your target audiences or competitors changed or will they change in the future?
Have your key success factors changed due to the current marketplace?
Are existing strategies working or do you need to develop new ones?
Should your key messages to targets change?

Even the naughtiest kid knows putting together a ridiculously long list of gifts isn’t going to get him what he wants. Treat your marketing plan the same way. It can help to spend sometime thinking about your dream wish list, but don’t get stuck there. Ultimately, your marketing plan needs to be based on sound strategy, measurable goals and a realistic budget.

Here’s to staying off the naughty list in 2012!

Erin Higgins
Director of Marketing Services
ehiggins@cmasolutions.com

CMA's Matt Kulcsar to Moderate Panel on Technology in Interactive Design

2011-12-16T12:04:00.001-05:00

The New Jersey Communications, Advertising and Marketing Association (NJ CAMA) will kick off the new year with an educational networking event on January 10 from 6:00-8:00 PM at D&R Greenway in Princeton, New Jersey. Attendees will learn about new tools for communications professionals such as Open Source, Open Workforce and cloud computing and other design applications and e-marketing software that are changing the way agencies and freelancers approach creative work and deliver results to their clients. A panel discussion, moderated by Creative Marketing Alliance (CMA)’s Interactive Designer, Matt Kulcsar, will feature Ed McLaughlin, Chief Marketing Technologist and Co-founder of SVM E-Business Solutions and Brian Crooks, Executive Creative Director at Influence Interactive discussing “New Tools and Environments for Creatives.”

Formerly the creative director at Razorfish, Crooks has over 20 years of experience in the design field and has created several notable fully integrated consumer and BtoB interactive media campaigns, including those of Nestle, Dove, Sallie Mae, Neiman Marcus and General Motors. He will discuss how creatives need to be free to think and have access to the information that drives original thoughts. Attendees will learn to embrace new technologies that are catalysts for ideas, not simply an electronic box of tools. Crooks will focus on the convergence of the physical and digital—the space in which ideas can percolate and where information, observations and insights are the coin of the realm.

McLaughlin has executed countless online marketing initiatives with organizations large and small, from Fortune 500 to non-profits, across a broad array of industries. A champion of the emerging role of the marketing technologist, Ed has a professional passion for the business-changing potential of open source software, distributed workforce models and cloud computing. McLaughlin will focus on the concept of the “Distributed Agency,” meaning a shift from physical environments to digital environments and leveraging software-as-a-service, cloud computing, and the collaborative tools and ethos of the open source movement.

Kulcsar of CMA has over 13 years of professional experience in website design and development. He has developed web content, managed websites, e-blasts, single-page websites and interactive displays also has expertise in combining SEO and SEM strategies with social media.

The cost to attend is $25 members, $35 non-members, and includes catering by Christopher’s Personal Chef Service. The meeting will be held at D&R Greenway, Johnson Education Center, RWJ Auditorium, One Preservation Place, Princeton, NJ 08540. For directions, go to www.drgreenway.org/directions.htm. To register, visit www.njcama.org. For more information about this event, contact programs@njcama.org and for membership information, contact membership@njcama.org.

Drum roll please...It's CMA's Signature Holiday Card!

2011-12-13T09:17:00.000-05:00

Once again, the laughter poured out 191 Clarksville Road this year in preparation for our signature holiday card. Join us as we look forward to a year full of celebration, as 2012 is our 25th anniversary year!

Happy Holidays from CMA! Check out the digital version of the card here.

How to Maximize Your Facebook Presence

2011-12-09T12:08:00.001-05:00

By now, many businesses have flocked to Facebook with the promise of raised awareness, increased brand loyalty and fresh sales leads. But are you doing all you can to maximize your company’s presence on Facebook?

First, it’s important to know what kind of users you are dealing with. Here are some key behaviors to keep in mind as you develop your campaign:

People are visiting fan pages looking for something in return—it could be coupons or discounts, exclusive information, entertainment to share with friends or maybe even recognition.
The majority of a consumer's Facebook experience is the wall, which is also visible in their top news feed. The 95% of Facebook users view their news feed only, according to a recent study.
With the new interface changes that took place this Fall, there is much more “passive sharing,” meaning a news feed is more cluttered with app updates from Netflix, Spotify and other sites connected to Facebook through an automatic update system. These changes are constant at Facebook so make sure to stay on top of what’s going on and maximize the technology or at the very least don't fall behind it.

It is often challenging to get attention when the Facebook universe is so vast and deep, but fret not. Social media is all about innovation and the best tips for success are discovered simply based on trial and error. So try these suggestions out and adjust as needed based on your target audience’s response.

1. Make “Like Us” buttons prominent and easy to find. One of the best ways to promote your Facebook presence is to simply add the small “f” icon on your website, but it shouldn’t stop there. Add the icon to your employee’s email signatures, to your e-newlsetter, or blog or any other digital communications.

2. Consider custom tabs. There’s more to a Facebook page than just the Wall. Consider working with a marketing agency that has experience in creating customized Facebook tabs. These become an extension of your website and can be used for product promotions and current offerings. Your designer can even arrange for these tabs to be the first landing page a user sees when they visit your page.

3. Engage and entertain. Social media definitely has a proven business value, but ultimately, users are looking for something fun and/or useful. Create content that makes them want to share with their friends or keeps them coming back for more. Quizzes, giveaways, exclusive videos and insights into the inner workings of the company are good ways to pique the interests of your fans and keep them engaged.

What are you looking to get out of your social media participation? Once you’ve determined the value Facebook or any other site has to your business, consider using an experienced marketing agency to do the heavy lifting—content research and development, posting and monitoring. Often the largest obstacle in the way of any kind of social media success is time.

Erin Higgins
Director of Marketing Services
ehiggins@cmasolutions.com

How to Use Google+ to Promote Your Business

2011-12-02T12:23:00.001-05:00

Google+ was publicly launched on June 28, 2011 and boasts more than 25 million users, the fastest growing social media platform to date. There has been, as you might expect, comparisons being made between Google+ and the other two social media giants: Facebook and Twitter. Some say it is redundant—“what can I get from this that I don’t already have?” Others say its ease of use and new capabilities make it a contender in this fast changing and highly competitive business.

Google+ has most of the features of their competitors and a few new ones that make the site distinctive, which addresses some of the issues users have with Facebook and Twitter such as privacy concerns (Facebook) and character constraints (Twitter).

Google+ Features

Here is your crash course in learning some of the new features Google+ offers:

Circles – This feature allows you to put friends into relevant circles. You can communicate with all your friends or a specific friend, and even upload certain photos to certain circles. Circles are seen as a time-saver with regard to privacy settings.
Hangouts – These are group video chats like Skype that allow you to chat with your friends in real time. Skype charges a fee for multiple users and Google+ allows you to have as many as 10 participants for free.
Instant Upload – Google+ has an instant upload feature which automatically uploads all your videos and photos to a private Google+ album. You can organize them into categories and decide to whom you want to send them. This is only available for Android Phones.
Huddle – Currently limited to android users, this feature allows you to chat across different platforms including your mobile device.
Plus 1 – While searching or surfing the web you may come across little icons with “+1” in them. You can click on these icons and a snippet of information is displayed in your profile so that your friends can comment on or share with others.

How Does it Measure Up For Businesses?

From what we’ve seen, there won’t be a mass exodus from Facebook and Twitter any time soon, but Google+ plus should not be underrated. There are many unique ways businesses can use Google+ as an additional social media marketing tool—here are two you can try right away.

Create a Hangout – It’s simple to use and there are many uses for the hangout service. You can talk to current and prospective clients, bring staff together for a meeting where ever they might be, or interact with other business partners and friends. This face-to-face tool can be a boon for small businesses that are not always able to interact with individuals they aren’t always able to connect with in person.

Create a brand page – Every brand should have a page and so should every individual—as personal branding is becoming almost as important as your company’s positioning. The brand page on Google+ should contain similar information as your other social media sites. Build an “about” page that includes pictures and other attention-getters such as graphics and articles. Don’t forget to mention your accomplishments and interests.

Then, offer avenues of conversations and interchanges. In other words, be “social” invite comments and information. Where ever possible, include exclusive material that will pique the interests of your visitors, such as tips and other inside information. Keep it simple, consistent and constant.

It’s an exciting time in marketing and the ever-changing world of social media continues to offer new and expanded ways to connect with people you never thought possible. Keep Google+ on your radar as another way to interact with customers and raise awareness overall—try it out or contact CMA to learn more about how we can assist you in your social media strategy.

Kaitlin Friedmann
PR Manager
kfriedmann@cmasolutions.com

Help a Rising Star! CMA Internships Now Available

2011-11-28T11:55:00.001-05:00

Creative Marketing Alliance is currently accepting resumes for full time or part time interns to support activity within its art/design, marketing, public relations, association management and financial departments. Depending upon the area of concentration, the candidate will assist our staff in a support role and will be given opportunities to observe and participate in the day-to-day operation of a full service marketing and communications firm. Please send resumes to Melanie Kotsonis, mkotsonis@cmasolutions.com.

Business Development Intern

The ideal candidate should possess the ability to connect and integrate strategic initiatives’ goals and objectives, strong database skills and familiarity with programs including Excel and Access. The candidate should also possess the ability to meet deadlines while managing several projects and willingness to learn and share opinions. A major in Marketing or Business is preferred.

Responsibilities include participation in team planning efforts, coordination across cross-functional teams, management and compilation of data sets and marketing models and lists coordination.

Finance Intern

The ideal candidate should be attending a four-year school, majoring in finance or accounting, and preferably be in his/her junior year. This will be an unpaid internship. The candidate will assist our staff in the areas of accounts receivable, accounts payable, and billing.

Public Relations Intern

The ideal candidate should be attending a four-year school, majoring in public relations or communications, and preferably be in his/her junior year. This will be an unpaid internship. The candidate will assist our public relations staff with press releases, news releases, case studies, database management, and client support.

Marketing Intern

The ideal candidate should be attending a four-year school, majoring in marketing, and preferably be in his/her junior year. This will be an unpaid internship. The candidate will assist our staff in coordinating ad campaigns for existing clients: emphasis on business to business accounts, industrial and commercial.

Graphic Design Intern

The ideal candidate should be attending a four-year school, majoring in art or graphic design, and preferably be in his/her junior year. This will be an unpaid internship. The candidate will assist our staff in the areas of creative concept, direct marketing and design.

Association and Event Management Administrative Support Intern

The ideal candidate should be attending a four-year school and preferably be in his/her junior year. This will be an unpaid internship. The candidate will assist our association executives in coordinating activities for non-profit and trade associations. Duties may include maintenance of databases, supporting membership services programs and membership payments, and assistance with event planning. Individual must be computer literate, particularly in Microsoft Word, Excel, and Access are a plus.

CMA Gives Thanks Through HomeFront Food Drive

2011-11-23T16:34:00.001-05:00

CMA Director of Marketing Services, Erin Higgins (left); PR Manager, Kaitlin Friedmann (middle) and Administrative Services Manager, Melanie Kotsonis, drop off Thanksgiving food baskets to HomeFront.

CMA donated eight baskets of non-perishable food to HomeFront as part of their Thanksgiving food drive.

A non-profit organization located in Lawrenceville, HomeFront provides emergency shelter and support services to help Mercer County homeless families get back on their feet. Each year, the organization strives to meet its goal of providing Thanksgiving meals to over 1,800 homeless families in the area. For over a month, CMA employees collected and donated canned goods and other non-perishable items for the drive.

“Year after year, our staff joins together to help local families in need for Thanksgiving,” said Jeffrey Barnhart, President and CEO of CMA. “We hope these baskets will brighten up their holiday.”

CMA Gives Thanks

2011-11-18T15:51:00.002-05:00

Every once in a while, CMA takes a break to celebrate and give thanks. Last week was no exception, as CMA staff members took a moment to reflect on what they are most thankful for this holiday season.

No Flash for Mobile Web Signals New Era

2011-11-14T12:14:00.001-05:00

Software developer Adobe announced last week they will cease production on mobile versions of Flash…so what’s the big deal?

Essentially, this move signals the end of an era. Flash is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to web pages. For nearly 15 years, it has been one of the mainstays of web-based animation. Now, tech-savvy insiders are saying Flash will be deemed irrelevant and that the influence of the late Steve Jobs of Apple cut mobile Flash’s chances of success very short.

According to CMA Interactive Designer, Matt Kulcsar, designers stopped using Flash for full site development about 3-4 years ago because of technologies like jQuery. In the past year, it was widely believed Flash would not survive the transition to mobile platforms simply because of its unstable nature and intense battery drain.

“When I heard the news, I thought ‘happy days are here!’ From a designer’s standpoint, Flash was just a resource hog and was becoming more and more cumbersome to use,” said Kulcsar.

“Opting to use Flash would be like saying you don’t care if any Apple users can see your content. After a certain point, no one was willing to exclude that audience,” he added.

Kulcsar says HTML5 is the emerging Web language that many developers are using, even Adobe is leaning this way for its non-mobile software development. There’s no doubt Flash will continue on in some form or fashion but designers say it will not be branded in the same way that Flash used to be, or carry as much weight as it used to.

“It’s an exciting time of transition where within the span of just about a year, we are seeing tablet usage skyrocket—not just the iPad, but the Samsung Galaxy and the Kindle Fire have gained traction in the marketplace. We’ll start to see the stripped-down net book laptops also really takeover in the next two years or so,” said Kulcsar.

Let us help you adapt to changing technology. Give us a call today to discuss cutting-edge web strategies to grow your business.

Groupon: What’s Behind this Retail Sales Bonanza?

2011-11-04T15:36:00.000-04:00

Once again, we know you’ve heard about it, and we want you to be in the know.

Groupon (group coupon) has recently emerged as a popular social media site that is essentially a group buying service that offers one deal a day within the markets it serves. It offers deep discounts to all retail establishments it screens. The key is that enough people have to buy into a deal in order to make it a profitable venture from the start for all concerned.

What’s it all about? What are the pros and cons of participating from a business perspective? Allow us to shed some light on this new phenomenon.

Deep Discounts

Retail businesses offer, through Groupon, deep discounts on products and service-up to 90% off. Groupon will tell the potential buyer via email that a particular firm is willing to offer 50% on a particular day on particular items and the buyer will use his or her credit card to purchase the certificate. Coupon deals have expiration dates as noted on the website.

A Group Effort

Groupon will send an email certificate to the buyer which they can redeem at the store. Say the merchant is a restaurant, and they are offering a $40 discount on two meals complete. So the price to the consumer is $20 Groupon keeps 50% of the revenue.

In this case the customer remits the discounted price for the meal to the establishment and Groupon keeps 50% and the establishment keeps 50%. It should be noted that Groupon’s major market is female customers meaning that health, fitness and personal care items are their primary offerings.

Each such offering is a one day only deal and Groupon only goes forward with the deal if they get enough participants to tip the balance and make it worthwhile to Groupon, the merchant and the buyer. Once they have enough takers the offer is open to anyone who wants to participate.

Pros and Cons for Businesses

On the plus side, Groupon is an excellent way to drive traffic to a particular business or service and catch the attention of thousands of buyers who otherwise may not have known about you. It also helps to sell slow moving inventory—Groupon offers an excellent way to get them out the door. In many cases, Groupon helps to generate new relationships. Although you may be providing a one time offer, a simple coupon can bring in repeat business if the coupon holder likes what they see.

There are also several potential pitfalls to consider. You could have a disaster on your hands if you don’t plan on having an onslaught of new customers. Running out of inventory or not staffing appropriately will send customers away with a poor impression of your business. Also, since price is the driving force behind this service, you need to choose those items and services that have the highest margins. You can actually lose on the deal if you are discounting a low profit margin product or service.

Your business and CMA

What does this mean for your business? CMA knows social media, and is ready to help you navigate through all the new digital developments. Give us a call.

Kaitlin Friedmann

PR Manager

kfriedmann@cmasolutions.com

Happy Halloween from CMA!

2011-10-31T15:19:00.001-04:00


CMA gets into the Halloween spirit!

Our costume contest winners - The Beverly Hillbillies! a.k.a. Matt Kulcsar (Jethro), Melanie Kotsonis (Elly May), Danielle Carrick (Ms. Hathaway), Darrell Christmas (Jed) and Erin Higgins (Granny).

CMA - Top Agency Winner at 2011 JASPERS!

2011-10-31T11:14:00.001-04:00

CMA Public Relations Manager, Kaitlin Friedmann (left) and Public Relations Account Executive, Meghan Higgins (right) accepted seven JASPER Awards from Board President, Rich Jack at the 37^th Annual Jersey Shore Public Relations and Advertising Association (JSPRAA) Awards Gala on October 14.

CMA received seven JASPER Awards at the 37^th Annual Jersey Shore Public Relations and Advertising Association (JSPRAA) Awards Gala held Friday, October 14 at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey--the most out of any agency who entered the competition.

CMA received three gold awards for the creation of a brochure for a financial publication, a print magazine for an electrical buying group and public relations campaign for a meetings industry association. The firm also received four silver awards for a brochure and internal newsletter for a global accounting association, sales kit for a regional medical dermatologist and a web banner for a national transportation association.

“It is an honor to be one of the agencies with the most wins of the night,” said Jeffrey Barnhart, President and CEO of CMA. “This success coupled with our outstanding showing at the ASTRA awards confirms our commitment to serving client needs effectively.”

What a Scary Thought!

2011-10-28T16:27:00.003-04:00

Your company’s website URL was misspelled in an e-blast sent to current and prospective clients.

Your print advertisement missed the mark and confused your target audience.

Your products brochure doesn’t include photos of your new product line.

Your whitepaper report doesn’t link to the correct URL to download the report.

These nightmare scenarios show you a glimpse into what can happen when you skimp on marketing talent. Before you opt for the inexperienced “cheaper option,” consider the impression you’re leaving on your current and prospective customers. You might just end up scaring them off for good!

In honor of Halloween, CMA wanted to share with you the worst marketing blunders of all time.

What marketing nightmare is keeping you up at night? Use the comment box to let us know. Fret not! CMA specializes in marketing—let us lighten your load by handling your next brochure, e-blast or advertisement.Give us a call today at (609) 297-2235.

CMA Staff Recognizes Diane Galante Haggerty

2011-10-27T15:34:00.001-04:00

CMA is proud to recognize Diane Galante Haggerty as the company’s third Crew Star program winner for 2011. The Crew Star program recognizes a CMA employee every quarter for exemplifying CMA’s core values and going above and beyond.

Diane is responsible for the overall management of association clients on both a national and international scale. Along with the management of day-to-day association operations, Diane applies successful membership development and recruitment strategies, meeting planning expertise and other best business practices to her leadership of associations. A resident of Yardley, PA, Diane is a graduate of The Pennsylvania State University. She has been with CMA for five years.

Diane was selected by her peers for her willingness to help fellow employees, her positive energy, passion for her work and servicing clients. As 2011’s third quarter Crew Star, Diane will enjoy perks such as a prime parking spot, lunch with the executive team and her picture on the wall in the CMA reception area.

Congratulations, Diane!

Finding the B2B Bull’s-eye

2011-10-14T10:08:00.009-04:00

CMA works with many different kinds of business-to-business (B2B) clients and each are unique in their own right. They face different market challenges, they have different goals and have unique sales cycles. Perhaps the largest variable to consider in B2B marketing is who the target audience is.

Within a B2B company’s target zone, it’s always essential to find out who makes up the “bull’s-eye.” After all, it’s a common rule of thumb that 80% of your sales come from 20% of your clients—the most loyal clients. The genesis of this theory was an Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, who in 1906 noticed that 80% of Italy's land was owned by 20% of the population. He then carried out surveys on a variety of other countries and found to his surprise that a similar distribution applied.

The way marketers are building brand loyalty has obviously changed drastically since Pareto’s time, but the principle remains. Consider this recent eSurvey of 1,100 North America marketers. It found that B2B marketers employ an average of eight different tactics to achieve marketing goals and those tactics mostly included content marketing.

“Content Marketing,” or custom media (sometimes called custom publishing, custom content or branded content) is the creation and distribution of educational and/or compelling content in multiple formats to attract and/or retain customers.

Essentially, what this says about the new B2B marketing landscape is that marketers are now publishers. There are many different avenues for creating useful information for potential customers while showcasing a company’s expertise.

Ready to be a publisher? Give us a call to learn the many ways CMA can bring these tactics to life for you.

Jeffrey Barnhart

President and CEO

jbarnhart@cmasolutions.com

Keep it Consistent

2011-10-07T09:31:00.000-04:00

In today’s fast paced world, we can end up moving from one marketing project to another without a second to breathe. It’s important to take a step back regularly to make sure each “project” still has a consistent message and relates back to your brand in a meaningful way.

These questions can help you figure out if your brand is in conflict.

Are you having an identity crisis? Moving quickly to keep up all of your marketing needs can sometimes make you lose focus and miss the big picture. You might find that your brand changes with each new project. Before you know it your website, print ads, e-newsletter and printed collateral don’t hang together any more.

Have you put it all out on the table? To see if you have a problem, you have to bite the bullet and put all your marketing in one place at the same time so that you can review them. Make this a team effort because you’ll be surprised what other marketing pieces are being used throughout your company that may not reflect your brand properly.

Is your website speaking a different language? While you don’t want your website to be simply a digital version of your corporate brochure, you need your online presence to be cohesive with your collateral materials. Be sure when one is updated, so is the other.

When is it ok to be different? Like any rule, sometimes there needs to be an exception. Special promotions might require a unique look and feel or a certain target audience needs to be communicated to differently. Overall, even within these specific circumstances you want to make sure your marketing messages and identity are inline and the returns from these promotions pay off for your overall brand.

Need help getting your brand back together? CMA can help you evaluate your current marketing program and get your brand back on track.

Jeffrey Barnhart

President and CEO

jbarnhart@cmasolutions.com

Proven Tactics in PR and Social Media

2011-09-22T10:00:00.000-04:00

CMA's PR Manager Kaitlin Friedmann was recently invited to contribute another guest blog for e-Xplorations, a blog that aims to help small to mid-sized businesses adapt to digital marketing strategies. Check out the excerpt below....

I grew up in the MTV generation so when I hear social media experts predict the death of the press release, it makes me think of the panic SEO Marketing that must have stricken radio stations across the country when “Video Killed the Radio Star” was popular.

Rather than making predictions for one thing eclipsing the other, PR pros should embrace the many tools available to them. A mix of classic media relations skills and web-savvy strategies are essential now more than ever to raising awareness and proving ROI.

To maximize your social strategy, increase the reach of your content and stay as relevant as you can to your target audience, PR professionals should take the necessary steps to optimize their next press release distribution or overall social media strategy.

The Role of the Press Release

Past – The only eyes on a press release were that of a reporter, editor or other member of the media (setting aside investor relations). Its purpose was purely informational and was rarely taken verbatim.

Present – Press releases are seen by a larger audience—they are blasted out to far-reaching lists of media and the general public optimized press releasethrough PRNewswire, PRWeb and other distribution sites. In the age of Google Alerts and RSS feeds, mass distribution is as crucial as ever. Press releases are additionally posted on company websites, sent in customer e-newsletters and linked to social networks.

While I can’t speak about the pre-Internet days of PR, I can make an educated assumption that the most proven public relations tactic has always been flexibility. What this analysis says is that PR pros don’t rely on any one method of communication and the press release must simply be newsworthy for the media and, more broadly, for the end user. The above-mentioned wire services will take care of the release’s optimized delivery, but it’s up to the PR pro to use keywords, anchor text and key messages that resonate with the target audience. The press release in the “classic sense” must also still have a real-live voice behind it (the PR pro’s follow-up calls) to increase the chance of media placement.

The Gatekeeper-Free World of Social Media

Social media content has the power to bypass the media as the “gatekeepers” of information and go straight to your target audience. This is not just an awareness-raising tactic—there are sales to be made directly from social media working in concert with SEO. According to a comScore study, buyers “who purchase or convert online are almost as likely to use a combination of search and social resources (48 percent) as they are to use just search (51 percent) along the path to purchase.”

It’s nearly impossible to not mention social media in the discussion of the “future” of public relations, so let’s examine the future of the press release in this context.

Future – As attention spans shrink, experts say the press release could be phased out and replaced by viral infographics (visual representations of announcements that particularly involve statistical data used most prominently by FourSquare) or social media posts (Tweets, Status Updates, Discussion Points, etc).

To these predictions, again, my answer is to diversify. Why does one have to replace the other? Some of CMA’s most successful PR campaigns have been those that utilize the full arsenal of PR, SEO and social media tactics.

We recently used a healthy mix of classic PR practices, SEO and social media to “scare” up awareness for an association of haunted attractions. The first foray into our Halloween PR campaign started earlier this month with the keyword-riddled press release describing haunted attractions’ ability to compete for young adults’ attention. Distributed via PRNewswire, the release was also posted on 10 free press release distribution websites.

We also recruited the social media savvy of the association member base to further widen thepress release distribution reach of the press release to industry insiders, while following up directly with phone calls to a variety of consumer media covering the Millennial generation’s behavior. The results—placement on over 200 news websites, a feature article secured in an industry magazine and an in-depth feature article in the works on 10 haunted attractions for a major consumer magazine with more than 10 million circulation.

The bottom line here—SEO gets you on the right pages, but it’s up to you to make the most of your opportunity once you’re there.

Foursquare – A fun location to be

2011-09-16T12:35:00.000-04:00

You’ve heard about it, and we want you to be in the know.

Founded in 2009, Foursquare is a location-based web and mobile application website developed primarily for use on mobile devices. Users “check-in” at venues using a mobile website application.

This means that users can check in to venues like restaurants, bars, parks, gyms and stores, among others, which allow you to keep track of your “friends” and lets your friends know what you are up to. This is just one of the social networking sites that allow users to interact with their environment.

Business and users are both benefiting from Foursquare. Many establishments are offering great discounts for being “mayor” or just for checking in. A good example was Radio Shack offering 10% off the purchase price when you checked in and if you were the mayor you got 20% off. The convenience store, 7-11, offered over 21,000 different prizes including a trip into space. This type of value-added service is causing major companies to rethink their interaction with customers.

Here’s a quick Foursquare "crash course!"

Points

Every Foursquare check-in earns you points. A few examples are:

1. You get 2 points for visiting a place more than once on one day

2. Being accompanied by a friend - 2 points

3. Locating a new place - 5 points

4. Check-in with the mayor - 3 points

Badges

Badges allow the customer to check-in to various venues. Accumulate enough check-ins and you will be awarded badges for special deals and discounts. Foursquare is reluctant to tell users how to open a badge, but click here to learn more. This is a competition and badges are just one of the rewards offered by Foursquare.

Mayor

Another perk is to become a Mayor of a particular establishment. You have to check-in to a venue on more days than anyone else in the past 60 days. Foursquare now alerts users about how many days before the user is given the Mayor title. Just like any other competition, things can get heated when battling it out for a mayorship.

Superuser Status

Superuser status is bestowed on those users who have contributed to the member community. There are three levels of superuser status and each level allows the user special privileges like creating aliases. Superuser status is sought after by avid Foursquare users.

This is a fun site and a productive one if you want to take advantage of the price breaks and special offers that participating companies bring to it. Keep this social network on your radar as another way to interact with customers and raise awareness.

Kaitlin Friedmann

Manager, Public Relations

kfriedmann@cmasolutions.com

CMA Helps Local Youth Go Back to School in Style

2011-09-09T09:33:00.000-04:00

CMA staff members Meghan Higgins, Corie Eisenberg, Melanie Kotsonis, Diane Webster, Lynn McCullough and Kaitlin Friedmann.

CMA donated dozens of school supplies as part of The Boys & Girls Club of Trenton’s Back to School Drive.

From August 8 to August 26, CMA employees collected and donated a variety of school supplies such as binders, folders, glue sticks, pencils and markers, to help Trenton youth in grades K-12 go back to school in style.

"Providing these kids with new school supplies will help them be more confident on their first day of school," said Jeffrey Barnhart, President and CEO of CMA. "Our staff truly joined together to show their support for our community."

Using QR Codes to Promote Your Business

2011-09-02T13:34:00.000-04:00

A Quick Response code or a QR code stores information in a seemingly random digital code. Scanned by a mobile phone, the code leads users to a website to find out more information on whatever a company is promoting.

Whether you are an avid user, or have been meaning to check it out at some point, the reality is this technology is growing in usage among businesses looking to further promote their products and services to their target audience. Check out the following ways you can market your business using QR codes.

1. Business Cards – Instead of bombarding your business card with all of your contact information, include only the essential information needed for prospects to contact you. Then use a QR code that will lead them to more information about your company and its products and services.

2. Invitations – To help drive current and prospective clients to a launch party for a new product or to celebrate a business milestone, create a QR code for your event marketing. The code will lead users to the event invite giving them the ability to easily RSVP for the event and help you track attendance.

3. Press Releases – Use a QR code on your company press releases. This will help the media and interested readers learn more about your company and its products and services.

4. Social Media – Have your QR code direct users to a website where they can follow your business on Twitter, like your Facebook page or even join your LinkedIn Group. This will help build your company’s social media following and foster engagement. Once they participate, say thank you by sending them an email with a special discount or freebie.

Interested in using QR codes to promote your business? Email us today.

Erin Higgins

Director of Marketing Services

ehiggins@cmasolutions.com

Summer Spells Success for CMA Client Events

2011-08-26T09:26:00.001-04:00

The Transportation Marketing and Sales Association (TMSA) and Rental and Staging Network (RSN) commended CMA on the innovative strategies and tactics used to stage two successful meetings. The TMSA Annual Conference held in early June at the Rancho Bernardo Inn in San Diego, California and RSN’s Leadership Symposium, held in early August at the Westin O’Hare in Chicago both exceeded client expectations thanks to the collaborative efforts of CMA’s internal teams.

CMA handled all aspects of the TMSA Conference including attendee registration, speaker arrangements, on-site management, food and beverage and site selection, as well as developing the annual Conference program and executing marketing materials. By promoting the Conference through public relations and e-mail communications, CMA generated interest in the event among members and throughout the transportation and logistics industries leading to a total of 175 attendees. CMA also tapped into members’ growing use and interest in social media and created a Twitter contest to keep attendees engaged.

CMA was also instrumental in launching RSN’s first-ever Leadership Symposium. A network of geographically-diverse rental and staging companies with complete event capabilities, RSN turned to CMA to stage an event focused on business development education for RSN’s 16 member companies. CMA promoted the Symposium with public relations to raise awareness for the association within the audio/visual industry.

3 ½ marketing ideas for 2011

2011-08-18T10:46:00.000-04:00

Although you may think the year is winding down, there’s still time to consider some marketing ideas. If you are going to attempt anything—try these.

1. Take advantage of social media.

Social media is a big challenge for small businesses. The difficulty is finding the time, with only a minority of firms saying they have a dedicated individual following up on the various social media sites on a regular basis.

What can you do to take advantage of this new media?

Set aside time each day to manage your sites
Communicate often with the members of your group
Monitor your subscribers
Listen to your members and respond quickly to their concerns
Engage, engage, engage – ask questions, poll participants, make it interactive!

2. Produce a video that tells your story.

Placing videos online is not difficult; the key here is to have a well thought-out presentation. It is not simply re-purposing your commercials or ads. Sometimes videos go viral because of the unique way they present their content.

How can your video reach and resonate with the right people?

Get input from your target audience.
Write a script – structure is important.
Don’t make it too long – keep it between 1-3 minutes.
Publish it on your website and publish it to YouTube.
Listen to feedback and make changes where possible.

3. Bridge the gap between in-person meetings and digital communications.

Forget about the debate over virtual vs. in-person meetings. You should be doing both. Concentrate on the way you present yourself and your company in the exhibit hall and on the Web through these steps:

For tradeshows and conventions, booth designs still matter! Come up with the best design for your booth by working with your agency and staff to bring together the best ideas for the maximum foot-traffic.
Become part of the buzz. Hold a contest, offer creative giveaways and use social media to drive attendees to your booth.
Offer seminars and speakers, when possible, that showcase your particular expertise—an in-person seminar can be offered as a webinar for those unable to attend.
Don’t wait too long to follow up with contacts you’ve met face-to-face or you will lose your audience.

3 1/2. Call Creative Marketing Alliance.

CMA strategies focus your brand and sharpen your competitive edge. Give us a call and we’ll meet you half-way on the road to the business-building marketing and communications your company needs to succeed.

Put Some Dimension into Your Marketing

2011-08-12T13:32:00.000-04:00

Breaking through the clutter is harder than ever. Coming up with a new and unique way to connect with top prospects or clients can be a challenge. Sometimes you need to think inside the box! Sending out a “boxed” 3D promotional item can help your company stand out from the crowd and give you a chance to present your unique selling proposition in a creative way. The investments for these types of campaigns can be high but so can the ROI if they are done right. Consider these tips to make the most out of 3D marketing.

Check your list. This type of program should be very targeted and executed with a clean list. Nothing spoils the impact of a wow marketing piece than having it sent to someone who no longer works for the campaign. Pick your top prospects and confirm all the information.

Get the message right. It’s great to have fun and come up with a unique 3D item but make sure your marketing message isn’t lost in the laughter. Ensure the item means something and include a personalized note or other materials if possible.

Make sure it’s the total package. Think about how the item will be delivered as part of the overall piece. Don’t miss the opportunity to brand the package reinforce your marketing message

Is it desk worthy? After all the hard work of putting this marketing piece together, you certainly don’t want to end up in the trash so consider what might get a piece of prime real estate in your prospects’ offices. Depending on your audience a fun/unique item might be the way to go or if they’re a more practical group something useful might make more sense.

Put your name on it. Sometimes the most obvious detail is the one that’s missed! Whatever you do make sure the item has your contact information and logo so that your company is always front and center with your prospects.

Take a holistic approach. No matter how fantastic the piece you send is, it isn’t going to close the deal on its own. The tried and true multi-touch sales process works for a reason. Make sure you don’t wait too long to get on the phone and follow-up. Ultimately, it’s that personal connection that will bring home the sale.

Need help with your next “in the box” idea? Give us a call.

Erin Higgins

Director of Marketing Services

ehiggins@cmasolutions.com

Maximize the Impact of your Website

2011-08-10T10:11:00.000-04:00

When evaluating your current website, it is important to consider the tone and company values it relays. Old York Country Club, one of the finest golf courses in New Jersey and the mid-Atlantic, turned to CMA for a redesign of the club’s site to create a visually appealing and contemporary website, www.oldyorkcc.com, so the club’s online presence matched the distinction of its golf course’s reputation. Read more for tips you can use to update your website’s design.

Keep in mind your company’s brand, positioning and philosophy are important when designing all marketing pieces. CMA kept this the focus of the website redesign project for Old York, adding elements and colors that are stately yet relaxed, underscoring both the grand sweep of the golf course and the many opportunities for leisure and social activities. Copy themes focused on a sense of belonging to a larger membership and social family as well as an impressive recreational facility.

When evaluating your website, another point to consider is the way your company’s website will be viewed. CMA paid special consideration during the design and programming process to ensure that all elements are compliant with modern electronic devices such as the iPad and iPhone.

Updated photo galleries can keep websites fresh and show visitors your company’s personality and benefits. Old York Country Club’s website has been updated to include a grand and colorful photographic tour of the course and club facilities, and showcases the club’s abundant and distinctive recreational, social, dining and leisure amenities for the whole family.

A password protected Members Only section is another great website element to consider when evaluating your current site. Included in Old York Country Club’s website, this feature helps members keep in touch through a searchable member directory and by serving as a resource for the latest news, upcoming golf and social events.

Need help taking a fresh look at your website? Give us a call!

Summertime Marketing Success Stories

2011-08-05T10:16:00.000-04:00

Summertime is typically a slow season for marketing. Most firms are in the planning stage for campaigns to start in the fall. However, some firms are using these few months to introduce new products and services and are finding success. Here are three examples of high profile companies taking advantage of the supposedly slow season—it’s not slow for them!

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority has launched a $ 24 million dollar campaign entitled “Life is short, Summer is Shorter. Make a splash in Las Vegas.” As the leading leisure destination in the world, they are spending $3 million more this year than last year. Using all media including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, they are planning on reversing the trend that has plagued them over the past several years.

BMW beat the benchmarks with a summer campaign that was focused on digital media. They focused on high impact display ads on automotive and premium sites to reach an already engaged viewer. For this campaign, Yahoo gave them an award for their digital strategy which, by the way, increased sales by seven percent.

Pepsi also sees summer as a perfect time to push their brand in the right direction after sinking to third in soda sales. Their summer campaign slogan is “Summer Time is Pepsi Time” and takes direct aim at its competitor, Coca Cola, by parodying their iconic past commercials, such as the polar bears. This strategy shows summer is a perfect time to engage new groups and convert the brand-loyal.

Competition during the summer months is far less than any other time of the year. It is counter intuitive, but it’s a fact. People might be on vacation but rarely stop using all their electronic devices. Because of this supposed slow down, companies that advertise will reap the benefits.

This could be you! Let CMA help you avoid the summer slowdown and gain advantage over your competitors.

Jeffrey Barnhart

President and CEO

jbarnhart@cmasolutions.com

CMA Collects Donations to Give Back to Our Troops

2011-07-22T09:08:00.000-04:00

CMA gave back to our troops by collecting donations for deployed Mountainside, New Jersey resident, Patrick Klebaur.

For one month, CMA staff members collected and donated some of Patrick’s favorite items to remind him of home as an initiative to give back to the community. With overwhelming participation, the firm collected over three dozen items on Patrick’s wish list, such as magazines and his favorite foods. Klebaur is a graduate of the Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. He is on a six month tour of Duty in Afghanistan.

"Patrick indicated CMA’s package was the best they received yet and all the goodies inside were a huge hit!" said Erin Higgins, Director of Marketing Services at CMA. "Supporting the troops is so important so thank you to everyone that participated."

Photo caption (from left to right): Corie Eisenberg, Lindsay Piccolella, Erin Higgins, Melanie Kotsonis and Colleen Reasoner.

CMA Staff Recognizes Kelly McKelvey

2011-07-15T10:13:00.001-04:00

CMA is proud to recognize Kelly McKelvey as the company’s second Crew Star program winner for 2011! The Crew Star program recognizes a CMA employee every quarter for exemplifying CMA’s core values and going above and beyond.

Kelly is responsible for coordinating marketing, advertising and interactive projects for many of CMA’s clients while covering the day-to-day activities involved in business development. Combining her creative talents and customer service experience, Kelly has been responsible for providing effective solutions for clients and communicating a client’s changing needs to the CMA team. A resident of Hamilton, NJ and a graduate of Gettysburg College, Kelly has been with CMA for three years.

Kelly was selected by her peers for her positive energy, speed and dedication, ability to overcome challenges and going above and beyond to service clients. As 2011’s second quarter Crew Star, Kelly will enjoy perks such as a prime parking spot, lunch with the executive team and her picture on the wall in the CMA reception area.

Congratulations, Kelly!

Anatomy of a Rebrand

2011-07-08T13:51:00.000-04:00

In June, CMA launched the redesigned and rebranded website for the Transportation Marketing and Sales Association (TMSA)—www.TMSAToday.org. Part of a six month rebranding campaign, the new website capped off a series of rebranding initiatives including a new association name and logo, a revamped e-newsletter and new programming offered at the organization’s Annual Conference. Let’s look at the phased approach of CMA and the TMSA Board of Directors in bringing this initiative full circle.

Phase 1: Determine an all-encompassing name. CMA worked closely with the TMSA Board of Directors to determine a name that welcomed sales executives, a new target market segment becoming increasingly essential to the success of existing members in marketing and communications. Ultimately, the group decided to stay close to their previous name and acronym (Transportation Marketing and Communications Association, TMCA) but replace communications with sales to directly recruit this segment.

Phase 2: Select a logo. CMA provided three different options for new logos, all looking to fulfill the goal of creating a more vibrant image. A departure from TMCA’s maroon and gray colors, the new logo is blue and gold and utilizes italics to provide movement and relate back to the transportation industry. The four arrows serve as a graphic depiction of the four key areas of member benefits – knowledge, connections, recognition and solutions.

Phase 3: Announce a soft launch. With an association that has been around for decades, CMA knew it would take time to fully establish the new name and brand. Starting the first week of January 2011, CMA’s marketing and public relations teams worked together on an integrated soft launch to notify members and the public of the new identity. The PR team secured nearly a dozen placements in industry media outlets, refreshed the brand look of all the association’s social media sites, introduced a transitional website phase where the new logo was showcased on the home page and began using transitional e-mail communications to the membership.

Phase 4: Full usage of the brand. Because CMA is both a marketing firm and an association management company, implementing the brand went smoothly according to plan. The association management team worked with TMSA’s Education Committee to integrate sales topics into the Annual Conference agenda, while the CMA marketing team worked with the association’s president on his conference presentation to fully introduce all facets of the new brand to the membership. The final pieces of the branding puzzle, the new website and the new e-newsletter, were officially unveiled at the Conference.

Ultimately, CMA provided the necessary team members and structure to create a successful and effective rebranding campaign. The association has been strengthened and is better able to recruit new members due to the refreshed image and increased functionality of member communications.

Utilizing Custom Facebook Pages

2011-06-30T10:26:00.001-04:00

With more and more companies incorporating Facebook into their social media mix, businesses need to understand how to make the most out of it to help further increase their visibility among their target audience. CMA interactive art designer, Matthew Kulcsar, recently sat down with us to discuss why businesses should have a Facebook presence and should utilize custom Facebook pages.

Q: Why should businesses create a custom Facebook page?

A: Facebook has built-in analytics to its site to help business owners gauge the results from their efforts, as well as information about their followers. This information includes the total number of likes and comments you receive on specific dates, broken down by day, month and a total aggregation. You can also get demographic information on users including gender, age, language and location. This information allows you to see who you are attracting and determine if there is a market for an expanded product and service offering.

With that said, customization adds a key element to your page that serves several purposes:

Buzzworthyness - Is this topical and relevant? Is it worth sharing with my colleagues, family and friends?
Repeat visits - Will it keep people coming back? Are you offering a weekly special or industry specific information that is timely and actionable?

Q: What are the benefits of using custom Facebook pages?

A: CMA recently developed custom Facebook pages for PIERS’ transportation segment, which provides comprehensive and statistical data to the transportation and logistics industries. CMA included a products and solutions page highlighting features of their key products, a media page where users can view some videos about the company, as well as a page where users can sign up for their newsletter. All the pages have common elements to drive traffic to PIERS’ other social media sites such as LinkedIn and their blog, Data in Motion.

Q: What should a custom Facebook page include?

A: The wonderful thing about custom pages is there are no rules. You really have to understand your audience and deliver elements that will engage that particular demographic.

In the case of PIERS Transportation, we enhanced the pages with a lot of mechanisms to drive traffic and generate activity. More important than the technology that was added, is the support from the client as a host.

Consider Facebook your office and the people that visit your wall your guests. When they post a comment, be sure to acknowledge them in some way. Never forget about the human factor. Too many companies are putting information up and not thinking about it again. Guess what? Nobody else is thinking about it either. The most successful sites have lively interaction from both visitors and company representatives.

Q: What elements or features should you add to your Facebook page to make it more interactive?

A: Ensuring that you have a representative monitoring and participating is the most essential interactive feature. Almost everyone has a Facebook page.

For example, I was at the supermarket looking at cheese and there was a big sticker, "Find us on Facebook." I did find them on Facebook and sure enough, it was a page about cheese, no fan interaction, no effort. The expectation from the company was that they put a sticker somewhere and they expected the users to do the rest.

People want to interact and have fun, they just need a catalyst. Whether it’s a little trivia game, a poll, a giveaway or just discussing current events in that particular field of interest, there needs to be a spark.

Give us a call! Contact CMA at 609-297-2235 to learn more about our social media capabilities.

Don’t Let Your Marketing Take a Vacation!

2011-06-24T09:32:00.001-04:00

To many companies, putting the brakes on marketing over the summer is the standard operating procedure. At CMA, we believe this is one of those rules that is meant to be broken.

While it might be true that many clients or prospects will be taking some time off over the summer months, very few companies can tune out from Memorial Day through Labor Day. As your competition is sitting by the pool, consider these strategies for making the most out of the summer months.

Your marketing plan is 12 months not nine. When you craft your marketing plan, keep in mind the different times of year as well as peak times for your specific industry. Overall, your plan should be a year-round marketing program. There might be peaks and valleys, but you need to stay fairly consistent to get the ROI you are looking for out of your marketing.

Make the summer slowdown work for you. A lot of businesses experience a bit of a lull during the summer. This lull can be your chance to break through with your key prospects with well-designed email marketing and/or direct mail campaigns. You might find that “too busy prospect” has a bit more time to take your call or review your latest brochure during the quiet summer months.

Take advantage of your competition being asleep at the wheel. With less clutter in the inboxes of your target audience, your message can have greater impact. Rather than being one of many, enjoy the chance to stand out and be heard.

Remember September is just around the corner. Any kid will tell you that summer vacation goes by too quick. Make sure you don’t get too distracted by the summer fun and forget to keep your marketing program moving forward for the fall. If you get too far behind, you’ll get stuck worrying about whether you should wait to ramp up your marketing until after the holidays!

Looking for cost effective ways to keep your marketing program moving forward this summer? Give me a call.

Erin Higgins

Director of Marketing Services

ehiggins@cmasolutions.com

Tricks of the Trade Show

2011-06-17T14:10:00.000-04:00

While trade shows can be leveraged as important venues for lead generation, product launches and one-on-one interaction with customers, prospects and the media, trade show ROI is not always obvious.

With the winter/spring trade show season upon us, consider these tips on critical aspects of successful trade show planning and execution as you detail and implement your trade event strategy to maximize bottom line impact:

Choose the right trade show. Is your company attending certain trade shows because “we always have”? Do not always assume the biggest or best attended show is the one to participate in. Rather, choose the venue best aligned with your product or service and which will draw the greatest number of targeted prospects for you.

Why are you attending? Have clear show attendance goals and develop tactics supporting your trade show objectives. There are many possible reasons why a company may choose to participate in a trade show including:

· Generating sales and leads from attendees in your target audience(s)

· Launching a new product or announcing an industry innovation

· Seeking strategic alliances with other vendors

· Performing competitive intelligence

Trade show budget tips. Trade shows can require a significant investment, but savvy businesses leverage a number of strategies to minimize costs:

· Take advantage of discounted dates for ordering booth materials. For some shows this is almost one-half the cost compared to ordering on the “regular” deadline.

· Rent items for your booth, such as furniture, instead of purchasing them. Furniture can be heavy, increasing the overall cost of shipping.

· Ship to the show warehouse instead of direct to the show site, which adds
special and absolutely unnecessary material and handling costs from the show services company.

Don’t forget the trade media. Major trade shows draw a large pool of media representatives from industry publications, providing the opportunity to build face-to-face media relationships that can result in editorial coverage. Obtain a list of media attending from the show organizer and contact them about scheduling appointments with editorial representatives at the show.

Make them an offer. Obtain a list of registered attendees and send a pre-show invitation to your booth. Offer a relevant giveaway premium at your booth, but predicate the receipt of it upon first viewing a demo or filling out a lead form.

Make an important announcement. If you have important news to release or a new product/service to launch, a tradeshow is a high-visibility venue to break the news, offering your company a stronger angle for attracting the attention of attendees and the media.

Train exhibit booth staff. To maximize your tradeshow presence, every employee working the booth should have a clear understanding of key sales and marketing messages, and the goals for event attendance.

Turn leads into sales. Offer to send marketing materials to an interested prospect’s office to lighten his/her load of materials carried around at the show or the airport. As a practical matter, confirming their receipt once the prospect is back in the office gives you a legitimate reason to follow up, and follow up and follow up. Otherwise, all the work at the show is a wash. One call doesn’t cut it. Be persistent!

Jeff Barnhart

President & CEO

jbarnhart@cmasolutions.com

CMA Named Best in Show at 2011 ASTRA Awards

2011-06-09T13:58:00.001-04:00

Left to Right: Director of Marketing Services and ASTRA Co-Chair, Erin Higgins; Vice President of Marketing, Christian Horn; PR Manager, Kaitlin Friedmann; President & CEO, Jeff Barnhart; Graphic Designer, Diane Webster; Vice President & Creative Director, Dave Sherwood.

CMA was honored with a total of 17 awards at last night’s ASTRA’s, the New Jersey Communications, Advertising and Marketing Association (NJ CAMA)’s prestigious awards program and ceremony, including Best in Show—the evening’s top honor. CMA Director of Marketing Services, Erin Higgins, co-chaired the successful event and CMA Creative Director, Dave Sherwood, created outstanding artwork to match the event’s theme “Get Discovered, You’re a Star!”

The jury of six judges awarded CMA the award for Best in Show for the company’s signature holiday card. Winning 9 gold awards, 6 silver, 1 bronze and the Best in Show, CMA was the top winner among all other entrants! The agency won awards in various categories including collateral material, web design, public relations and self-promotion. Some CMA client entries won multiple categories—three awards for client Windsor Dermatology’s marketing and PR entries, three for international accounting association JHI, and three for the electrical industry magazine, IMARK Now.

Some of CMA's award-winning work: