Irish Eyes Smile at CMA!

Every once in a while, CMA takes a break from event planning, association management and marketing to celebrate and have fun! Last week was no exception with our festive St. Patrick's Day party, complete with Bingo games and a contest to see who could dress the greenest. The unanimous contest winner was Meghan Higgins, Public Relations Account Executive (pictured with green wig above), who overwhelmingly proved her Irish pride. Elizabeth Roe, Association Coordinator, is also pictured with the prize for the winner of Bingo—CMA Party Pounds, our studio's unique creation that allows staff members free snacks from the vending machine. We just can't help but be creative!

CMA Partners with Rescue Mission of Trenton for Shoe Drive

CMA gave back to the local community by collecting pairs of shoes as part of the Rescue Mission of Trenton’s Shoe Drive. CMA staff members collected and donated 54 pairs of shoes for the drive.

From left to right: Melanie Kotsonis, Erin Higgins, Cynthia, Prisco, Lydia Wianecki, Lindsay Piccolella, Lynn McCullough, Jennifer Thayer and Diane Webster.

PR Efforts Help Showcase Windsor Dermatology’s Expertise and Commitment to Patient Care

To showcase Windsor Dermatology’s medical dermatology expertise, CMA reached out to local healthcare television producers for a segment on winter skin conditions. What started out as a pitch on this topic, turned into an opportunity for a segment on the Psoriasis Diet with Medstar TV.

CMA worked closely with Windsor Dermatology to secure a long term psoriasis patient from the practice’s Psoriasis Treatment Center for the segment. This patient had been receiving ongoing light treatment from the practice and had incorporated some of the psoriasis diet food suggestions into his diet and saw improvement. Windsor Dermatology’s Dr. Jerry Bagel was positioned as the expert for the segment, covering information related to foods that could help patients, foods that might be trouble and why some are better than others to have in your diet. CMA developed a segment schedule for the producer as well as sample questions which were also utilized during a prep session with both the patient and Dr. Bagel.

The segment was filmed at the practice and included interviews with the patient and Dr. Bagel, doctor-patient interaction and a brief skin exam. CMA provided on-site assistance and even supplied and staged fruits and vegetables to obtain shots of the patient eating foods he incorporated into his Psoriasis Diet. Overall, the segment provided Windsor Dermatology with local and national visibility as well as showcased its medical dermatology capabilities and ongoing commitment to patient care.

Media Planning Demystified

So, you’ve decided you want to advertise but still want to maximize your budget to get the most exposure for your dollar. Media planning, especially across several different types of media, can seem intimidating to those not familiar with the process. Our account managers shed some light on the often complex and time-consuming world of media planning and offered these four tips.

Know Your Target Audience - Before you start planning, it’s extremely important to narrow down who you would like to reach and any goals you would like to achieve through your media placements. Once you have your audience and objectives in mind, it’s much easier to select placement times, media and frequency.

Budget Your Planning Time and Media Investment - It’s easy to underestimate the cost of ad placements and the time it takes to schedule them when you are new to media planning. Be sure to start planning your schedule well in advance to really research the appropriate channels, especially when dealing with TV. Some may be more expensive than you expected, so give yourself the time to evaluate all opportunities to maximize your budget.

Relationships are Key - Building relationships with the vendors of each medium can mean the difference between a successful media plan and a misuse of your budget. Working with an agency who has already built these strong relationships can guarantee you will be privy to more in-depth opportunities for your advertisements. Teaming with an agency that understands, and can even help you establish goals, means they will source the best possible placements customized for you.

Measure the Results - Determining if your media planning has paid off is paramount. Don’t forget to ask new clients how they heard about your company. This can be done through a survey, or more informally if you prefer. Also, you can determine if any adjustments should be made. Measuring direct ROI can be difficult unless there is a specific call to action related to the ad campaign. General advertising builds brand awareness and is a long term marketing strategy.

If you’re ready to take the advertising challenge, give us a call. Our account managers will optimize your time and money to raise awareness among the right target audiences.

Erin Higgins
Director of Marketing Services
ehiggins@cmasolutions.com