CMA Takes Home 10 ASTRA Awards for Marketing, Advertising, PR and Web Communications

Steven L. Lubetkin Photo/Copyright ©2010. Used by Permission.

From left to right, CMA Director of Marketing Services, Erin Higgins, President and CEO, Jeff Barnhart and PR Manager, Kaitlin Friedmann celebrated 10 ASTRA wins at the annual awards ceremony.

CMA recently won 10 awards in 10 different categories at the 2010 New Jersey Communications, Advertising and Marketing Association’s (NJ CAMA) ASTRA Awards ceremony!

CMA received 10 awards for entries in marketing and public relations categories, showcasing the depth of the firm’s creative capabilities and marketing expertise. The judges honored the firm for its advocacy and public affairs work, creation of a comprehensive sales kit, multi-media business to business campaign and corporate logo as well as for the development and execution of a digital marketing and public relations campaign and this blog, CMA Central.

“Our staff continues to work together to create marketing pieces that truly communicate our clients’ messages and position them as leaders in their targeted market,” said Jeffrey Barnhart, President and CEO of CMA. “We are truly grateful to have received these awards and look forward to raising the bar next year.”

For 23 years, clients have relied on CMA for comprehensive strategic programs, high-impact creative communications and time-tested management solutions. The company’s innovative planning process, Marketecture, helps a variety of for-profit and non-profit organizations navigate industry trends and market forces to ensure continued success. For more information, visit www.cmasolutions.com

Planting Seeds on the Internet

Erin Higgins, CMA Director of Marketing Services, recently sat down with us to discuss digital marketing for a recent issue of CMA Market Buzz. Among other interesting facts, Higgins reported an increased client focus on digital marketing strategies, not only through websites, but email marketing and social media such as blogs, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Below are some excerpts from the Q&A.

“More clients are working with CMA to deepen their web conversations with customers and prospects,” says Higgins, who guides clients through the development and rejuvenation of websites as well as other digital marketing mediums.

“With all businesses, developing a website is typically the keystone to their initial marketing effort once we’ve worked with them to discover and establish a strategic and branding direction,” she says. “Website development or redesign also dovetails well with a public relations effort, which helps drive target audiences to the site.”

Higgins observes that in the past, companies established basic ‘brochureware’ websites, then updated them with animation. “Now it’s more of a hybrid. Websites are cleaner, there’s less Flash, more white space and brief, top of mind content. Depending on the client and target audiences, video is also being integrated more frequently.”

CMA advises clients to continually update their websites, not only to keep content fresh but as part of their search engine optimization (SEO) strategy. “Search spiders recognize and gravitate to updated content, resulting in a higher ranking for a company in search results,” she says.

Ask Erin yourself! Email her at ehiggins@cmasolutions.com and find out more about CMA’s web capabilities and how they can work for you!

Marketing Throwdown: Print vs. Digital Newsletters

Many business owners might agree with me that an external newsletter is an effective marketing tool for driving deeper brand recognition and awareness of a company’s expertise, verve for customer care and knowledge of industry trends.

However, if your company produces a printed newsletter, there may currently be an internal debate about switching to an electronic alternative. Digital communication is hands-down the timelier format for news, updates and announcements. It’s about access, speed and convenience. But it’s also about brevity—concise, cut-to-the-chase content—and the savings on printing and postage are obvious.

On the other hand, a printed newsletter provides opportunities for insight and depth—trend analysis, idea pieces and thought leader articles, which are great tools for building brand admiration and credibility. Your company’s e-newsletter hits your recipient’s in-box accompanied by a jumble of spam, other commercial email and inter-office exchanges—a volatile communications environment ruled by a trigger-happy Delete key. What’s more, due to the inherent immediacy of the medium, digital communications do not age well. A high-quality printed piece may sit on a person’s desk to be read or referred to over time, serving as a constant ambassador for your business.

An e-newsletter has true functional advantages over print. The digital ability to instantly link to your company’s website, as well as related information sites or articles of interest can enrich the reader’s experience and regard for your company and its communications.

What’s important to ask yourself is, why not both? A monthly or bi-monthly e-newsletter covering news, promotional programs or new products and services can dovetail effectively with a quarterly printed publication focused on trend analysis and think pieces which position your company as an industry expert by mining and sharing your company’s knowledge and know-how.

Whether it be print or electronic, give CMA a call and we can develop communications that elevate your company’s brand, products and services and position your business as an authority figure throughout your targeted market, ultimately helping to create new opportunities.

Jeffrey Barnhart
President and CEO
jbarnhart@cmasolutions.com