Keeping Things Fresh

It’s August and the summer is still in full swing, but that doesn’t mean you should stop thinking about ways to continuously keep your marketing efforts fresh. Now is the time to evaluate your company’s marketing vehicles, as they are the drivers for increasing your visibility in the marketplace and bringing in new customers. Consider looking at the following areas of your business, so that come September, you can put your best marketing foot forward.

Key messages. Examine your company’s key messages and make sure they continue to accurately represent your company’s brand and products and services. If this has changed, bring together an executive team to determine what has changed and how these need to be altered to help move the company forward. Many CMA clients have taken advantage of our strategic marketing process called Marketecture(TM), which helps companies focus on outside forces that may be affecting your customer base as well as determine key message alterations to communicate better.

An example of a recent logo update for Homasote, the 101 year old manufacturer of building and industrial packaging products made from 98 percent recycled materials, which was the result of a Marketecture session:



Website. Your company’s website is the main information source for your target audience and the destination for all things associated with your business. Do you have current case studies showcasing your products and services? Are there up-to-date testimonials from clients? Does your newsroom reflect all current media placements and press releases? Evaluate how current the information is on your website with an experienced marketing team that can help add any items that will enhance the visitor’s experience, including social media “widgets” and other new media tools.

An example of a website redesign that helped strengthen a client's brand with rotating images and a cleaner design:



Sales materials. Determine if your sales materials truly showcase your company’s products and services. These materials aid your team in the overall sales process and help your company stand out from the competition. A seasoned team like CMA can help you stay current and creative while still making sure your information and visual imagery accurately showcase your products and services’ capabilities.

An example of a suite of sales materials designed for ESI Lighting, a manufacturer of energy-efficient lighting technologies:



Need help keeping your company’s marketing efforts fresh? Send us an email today.

Erin Higgins
Director of Marketing Services
ehiggins@cmasolutions.com

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

Continuing Your Marketing Momentum

So you’ve done the market research, determined your target audience and the tactics you believe will help your customers take action. But how do you continue the marketing momentum and effectively utilize this information to promote your company and its products and services, despite budget constraints and the effects of the current recession? Consider these tips.

Stay in the game. If your company reduces marketing to your current and potential customers and your main competitor maintains or increases marketing to your current and potential customers, which business is more likely to grow during and following a recession? On a less crowded playing field, those who stay in the game stand out and win business.

Market smarter. Make sure you consistently market your company and its products and services in some way. If you find yourself faced with a slashed marketing budget, turn to cost-effective tactics that are still market-effective. Consider utilizing public relations as a credible and cost-effective investment as well as case studies which enable you to highlight your expertise and success with specific clients. Both tactics can help boost your SEO, delivering results.

Do what others aren’t doing. Most people do not enjoy cold calling, but if conducted in conjunction with an ongoing direct mail or email campaign, the results can be rewarding. A call following two direct mail pieces to a prospect is not a cold call—it is a warm offer to continue a conversation.

Look for pockets of demand. In every economic downturn there are market segments that remain healthy, growing and which may even be bolstered by the economic turbulence. Maybe you have already served some of these markets, but have not focused on them lately. Revisit these areas as they may make for some great business opportunities.

Interested in learning how we can develop business-building marketing communications for your company? Call us today.

Jeff Barnhart
President and CEO
jbarnhart@cmasolutions.com

Furry Friends Give Local Marketing Firm a Creative Boost

For 23 years, the marketing professionals at CMA have abided by founder Jeff Barnhart’s motto emphasizing good client service—“our people are our product.” Now, Barnhart and the rest of the CMA team are welcoming more than just people through the doors of 191 Clarksville Road.

“I’m a dog lover and have been all my life. Allowing employees to bring pets in just felt like a natural extension of our ‘casual Fridays’ policy—employees should feel free to wear jeans and bring along their dog, hamster or turtle if they want,” said Barnhart, who is the President and CEO of CMA. “It provides stress relief and just makes for a fun atmosphere.”

According to a survey by the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association, millions of Americans believe pets on the job lower absenteeism and encourage workers to get along. The same survey stated that one in five companies currently allow pets at work.

Since the winter of 2008, CMA employees with pets have been able to bring their furry (and scaly) friends to work with them, as long as no client meetings are scheduled for that day. For somewhat of a test run of this concept, CMA staffers brought in all pets at once in November 2008 for a holiday card photo shoot, which many clients commented was one of the firm’s best. Since then, “baby” gates, chew toys and water dishes are common sights among the offices and cubicles at CMA.

“It’s been a challenging business environment for the past two years and while CMA has weathered the storm well, our employees have appreciated the extra thought we put into creating a relaxed, family-oriented work environment,” said Burt Lambert, CMA’s CFO.

The Future of Media

There’s no doubt about it, the newspaper industry is changing. According to an article from the Business Insider, 105 newspapers shuttered in 2009, while 10,000 newspaper jobs were lost in the same year. These numbers expose a scary reality, as individuals continue to evaluate how they prefer to receive news and information. Maybe it’s a generational preference. I know my parents still look forward to receiving the latest issue of their local newspaper at their doorstep every morning, while I prefer to read all the breaking news and feature articles online, giving me the ability to receive information quickly, specifically select what I’m interested in reading about and share those stories with others instantaneously.

No matter what your generational preference, newspapers and magazines are continuing to shift toward using a digital platform, as seen with The New York Times’ recent announcement that they will charge readers for access to certain sections of its website. The outlets in which we receive information are changing, and so should your public relations and marketing strategies.

Consider the changing rate of the press release. Many newspapers and magazines now enable you to simply post the news yourself on its websites, enabling your message to be picked up instantly on search engines. Still, create a press release headline that stands out and includes keywords that are of direct interest to customers. Our PR team has begun including links within the body of the press release that lead customers back to relevant website pages. All these seeds planted throughout this online network help boost search engine optimization (SEO), leading customers to take action.

Also consider incorporating social media into your public relations strategy. Think about targeting media contacts who utilize social networking sites including Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and blogs that are appropriate to your target audience. This will help increase visibility for your client throughout a new outlet and further enhance their SEO.

The same digital shift holds true for advertising and marketing. According to senior analyst at eMarketer, Deborah Aho Williamson, advertising will not be the primary revenue driver in the years to come. She indicated that everything is going to become more social. This shift has already started to unfold with companies investing significant time in increasing their SEO and utilizing online advertising including banner ads and pay-per-click programs.

No matter what medium you choose, CMA’s marketing and communications staff can help you create a communication strategy appropriate to your targeted market and audience, helping to enhance your brand and position you ahead of your competition.

Give us a call to start the conversation.

Kaitlin Friedmann
PR Manager
kfriedmann@cmasolutions.com