Help a Rising Star! CMA Internships Now Available

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 - Top Agency Winner at 2011 JASPERS!

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.”

Proven Tactics in PR and Social Media

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.

Summer Spells Success for CMA Client Events

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. 

Anatomy of a Rebrand

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.

Tricks of the Trade Show

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

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:

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.

2011 ASTRA Awards Launched!

CMA firmly believes in the benefits of participating in industry associations, having maintained our involvement in regional events and volunteering our time in leadership roles for over 20 years. This year, CMA is playing a major role in the New Jersey Communications, Advertising, and Marketing Association (NJ CAMA)’s Annual ASTRA Awards program. Each year, the ASTRAs honor New Jersey's top marketing, advertising and PR professionals who give their best every day to meet and transcend strategic and creative challenges. The CMA design studio lent its time and talent to create the awards Call for Entries (see cover above). CMA’s Director of Marketing Services, Erin Higgins, is also serving as co-chair of the event, leading the planning committee in selecting a theme, venue and other important details.

If you’re interested in participating, you can view the entry form here. Entries are due by Fri., March 21, 2011. Good luck to all entrants!

What Were Your Favorite Super Bowl Commercials?

Even though the Super Bowl is now behind us, this major event aired some alarming, creative and even sometimes disturbing commercials that left us talking long after the game was over. Anyone who works with CMA knows we’re always paying attention to creativity and it’s not just our design team. We asked all of our employees to weigh in on some of their favorite Super Bowl commercials. Let us know which one you thought made the biggest impact!

“My two favorite Super Bowl ads were the Bridgestone one with the man and the beaver and the Doritos one when the guy licks another guy’s fingers and pants to get all the cheese from the Doritos.”

Erin Higgins, Director of Marketing Services

“My picks for the best Super Bowl commercials were the Audi-escape the old luxury, the animated fire breathing dragon, now a confetti dragon after having a Coke, the VW one with the little boy dressed up as Darth Vader, the Bridgestone one where the beaver saves the driver from the washed away bridge and the KIA one where everyone is stealing the car.”

Melanie Kotsonis, Executive Assistant

“My favorite was the Chrysler “Imported from Detroit” ad. It was a powerful way to solidify the brand after all of the issues the car industry has had recently. Though I’d have to admit having two commercials (Brisk Ice Tea) with Eminem with such different messages felt a little off overall.

In general, I felt the ads were a little disappointing. With all the advance promotions online, I felt like I’d already seen the commercials well before the game.”

Kelly McKelvey, Marketing Account Executive

“I also liked the Audi-escape the old luxury and the VW Darth Vader kid - what a great tie in to their PR campaign.

The one that surprisingly got the biggest laughs in my house was the Go Daddy one with Joan Rivers and pretty much all of the Doritos ads (the one where the Doritos brings the dead fish back to life was the best).

I also liked Hyundai’s campaign overall—they had some really interesting graphics and special effects…one even had a cool car kaleidoscope effect.”

Kaitlin Friedmann, Public Relations Manager

“Overall, I felt like the commercials weren’t that impressive this year. The only one that sticks in my mind is the creepy Doritos guy…but more for the creep factor than the funny factor.”

Jennifer Thayer, Association Manager

“My favorite commercials were the VW commercial where the little Darth Vadar makes the car start and the Doritos commercial, where the man is house sitting and sprinkles Doritos on everything to make them better and brings his friend’s Grandfather back to life.”

Corie Eisenberg, Marketing Coordinator

A Recipe for Success - Make Your Own News

Any company working with a public relations agency knows that keeping your name consistently on the minds of reporters and editors is a vital part of scoring meaningful media placements.

Despite technological advances, PR is still a relationship business. PR pros follow up with phone calls and emails, and are almost like ambassadors for various companies and organizations, getting the media to essentially like who you are and what you do. A good PR person ensures that in times of breaking news, your company is who that reporter thinks of first when they need a comment, a photo or video footage to complement their story angle.

But in times when you don’t have a new product, service or event to promote, PR pros serve as the idea factory you need to create news where it seems none exists. Here are two examples of creating news where CMA has been successful in the past.

Operation Kill-A-Watt (OKW)
CMA collaborated with client Public Energy Solutions, an energy services company that performs energy audits and lighting retrofits in the tri-state area, to create this initiative subsidized by Con Edison. In certain zip codes of New York City, building owners were eligible to receive free Compact Florescent Lamp (CFL) upgrades, ultimately lowering the strain on the city’s power grid and saving owners hundreds of dollars in energy costs. The public relations program to raise OKW awareness reached over 5 million New Yorkers and resulted in nearly 20,000 building upgrades over the course of two years.

Member Advocacy Initiatives
The National Association of Independent Broker/Dealers (NAIBD) is composed of the Main Street broker/dealers who are most likely to help the aging boomer plan for retirement than interact with the high stakes investments of Wall Street. New regulations from the government threatened to lump NAIBD members in with Wall Street big-wigs and unfairly label them as potential Madoff-like threats. Before the regulations were finalized, CMA worked with NAIBD’s Member Advocacy Committee to create a stir within the financial media to publicize the association’s proactive quest to include revisions to the law (what is now the Dodd-Frank Act). The governing bodies now have discretion over broker/dealer audits before initiating them – helping to save members thousands in unnecessary audit fees. In this case, the “squeaky wheel” got the attention it needed to effect change through the power of the financial industry media.

A few other initiatives are currently in the works for CMA clients. How can we help you raise awareness for your company or organization through PR?

Kaitlin Friedmann
PR Manager
kfriedmann@cmasolutions.com

What Are You Thankful for this Thanksgiving?

Whether you’re having Thanksgiving at your house or traveling to a relative’s house, everyone will be joining together to celebrate Thanksgiving on Thursday. To help get everyone in the spirit, CMA asked its employees to share what they are thankful for this Thanksgiving:

“I’m thankful for the hardworking team here at CMA who apply their passion for what they do every day.” – Jeffrey Barnhart, President and CEO

“I am thankful for the health of my family and the good will that we share with each other. Particularly as my sons begin to make their way in the world, I find my relationships with them evolving and growing stronger.” – Christian Horn, Vice President of Communications

“I am thankful for the health and happiness of my friends and family.” – Corie Eisenberg, Marketing Coordinator

“I’m thankful for celebrating 5 years with CMA!” – Erin Higgins, Director of Marketing Services

“I’m thankful I work with a really fun group of people who make it easier to be creative.” – Diane Webster, Senior Associate Creative Director

“I’m thankful for my wonderful family and friends who complete my life in every way!” – Lauren Ward, Marketing Coordinator

“I’m thankful that I work with such a fun, creative, intelligent group of people!” – Kaitlin Friedmann, Manager, Public Relations

“I am thankful to work in an environment that encourages creativity.” – Meghan Higgins, Public Relations Coordinator

“I am thankful that my family is healthy and happy!” – Melanie Kotsonis, Executive Assistant

Feel free to share with us what you are thankful for this Thanksgiving. Leave your thoughts in the comments section.

Happy Thanksgiving!

NJBiz Names CMA a Top Ad and PR Agency

Creative Marketing Alliance was listed as the #13 advertising agency and the #17 PR agency in NJBiz’s annual Top 50 in New Jersey!

Like a Well-Oiled Machine

There are so many teamwork clichés. “Two heads are better than one.” “There’s no ‘I’ in team.” The list goes on. But we take teamwork very seriously at CMA, especially since developing and executing a marketing plan, for instance, often entails a lot of moving parts. It’s extremely hard to be creative without different sounding boards to bounce ideas off of. For us, it’s three basic ideas that define our teamwork philosophy:

Brainstorming
Last week alone, CMA held multiple brainstorming sessions for different client projects. These sessions are often interdisciplinary, where it’s common for someone from the PR department to contribute to the development of an ad, or an event planner to sit in on a marketing strategy session. We look for fresh perspectives and draw on the experiences of one another regularly.

Quality Control
Every piece, whether it’s a press release, a capabilities brochure or website home page, is circulated to different members of the account team to ensure quality. Each team member takes time to review the material and add suggestions. With this process in place, a consensus is formed, quality is assured and the final product presented to a client is a collective team effort.

Responsiveness
People go on vacations, get sick and take business trips—it’s a part of life. But we never want a client to feel their needs have to wait until their main contacts are back in the office. Prior to any anticipated travel, CMA team members work out who will provide back-up coverage to assist with certain projects. These support people are brought into meetings and cross-trained on time-sensitive projects early on to ensure they can take the reins when needed.

Client service is a huge priority at CMA and the foundation for it is an organized game plan. After all, clichéd or not, TEAM really does spell out “Together Everyone Achieves More!”

Jeffrey Barnhart
President and CEO
jbarnhart@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

Don’t Rely on Luck! Promote Your Web Presence

Now that St. Patrick’s Day has come and gone, it’s important for marketing executives to realize that really establishing a web presence is not accomplished with the luck of the Irish. It’s a combination of integrated marketing and public relations tools that help build a brand and keep the target audience engaged.

For example, a company with a blog that is maybe two or three months old that isn’t seeing any traffic is not providing people with the right avenues to get there. Remember the old saying “If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, did it really make a sound?” Think of this when planning your strategy for social media.

It’s become more common for companies to add “Follow Us On…” notes on their e-mail signatures, websites, e-newsletters and any other area that it makes sense to let your audience know there is an additional way to learn about your products, services and company culture. Blogs also often receive some of the most foot traffic from links embedded in other social media postings. For example, an employee’s Tweet may link to your company website providing a whole new network of potential customers with access to your company’s bloggers.

Social media components such as blogs, Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook provide a customer with a less formal way to get to know who they are doing business with. Candid, transparent insights into that company’s business practices and how a client can benefit are easier to find on social media sites than in a corporate brochure or on a website. Both serve wonderful purposes to educate a customer, but think of social media as taking your mission and vision statements a step further in a literal and conversational sense.

It takes planning and the effort of dedicated individuals to run an effective social media campaign that is constantly kept fresh and new. Rushing to jump on the bandwagon can end up being an unlucky move in the end.

Erin Higgins
Director of Marketing Services
ehiggins@cmasolutions.com

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

CMA Partners with HomeFront to Support Local Families in Need

CMA recently practiced what we preached in the previous blog post "Doing good is good for business" and helped make Thanksgiving a little more special for families in need while we were at it.

The CMA staff donated 10 baskets of non-perishable food to HomeFront as part of our Thanksgiving food drive. HomeFront, a non-profit organization located in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, provides emergency shelter and support services to help local 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. This is CMA’s fourth year participating in HomeFront’s Thanksgiving food drive having provided 37 baskets to the organization to date.

Pictured above are CMA PR Manager, Kaitlin Friedmann (left) and Client Services Manager, Erin Higgins (right) at the HomeFront drop-off site on Friday afternoon.

Doing good is good for business

The non-profit sector is arguably the single most important force for bettering the regional community many of our businesses serve as well as the social and cultural fabric we, as a society, all share.

Many companies, including CMA, make corporate responsibility a focus year round. If your business is contributing a good deed in the spirit of the upcoming season of giving, even if it’s as simple as a food drive, why not leverage print and electronic public relations to let the community know?

Your press release and an accompanying photo won’t likely end up on the front page or the top of the landing page, but most media provide recognition for high-profile corporate citizenship or high-impact charitable donations. Corporate commitment to making a difference helps differentiate your business from competitors and casts your company in a favorable light in the minds of consumers and employees.

In fact, a recent report from the Council on Foundations noted that 83% of Americans have a more positive image of companies who support causes they care about or perceive to be beneficial to the common good. The report also states that 87% of employees at companies with corporate giving programs feel a stronger sense of loyalty to their employers.

No wonder that, even in a time of economic turbulence, an IBM study released this year found over 1, 000 CEOs plan to increase their corporate giving by 25% or more.

A regular and organized corporate social responsibility program not only burnishes your brand, but builds a reservoir of public good will that can prove resilient in times of crisis.

Ultimately it pays to embrace the spirit of giving, not just at this altruistic time of year, but on a planned and budgeted basis annually. Corporate philanthropy is good—both for business and the nonprofits whose missions are advanced. Doing well by doing good should be business as usual.

Jeff Barnhart
President & CEO
jbarnhart@cmasolutions.com