According to a recent ImagePower Green Brands Survey, 80 percent of consumers believe it is important to buy from green companies, most responded they would spend more on green products. Word of mouth also leads as the way 50 percent of Americans learn about green products and services. Online search engines and television also remained popular channels for learning about green, according to a recent quarterly update from the Green Confidence Index.
Findings such as these provide valuable information to business owners when developing and executing a plan for marketing their eco-friendly products and services. Before rushing into executing your marketing ideas, it is important to take a step back and focus on the strategic direction of your efforts to ensure your message is reaching the correct target audience through the appropriate channel in a format they can easily understand.
Through our strategic analysis process, Marketecture™, we help clients identify and analyze relationships between marketplace competitors and the criteria used by target audiences in making buying decisions. Also through this process, we can provide primary and secondary research to help clients better understand their market, in this case, the green market, to gauge how their target audience feels about sustainable products and services.
Consider the benefits of conducting market research:
1. Understanding your current position in the marketplace
2. Identifying your main competition and analyzing how you stand up against them
3. Determining your products or services’ role in the strategic direction of your company
4. Analyzing your company’s strengths and weaknesses as well as opportunities to grow your business
5. Evaluating market forces that influence your target audiences’ buying decisions, helping to determine how you can overcome these challenges and remain profitable
Conducting market research is an important element in the promotional process and will truly help you develop the best strategic marketing plan for your company, enabling you to effectively reach your target audience and produce the highest results.
Let CMA utilize our strategic marketing expertise to help point your marketing efforts in the right direction.
Jeffrey Barnhart
President and CEO
jbarnhart@cmasolutions.com
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Friday, April 23, 2010
Are You Recycling Your Marketing Ideas?
With Earth Day upon us this week, you’ll be reminded once again of all the ways you can better serve our environment through reducing your consumption, reusing various items and, of course, recycling. But take a moment to consider recycling in another light—one that could be damaging your reputation among key target audiences.
Sometimes clients will tell us “that’s what we’ve always done” when referring to their marketing strategies. Sometimes this is a good thing. Often times, it’s not. Marketing is about innovation and keeping in touch with your audience’s needs and desires, so ask yourself how you can keep it fresh before you fall into the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” way of complacent thinking.
Here are some ways CMA can help keep your marketing messages and graphics fresh and enticing:
Just ask. When was the last time you conducted research on your target market? Have you ever sent a survey to them? Sometimes a simple e-mail survey can work wonders to help you pinpoint the right words and graphics that will resonate with key decision-makers.
Update your brand and/or campaign. One of the most successful advertising campaigns in history is Geico’s series of “caveman” spots. Sensing that their target audience had been oversaturated with these characters (remember when there was a sit-com based on them?), Geico changed the way the cavemen were portrayed in their commercials, often showing very little of their faces and limiting their dialogue. CMA’s veteran designers are in touch with cutting edge imagery as well as what still traditionally communicates to key audiences—maintain your identity, but be sure to review it periodically.
Keep an eye on your competitors. Through CMA’s Marketecture™ strategic process, we are able to help clients set aside time to analyze the competitive landscape, ultimately helping you think like your customer. Be sure to monitor what types of messages, images, and concepts are they being hit with by your competitors. When you know it’s time for a change, make sure you’re not duplicating an idea that’s been done well by your competitors—you don’t want to be pinned as a company that recycles others’ marketing ideas, but you need to be aware of what they are doing.
Avoid non industry-specific clichés. Flip through the pages of any magazine in virtually any industry and I guarantee you’ll spot an advertisement with a goldfish in a bowl. Unless you are a pet store, chances are your audience will miss the point because it doesn’t speak to what you do. Don’t get me wrong—even images that seem overused might be perfect for your industry. Just make sure you consult with professionals who can help you make the right match and communicate effectively.
Keep in mind—Earth Day is supposed to be a time to step back and look at the bigger environmental picture. Give us a call if you think the time is right to refresh your brand for a profitable, sustainable future.
Erin Higgins
Director of Marketing Services
ehiggins@cmasolutions.com
Sometimes clients will tell us “that’s what we’ve always done” when referring to their marketing strategies. Sometimes this is a good thing. Often times, it’s not. Marketing is about innovation and keeping in touch with your audience’s needs and desires, so ask yourself how you can keep it fresh before you fall into the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” way of complacent thinking.
Here are some ways CMA can help keep your marketing messages and graphics fresh and enticing:
Just ask. When was the last time you conducted research on your target market? Have you ever sent a survey to them? Sometimes a simple e-mail survey can work wonders to help you pinpoint the right words and graphics that will resonate with key decision-makers.
Update your brand and/or campaign. One of the most successful advertising campaigns in history is Geico’s series of “caveman” spots. Sensing that their target audience had been oversaturated with these characters (remember when there was a sit-com based on them?), Geico changed the way the cavemen were portrayed in their commercials, often showing very little of their faces and limiting their dialogue. CMA’s veteran designers are in touch with cutting edge imagery as well as what still traditionally communicates to key audiences—maintain your identity, but be sure to review it periodically.
Keep an eye on your competitors. Through CMA’s Marketecture™ strategic process, we are able to help clients set aside time to analyze the competitive landscape, ultimately helping you think like your customer. Be sure to monitor what types of messages, images, and concepts are they being hit with by your competitors. When you know it’s time for a change, make sure you’re not duplicating an idea that’s been done well by your competitors—you don’t want to be pinned as a company that recycles others’ marketing ideas, but you need to be aware of what they are doing.
Avoid non industry-specific clichés. Flip through the pages of any magazine in virtually any industry and I guarantee you’ll spot an advertisement with a goldfish in a bowl. Unless you are a pet store, chances are your audience will miss the point because it doesn’t speak to what you do. Don’t get me wrong—even images that seem overused might be perfect for your industry. Just make sure you consult with professionals who can help you make the right match and communicate effectively.
Keep in mind—Earth Day is supposed to be a time to step back and look at the bigger environmental picture. Give us a call if you think the time is right to refresh your brand for a profitable, sustainable future.
Erin Higgins
Director of Marketing Services
ehiggins@cmasolutions.com
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
What does green really mean?
With Earth day almost upon us, I thought it would be appropriate to discuss the ever-popular topic of green marketing. While many of us in the marketing industry have been branding and positioning products that are biodegradable, energy-efficient and/or all-natural, for example, for many years, the environmental bandwagon now applies to nearly every industry imaginable. By following these simple tips, your company can effectively position these types of products and services all year round.
Choose the Right Words
Try actually refraining from using the word “green” to describe your company’s products and services if you feel your audience will be more receptive to specific language describing environmental benefits. Perhaps “biodegradable” or “all-natural” might resonate better. Many of your customers continue to be bombarded with these claims everyday, so using the word “green” may drive them away and position you as an unreliable source.
Know Your Audience
It is important to know your audience in order to help you better position your products and services in the marketplace. Take the time to research what phrases or keywords speak to your audience and drive them to take action.
Provide additional benefits to customers beyond going green
Knowing the product your customers are buying contains green qualities often makes people feel good about their purchases. But the ideal situation is to go the extra mile to provide an additional benefit—a health incentive, reduced maintenance or something that helps the customer save money in addition to a product’s low environmental impact.
Consider Appropriate Design Elements
When creating design elements associated with your company’s products or services, be sure to incorporate images that support your marketing messages, but also steer clear of clichéd images. Consider exploring earth tones instead of going right for the green, or use images that represent other aspects of the earth instead of the proverbial leaf image I can be viewed as overused.
In following these tips, you will find that the most interesting part of the green marketing phenomenon is its versatility. Give us a call and let us help you develop a green marketing plan that showcases your company’s environmental benefits and encompasses a strategy that is executed with sensitivity and integrity.
Jeffrey Barnhart
President and CEO
jbarnhart@cmasolutions.com
Choose the Right Words
Try actually refraining from using the word “green” to describe your company’s products and services if you feel your audience will be more receptive to specific language describing environmental benefits. Perhaps “biodegradable” or “all-natural” might resonate better. Many of your customers continue to be bombarded with these claims everyday, so using the word “green” may drive them away and position you as an unreliable source.
Know Your Audience
It is important to know your audience in order to help you better position your products and services in the marketplace. Take the time to research what phrases or keywords speak to your audience and drive them to take action.
Provide additional benefits to customers beyond going green
Knowing the product your customers are buying contains green qualities often makes people feel good about their purchases. But the ideal situation is to go the extra mile to provide an additional benefit—a health incentive, reduced maintenance or something that helps the customer save money in addition to a product’s low environmental impact.
Consider Appropriate Design Elements
When creating design elements associated with your company’s products or services, be sure to incorporate images that support your marketing messages, but also steer clear of clichéd images. Consider exploring earth tones instead of going right for the green, or use images that represent other aspects of the earth instead of the proverbial leaf image I can be viewed as overused.
In following these tips, you will find that the most interesting part of the green marketing phenomenon is its versatility. Give us a call and let us help you develop a green marketing plan that showcases your company’s environmental benefits and encompasses a strategy that is executed with sensitivity and integrity.
Jeffrey Barnhart
President and CEO
jbarnhart@cmasolutions.com
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Linking In to Your Professional Network
Ask any business professional and they’ll agree—one of the most useful social networking sites for maintaining business connections is LinkedIn. Yes, there are countless success stories showing that Facebook has created new business opportunities. But LinkedIn can be used for different purposes than Facebook, and can expose you to new, qualified contacts endorsed by those you trust, among other valuable benefits.
LinkedIn has more than 50 million registered users, spanning more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. The purpose of the site is to allow registered users to maintain a list of contact details of people they know and trust in business. LinkedIn users can simply maintain a profile or actively join and participate in “Groups” according to their line of business or interests. For example, Creative Marketing Alliance’s Group page is designed to keep our clients, past clients and other qualified prospects up to date on our activities and services.
The benefits of using LinkedIn are twofold. Not only can you do some reconnaissance work on prospective clients, current customers or those you’ve worked with in the past, you can also connect with them through introductions or referrals through your own network of professional contacts. LinkedIn also provides a way for you to track down contacts that have changed jobs, creating consistency when email addresses often change.
Discovering the relationships between your peers through LinkedIn might also allow you to tailor your sales pitch to that prospective client better. Through the involvement with various Groups, a LinkedIn user has the opportunity to position themselves as an expert on a given topic, whether it’s through your own Group or through your comments on another Group’s page.
The beauty of LinkedIn is that it’s a good place to get your feet wet if you’re unsure about how to use social media, as it does not require constant updating like Twitter or other social networking sites. Let our team help you determine a systematic approach to your social media initiatives to guarantee manageability and success.
Jeffrey Barnhart
President & CEO
jbarnhart@cmasolutions.com
LinkedIn has more than 50 million registered users, spanning more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. The purpose of the site is to allow registered users to maintain a list of contact details of people they know and trust in business. LinkedIn users can simply maintain a profile or actively join and participate in “Groups” according to their line of business or interests. For example, Creative Marketing Alliance’s Group page is designed to keep our clients, past clients and other qualified prospects up to date on our activities and services.
The benefits of using LinkedIn are twofold. Not only can you do some reconnaissance work on prospective clients, current customers or those you’ve worked with in the past, you can also connect with them through introductions or referrals through your own network of professional contacts. LinkedIn also provides a way for you to track down contacts that have changed jobs, creating consistency when email addresses often change.
Discovering the relationships between your peers through LinkedIn might also allow you to tailor your sales pitch to that prospective client better. Through the involvement with various Groups, a LinkedIn user has the opportunity to position themselves as an expert on a given topic, whether it’s through your own Group or through your comments on another Group’s page.
The beauty of LinkedIn is that it’s a good place to get your feet wet if you’re unsure about how to use social media, as it does not require constant updating like Twitter or other social networking sites. Let our team help you determine a systematic approach to your social media initiatives to guarantee manageability and success.
Jeffrey Barnhart
President & CEO
jbarnhart@cmasolutions.com
Monday, March 22, 2010
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
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
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
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.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Taking Control with Twitter
Sure, it’s got a funny name, but Twitter is becoming a main communications method and a way to instantaneously connect with target audiences. Some social media experts say that engaging in social media is about losing control in a good way, but what makes Twitter valuable is that it’s an added public relations opportunity that is often faster and more easily controlled than working through the media. Let’s learn from a few success stories.
For Transparency:
Popular film director, Kevin Smith, recently Tweeted a play-by-play account of his removal from a recent Southwest Airlines flight for being “too fat to fly.” Regardless of your thoughts on the rights of overweight Americans, the real winner in this scenario is Southwest (@SouthwestAir), whose Tweets included the following not long after the incident:
Our apology to @ThatKevinSmith and more details regarding the events from last night - http://cot.ag/96KHC7 #Southwest 3:14 PM Feb 14th via CoTweet
Our conversation with @ThatKevinSmith - http://cot.ag/derOe8 #Southwest
Just as quickly as posts can be used to expose a problem, companies like Southwest are utilizing Twitter to set the record straight and create a direct line of communication and transparency.
Also remember that the first step to Twitter is identifying if it is the right fit for you. Here are a few examples of how Twitter worked for several of our clients.
For Event Promotion:
It’s a tough time for some association members to get approval for travel to continuing education conferences, so the Association for Convention Operations Management (ACOM), a group of convention services managers working at hotels, convention centers and convention and visitors bureaus, began live Tweets from their recent Annual Conference in Dallas (@ACOMTweets). This worked well to keep active members who could not attend in the know. Volunteer “Tweeters,” with the support of the CMA team, linked to Conference session notes and Power Point presentations, and provided attendees on-site with valuable up-to-the-minute information on room changes and added events.
For Media Attention:
Flip to CNN any time of the day and no doubt you will see “follow us on Twitter” followed by an easy to remember screen name flashing across the bottom of the screen. In addition to coverage on a media outlet’s website, their Twitter page creates another medium for your target audience to become aware of your company, event, or initiative—instantaneously. When CMA announced the finalists for the Audio Publishers Association (APA)’s Audies awards in February, the list of audiobook titles were Tweeted by Publisher’s Weekly editor, Diane Robach, in addition to being included in their daily e-newsletter, PW Daily, posted on their website and included in their print edition.
For Blog Traffic:
With space for only a 140 character post, Twitter is often used as a way to redirect traffic to a company’s website or blog. The Twitter post becomes a “teaser” to pique the interests of your followers enough to make them click through your link. To drive traffic to this very blog, our PR Manager, Kaitlin Friedmann and other members of our social media team have continually Tweeted about new blog posts. As a result, traffic to the blog increased by over 30% in the span of two months.
Remember, Twitter is self-policing, meaning that your Followers will leave if you do not hold their interest. Like any marketing investment, engaging in Twitter is simply about the commitment of time and effort to develop a program the right way, instead of simply jumping on the bandwagon. Find out how CMA can help you develop a social media plan that works.
Jeffrey Barnhart
President & CEO
jbarnhart@cmasolutions.com
For Transparency:
Popular film director, Kevin Smith, recently Tweeted a play-by-play account of his removal from a recent Southwest Airlines flight for being “too fat to fly.” Regardless of your thoughts on the rights of overweight Americans, the real winner in this scenario is Southwest (@SouthwestAir), whose Tweets included the following not long after the incident:
Our apology to @ThatKevinSmith and more details regarding the events from last night - http://cot.ag/96KHC7 #Southwest 3:14 PM Feb 14th via CoTweet
Our conversation with @ThatKevinSmith - http://cot.ag/derOe8 #Southwest
Just as quickly as posts can be used to expose a problem, companies like Southwest are utilizing Twitter to set the record straight and create a direct line of communication and transparency.
Also remember that the first step to Twitter is identifying if it is the right fit for you. Here are a few examples of how Twitter worked for several of our clients.
For Event Promotion:
It’s a tough time for some association members to get approval for travel to continuing education conferences, so the Association for Convention Operations Management (ACOM), a group of convention services managers working at hotels, convention centers and convention and visitors bureaus, began live Tweets from their recent Annual Conference in Dallas (@ACOMTweets). This worked well to keep active members who could not attend in the know. Volunteer “Tweeters,” with the support of the CMA team, linked to Conference session notes and Power Point presentations, and provided attendees on-site with valuable up-to-the-minute information on room changes and added events.
For Media Attention:
Flip to CNN any time of the day and no doubt you will see “follow us on Twitter” followed by an easy to remember screen name flashing across the bottom of the screen. In addition to coverage on a media outlet’s website, their Twitter page creates another medium for your target audience to become aware of your company, event, or initiative—instantaneously. When CMA announced the finalists for the Audio Publishers Association (APA)’s Audies awards in February, the list of audiobook titles were Tweeted by Publisher’s Weekly editor, Diane Robach, in addition to being included in their daily e-newsletter, PW Daily, posted on their website and included in their print edition.
For Blog Traffic:
With space for only a 140 character post, Twitter is often used as a way to redirect traffic to a company’s website or blog. The Twitter post becomes a “teaser” to pique the interests of your followers enough to make them click through your link. To drive traffic to this very blog, our PR Manager, Kaitlin Friedmann and other members of our social media team have continually Tweeted about new blog posts. As a result, traffic to the blog increased by over 30% in the span of two months.
Remember, Twitter is self-policing, meaning that your Followers will leave if you do not hold their interest. Like any marketing investment, engaging in Twitter is simply about the commitment of time and effort to develop a program the right way, instead of simply jumping on the bandwagon. Find out how CMA can help you develop a social media plan that works.
Jeffrey Barnhart
President & CEO
jbarnhart@cmasolutions.com
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