CMA Selected to Launch Energy Watch Blog

CMA was recently selected by marketing veteran, Bill Attardi, for the launch of the blog version of his popular Energy Watch newsletter.

For over a decade, electrical industry insiders have turned to Attardi for breaking news in lighting, distribution and other related business segments. Trusting in CMA’s understanding of the industry as well as our team’s rapid adoption of digital media, Attardi selected CMA to develop the structure and new look of the Energy Watch blog and maintain fresh content on a weekly basis. The blog retains popular features such as Attardi’s monthly commentary “Something to Think About,” provides critical news updates in a more accessible format and introduces a newly designed Energy Watch header, custom created by CMA’s design team.

Since September, the blog has developed a devoted following and CMA continues to work with Attardi to increase readership and interest in the new format.

CMA Director of Marketing Services Selected to NJ CAMA Board

CMA’s Director of Marketing Services, Erin Higgins, has been selected to the New Jersey Communications, Advertising and Marketing Association’s (NJ CAMA) Board.

Higgins will serve as Co-Chair of the organization’s ASTRA Awards, which honor the best creative, strategies and design work created by the communications, advertising and marketing community. In her role, Higgins will support the ASTRA Chair with award submissions, event content, scheduling, location selection, promotion as well as on-site coordination.

Bill Petzinger, President at NJ CAMA commented, "I am delighted to welcome Erin to the Board of Directors of NJ CAMA. She possesses the strategic ability and passion that our organization needs which will ultimately prove valuable in her role as ASTRA co-chair. We look forward to working with her."

Marketing Must Haves

Regardless of size or even budget, there are key marketing items that every business, big or small, needs. Below are the basic marketing items that can help build your company’s brand.

The Essentials

Strategy. Throwing marketing against the wall to see what sticks wastes both time and money. The rest of the marketing essentials fall into place once you have a strategy set.



Logo. A professional logo for print and online usage as well as black and white executions are the building blocks of your company’s brand identity.



Website. When prospective clients are looking for a product or service, their first step is usually Google. A well-designed and easy to navigate website can be developed on any budget.



E-blast template. More communication is done via e-mail than ever before. Make sure your company is not left behind with the typewriter and design a template that incorporates your logo and branding.



Business cards. An old school favorite that still has impact, this is truly an essential marketing item for in-person networking that shouldn’t be left to a fly-by-night printer/designer.



As with any list, there are going to be many of you who feel I missed an “obvious” essential (leave your thoughts in the comments section).

Marketing is a sum of its pieces and what is essential to one company might be an extra to another. CMA works with all of our clients to put together a customized marketing strategy for their unique needs.

Are you ready to put together your “essential” marketing pieces? Give us a call.

Jeffrey E. Barnhart
President and CEO
jbarnhart@cmasolutions.com

Humanizing Your Brand With Social Media

More and more businesses are breaking into the world of social media and are utilizing this medium as a way to promote their brand and products and services. Fully delving into social media and capitalizing on the world of two-way communication can be rewarding for any business, if done effectively.

Having a thought leader from your company act as the social media liaison truly helps humanize your brand. Customers and prospective customers will be more comfortable sharing feedback about your company and its products and services knowing they are speaking directly to someone from the company. Consider these tips for humanizing your brand with social media.

Be open. Since you are trying to create a comfortable atmosphere that will encourage participation and feedback, make sure you share information about yourself with your audience. The more they know about you, the more willing they will be to provide their thoughts on your brand and its products and services.

Provide stimulating content. When participating in any form of social media outlet, make sure the content is stimulating and valuable. Your goal is to effectively serve your customers and engage prospective customers. Providing content that won’t help them in any way will lead you further away from obtaining and keeping their business.

Keep readers engaged. Respond to comments and create an ongoing dialogue. Post as frequently as possible.

Need help charting a social media course for your business? E-mail us today.

Erin Higgins
Director of Marketing Services
ehiggins@cmasolutions.com

Brandished Brands: How Yours Can Be a Household Name

A brand can be so strong, you don’t even use the general name for an item—“pass me a Kleenex,” “I’ll get you a Band-Aid,” “I owe you a Coke.” These are all excellent consumer success stories, but building a brand in the business-to-business space requires much more careful strategy to make sure you communicate your value well.

Whether you’re focusing on tapping new markets or maintaining existing ones, it’s important not to lose sight of how the right strategy and effective marketing tactics can position your brand as an easily identifiable entity. Even in complex B2B markets, keeping it simple sends a clear message. Cisco Systems, for example, has a vast product offering of network systems, collaboration/voice/video services and data center components, which can seem overwhelming to the prospective customer. But their brief, memorable taglines “see it, live it, share it” focus on the solutions they can provide businesses, automatically enhancing the perception of the brand.

In the business-to-consumer world, becoming a household name means you’ve created such awareness and positive perception that customers believe they have no other alternative. In the B2B world, your marketing approach is obviously more targeted to specific market segments. Often the most effective brand strategies are those that zero in on becoming the household name of a certain price class, geographic area or vertical market. The brand is brandished with creative key messages to instill certain beliefs in the customer.

For example, CMA recently worked with a 102 year old manufacturer of sound proof wall board made from recycled newspaper. With 4-5 other competitors vying for the loyalty of the same market segments, CMA advised the company to take the approach of being the “premium performance alternative for sound control.” This way, the company staked claim to the middle of the road price point and built brand loyalty among a specific clientele who would keep this in mind long term.

Let us help you become a leader or maintain your brand loyalty with fine-tuned strategies and tactics that communicate and resonate. Check out www.cmasolutions.com to learn more about our expertise.

Jeffrey Barnhart
President and CEO
jbarnhart@cmasolutions.com

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!

CMA Completes Extensive Website Projects

CMA recently completed website projects for several new clients including Pasquito Builders, Windsor Dermatology, Interior Image and Super Chic.



For the Hopewell, New Jersey based Pasquito Builders CMA helped to increase the company’s regional visibility and strengthen its new project development efforts through the creation of its new website: www.PasquitoBuilders.com. The website features a comprehensive services section, testimonial section, newsroom and gallery of recent projects.



For the 25 year old medical dermatology practice in East Windsor, New Jersey, Windsor Dermatology, CMA determined through its proprietary Marketecture™ process that one of the best ways to achieve greater regional visibility and an expanded patient base would be with a newly-designed website: www.WindsorDermatology.com. CMA expanded and streamlined the content, created and enhanced graphic design, and added Flash photos to the homepage. In addition, CMA provided a completely new brand campaign including logos, brochures, advertising, public relations and social media.



Serving New Jersey, the greater Philadelphia and metropolitan New York areas, Interior Image provides custom interior design/build solutions. CMA designed their website www.YourInteriorImage.com to include website copy with keywords to grab target audience attention and enhance search engine optimization (SEO), news and testimonials sections, a photo gallery with navigation as well as a featured projects section on the homepage.



Sailing from Barnegat Light Yacht Basin, Barnegat Light, New Jersey, the Super Chic is a 56 foot charter boat providing participants with a memorable fishing experience. CMA created a new website for Super Chic: www.SuperChicCharters.com, which features information on dates and fees for various trip opportunities, a monthly “When to Fish Chart,” allowing customers to view the best times during the season to book their trips, and trip details written by the ship’s captain.

Let CMA utilize our cutting edge digital communications to enhance the visibility of your business in the marketplace.

Erin Higgins
Director of Marketing Services
ehiggins@cmasolutions.com