MARKETING TIP #121
2008 Recap: Staying ahead of the curve
2008 was about defining strategies to stay ahead of the curve...North Star Marketing helped reinforce clients' positions to capture more market share and stay out in front.
Strategies were developed based on the changing business climate; the tactics were progressive and aggressive, each integrating with and supporting the other. Here are a few highlights from the year:
- Interactive tactics like e-marketing and blogging, combined with rebranding efforts guided by a market study helped Grafika Commercial Printing considerably grow their business in 2008.
- Markley Actuarial Services exceeded their goal of increasing a program's subscribers by almost 10-fold. A clearly defined sales process which included a customer perception survey, direct mail and e-marketing got them to the table.
- A Food Business News readership survey ranked TIC Gums' ad #1 with 69% of the respondents recalling it.
- YouTube and podcasts used in conjunction with traditional and web P.R. helped McClarin Plastics increase daily web sessions by 18.5% while Fenner Precision's press releases were viewed 917 times on a leading industry website.
- Snyder’s of Hanover and LaTiendaUSA needed to reach their consumer directly. A new P.R. tactic for Snyder's reached 12,875,933 consumers and provided an ROI of 6.29 times their investment. LaTiendaUSA's P.R. has caught the attention of design specifiers and they're experiencing a marked increase in inquiries.
- A dedicated microsite provided a cost effective means for Aerzen USA to announce their LEED Certified Gold building, the first in PA, to the national media. The site provided all of the information an editor needed to write their story, including a video of the press conference.
We also strengthened our own forces in 2008.
Our Interactive Department, under the guidance of our new VP of Interactive, Ross Sachs, developed programs to ensure maximized web initiatives. The new programs include: NowVue, a technology which gives a real-time view of user interactions with a website; StarChek, a 26-point web analysis to benchmark and evaluate sites for search engine optimization; enhanced CMS capabilities; and integrated map locators, gallery portfolios and recipe look-up tools.
Of course staying ahead of the curve also means staying in tune with industry trends. So, our team attended various trade shows including the Institute of Food Technologists show in New Orleans; the Fancy Food Show in NYC; PLASTEC in NYC; the Plastics Symposium at State College, PA; the New York International Gift Fair (NYIGF); the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (K/BIS) in Chicago; NeoCon East in Baltimore; the International Sleep Products Association (ISPA) also in Baltimore; and various American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) functions.
Some of the new clients we welcomed in 2008 include Adelphia Seafood, American Foodservice, Back to Basics Western Wear, Christiana Cabinetry, Damascus Bakeries, LaTiendaUSA, MANTEC, OmegaFlex, Inc., PolyMar Injection Molding, Pro Guard Coatings, Signature Custom Cabinetry, Simplex Paper Box Corporation, TimBar, TDR - Total Document Resource, and Ultimate Sports Company, Inc.
A progressive marketing strategy along with aggressive tactics and measurement is crucial to staying ahead of the curve. In 2009, look for innovative Interactive, P.R. and Branding tactics to play a major role in successful marketing and sales plans.
Give me a call at 717-392-6982, ext. 100 or email me at info@northstar-m.com so we can set up a meeting to discuss how to keep you ahead of the curve in 2009!
Best,
Bowen Smith
Executive Vice President
P.S.
Interested in the NowVue technology? Let me know and we'll set up a quick demonstration for you.
