BroadBased Communications: Marketing, Public Relations, Graphic Design

It was once thought search engine marketing (SEM) and search engine optimization (SEO) were strategies that should work independently of each other. But what marketers have come to realize is when combined, SEM + SEO make for one powerful tool.

Pay-per-click (PPC) strategies are an integral part of SEM. In addition to the “organic” search returns generated by your SEO strategy, “sponsored listings” are purchased via a Keyword bidding process. These are the ads at the top and side of organic search results. But why would you use a PPC ad? In addition to advertising a product or service, PPC ads can also be used:

• When organic SEO is not driving the desired amount of traffic to your website.
• When your top Keywords are too competitive for organic search to deliver satisfactory traffic to your website.
• To test the popularity of different keywords via click-through conversion. The resulting data can be used to help bolster your SEO efforts.
• To create immediate awareness of a new facility, product or service. You might try a PPC campaign when you need immediate visibility and don’t have the time for organic SEO to take its course.
• To generate campaign- or issue-based traffic. You might try a PPC strategy in the event that you want to create additional visibility for yourself as an expert resource on a timely topic such as a product recall.
• To boost employee recruiting efforts.

Posted in Marketing Planning, Web/Interactive Development

In July, Jan Korb, BroadBased’s CEO, delivered a presentation entitled Incorporating Pay-Per-Click Advertising Into Your Marketing Campaign to Florida Hospital Association public relations and marketing at their annual meeting. The presentation can be downloaded on SlideShare.

Posted in BroadBased, Marketing Planning

A frequent question we field from small and medium-size businesses is how much they should spend on marketing. This can be a tough question for seasoned businesses, and even tougher for startups.

While there’s no one-size-fits-all formula for calculating how much you should spend, we can offer some guidelines. The Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) define the variable for a proper marketing budget to be between 2% and 10% of sales, noting that the total for business-to-consumer (B2C), retail and pharmaceuticals can exceed 20% during peak brand-building years. As an example, at 5% of gross, a company with $3 million in revenues would consider allocating $150,000 a year for marketing.

B2C budgets are generally higher than business-to-business (B2B) because the cost of reaching a large population through broadcast media can be quite expensive. B2B budgets are typically lower due to smaller target audiences and sleeker, niche marketing solutions.

Nailing down a number

Although many companies determine their marketing budgets as a percent of gross revenue, that doesn’t mean they pick an arbitrary number within the recommended range. So how do you arrive at a percentage that’s right for you?

Often, the percentage is determined by industry and size, so it’s smart to reach out to industry associations you belong to for benchmarking information. Additionally, many CPAs subscribe to research software and may be able to help you with your industry information.

What items belong in the marketing budget?

The fictional $150,000 budget set for a company with $3 million in revenues might sound like a lot at first, but not when you consider all that goes into it. The budget will support in-house marketing salaries, agency and public relations fees, media buys, printing, mailing, postage, trade shows, memberships, website, etc. So you can see how quickly the numbers add up. SCORE provides a handy worksheet to help you along on its website.

Regardless of how you arrive at the final figure for your marketing budget, it must be one that realistically supports your sales plan and returns an appropriate ROI. Depending on corporate goals, your budget may be 4% this year and 8% next year. And if you are new to the marketplace, you have to spend more aggressively to establish your business objectives.

Posted in Marketing Planning

As social responsibility issues have become a business imperative, the papers that companies use to communicate their message can be as important as the message itself. Wayne Dennis, corporate director of sustainability at Mac Papers, has developed an informative sustainability presentation titled ‘It’s OK To Print.’  With the following eight facts, he reminds us why paper is still a very important part of marketing campaigns.

• It’s 10% easier to read and 30% easier to understand words on paper versus words online.
• 30% less carbon is emitted to produce a newspaper for one person to read for one year than for one person to read online for 30 minutes.
• Electronics use 90% fossil fuels purchased off grid.
• An average of 78% of all power used by U.S. paper mills comes from alternative fuel sources such as wind and hydroelectric power. Some paper mills have been using green energy practices since the early 1900′s. In fact, French Paper has been producing its paper using 100% hydroelectric power since 1922.
• 98% of consumers bring in mail the day they receive it; 77% look through it that day.
• A person’s mood improves 26% by the touch of tactile printed paper.
• Print is viewed as trustworthy and objective; Web is viewed as timely.
• Print and electronic media work very well together (think PURLs and QR codes).

For more information, or to learn more about how Mac Papers can enhance your company’s image through effective paper sourcing strategies that promote sustainability and support your business goals, email Wayne Dennis at Wayne.Dennis@MacPapers.com

Posted in Marketing Planning

You’ve heard the stories of how one social media slip-up can damage a person’s livelihood or reputation. Remember Gilbert Gottfried and the fallout of his poorly timed tsunami jokes? It cost him his job as the AFLAC spokesman. While social media is a wonderful tool to expand your personal credibility and reputation through public conversation, it’s also helpful if you establish guidelines for your tweet messaging. Following are a few tips from us on how to keep your personal Twitter account from causing a public relations nightmare.

Choose wisely: If you have a ghost-tweeter, determine the tone of the messages you’d like to relay. Make sure you have a person in place to create and deliver them who truly understands your “personal brand.”

Don’t be a Weiner: Don’t say anything that you wouldn’t want to see on the front page of the newspaper. And know that the media views social media as quotable without your “permission.” It is in the public domain. Period.

Stay focused: Once you determine your tone, stick to it. Don’t stray too far from the voice of your brand.

Have fun: It’s ok to show your sense of humor but remember your dinner party etiquette – taboo subjects like sex, abortion, off-color jokes, religion and politics will probably lose you followers.

Contribute to the conversation: Jump in the conversation and make some new friends. Comment on the tweets of people you follow and speak freely and often on topics geared to your industry.

Don’t tweet after happy hour: Enough said.

All in all, have fun but remember that Twitter is a representation of you. Refrain from saying anything that you wouldn’t want a client, partner, employee, vendor or reporter to ask you about. For information on how to design a personal Twitter account – complete with best messaging practices – email BroadBased’s director of public relations, Maria Coppola.

Posted in Public/Media Relations, Social Media Planning

In a June 2011 marketing article for 904 Magazine, Jan Korb, BroadBased’s CEO, writes about the benefits (and pitfalls) of online coupon experiences for retailers. In the article entitled “Deal or No Deal?” Korb interviewed five businesses of various sizes to find out first-hand if these couponing services are bringing in the customers.

Posted in BroadBased

Robert Hedges joined the BroadBased team at the end of May as Senior Art Director. Robert brings 15 years of experience developing integrated marketing campaigns, including direct mail, print, and television ad campaigns. Before moving to the United States, Robert worked at a leading British design firm in London and for Leo Burnett in Athens, Greece.

Please join us in welcoming Robert to the BroadBased team!

Posted in BroadBased

In January, the National Association for Printing Leadership (NAPL) forecast that printing industry sales are expected to grow 1% to 3% this year. The forecast, included in NAPL’s  State of the Industry Report indicates the first growth for the industry in four years. While this news is great for printers, the positive outlook still leaves 2011 sales 18% below pre-recession levels.

Posted in Marketing Planning

Beginning June 1, BroadBased will offer a new line of public relations services titled PR Express. This line of “express” services will provide small businesses and start-ups the benefit of agency expertise with a minimum of commitment and cost.

This offering focuses on non-retained, one-time projects including:

• Industry-based media list development
• Special event list development
• Single press release writing
• Promotional writing
• Press release distribution
• PR-managed social media projects

For more information on PR Express, please email Maria Coppola, PR Director, at Maria@bbased.com.

Posted in Public/Media Relations

Although marketers continue to produce printed materials for promotion and internal communications, much of the conversation in our orbit continues to revolve around the digital realm. The question de jour concerns what type of smart phone people are using the most. Depending on the demographics you seek, the answer changes.

Companies targeting execs ask that mobile strategies and smart phone apps be compatible with Blackberry, long known as the executive workhorse device. More wide-reaching strategies targeting consumers usually pit iPhone against Android. Although Android owns the largest share of the market, it has interoperability issues across platforms from different manufacturers. If you can only develop your app on one platform, you should choose carefully based on the usage statistics of your target audience. Check out this April article from Business Insider titled Android is Destroying Everyone, Especially RIM (BlackBerry) – iPhone Dead in Water.

Posted in Marketing Planning, Web/Interactive Development