The Value of a Strategic Marketing Communications Plan
Marketing can be expensive, especially if you have no idea where it’s taking you or what you are getting in return for your investment.
I’ve seen way too many companies and organizations flying by the seat of their pants when it comes to their marketing. They tend to do the same things they’ve always done, like advertise in the Yellow Pages or sponsor the local Little League team, in the hopes that these things will get them the results they’re after.
You’ve heard the definition of insanity, right? It’s doing the same thing over and over again expecting to get a different result. Does your company’s marketing program fit this definition? I hope not.
When it comes to nailing down specific, measurable goals that will direct a marketing effort, most organizations don’t even know what kind of results they want. Just hoping to create more business is not specific enough. For the past 14 years, my agency has been developing strategic marketing communications plans, branded The Marshall Plan™, to help our clients develop attainable marketing goals and the tools needed to successfully achieve them. Over the years, we have developed plans for many different industry sectors, including non-profit, information technology, banking, government, legal, tourism, academia, economic development, and more.
We’ve witnessed some amazing results with these plans for numerous reasons, namely:
- The three-month process brings together the key stakeholders of an organization (management team, board of directors, front-line staff people) to work together with NMC to carefully define their goals, determine their realistic marketing budget and decide what resources can be allocated to achieving the goals. For many organizations, having an outside agency impose this process is exactly what they need to make crucial decisions that will guide the organization into the future.
- The process starts with a three-hour Discovery Meeting during which the NMC team guides stakeholders through a thoughtful discussion about goals, strategy, tactics and resources.
- Having goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely is just plain SMART. The Marshall Plan™ process includes SMART goal setting.
- The process also includes a thorough competitive analysis, SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats), and analysis of what has and has not worked in the past.
- A detailed list of tactics (social media, website restructuring, media relations, marketing, advertising, public outreach, sales, and more) designed to reach specific goals is created and vetted by the group during a mid-term review meeting.
- During the final four to six weeks of the process, NMC finalizes the tactics based on feedback received at the mid-term meeting and develops a timeline, budget, measurement dashboards and a variety of marketing tools such as media lists, press release templates, and stakeholder contact lists that will enable our client to hit the ground running when it comes to implementation.
- The final meeting is a time to review the plan, celebrate the accomplishments and make some big decisions about next steps. Every plan is designed so it can be either implemented by NMC, the organization itself, or another agency.
Nancy Marshall, principal of Nancy Marshall Communications
The Marshall Plan™ ensures your marketing dollars will be well invested rather than just spent. It serves as a highly detailed road map toward successful growth for any business or nonprofit. In the 14 years we’ve been creating Marshall Plans™, we have seen organizations totally embrace the process and the opportunity to improve their marketing and communications.
It is extremely rewarding for me as an agency owner to work with a client on one of these plans which, if fully utilized, offer guaranteed success in helping an organization grow and prosper.
Jon James of 92Moose Talks Social Media and Radio
92Moose radio host/personality, Jon James
If you’re from the Augusta area, then you most likely have listened to 92Moose once or twice (or maybe a lot more), and you are undoubtedly familiar with long-time on-air personality, Jon James, this week’s Monday Maine Maven.
James has been a part of 92Moose’s daily line-up for more than 20 years, and currently is well-known as a third of the Moose Morning Show trio, Jon, Renee and Mac. Jon was born and raised in Maine and says that as he’s gotten older he’s only fallen in love with the state more, and he knows that Maine will always be home.
With so much experience, Jon says that the integration of social media into radio has been unbelievable, but also for the good. He says, “I like to think that these sites (Facebook and Twitter) broaden our fan base, but the best part of using them is the immediate feedback on just about everything we say and do.”
Being in touch with fans and listeners like never before is a definite advantage and Jon says he enjoys sharing not only what they do on the radio, but what goes on in his personal life adding, “I’ll friend anyone who will have me.” Why? He figures that even if he doesn’t know you personally, that you have somehow formed a connection, and adds that “social media has made us more of a community with our listeners.”
James says that 92Moose has become a true multi-media company and that the Web is only slightly less important than radio. He says, “We all write articles for the website and use Facebook as a way to connect with people and drive them to the website for all of the latest information on contests, people, news and more.”
Jon James (L) with fellow Moose Morning Show hosts Renee Nelson (C) and Mac Dickson (R).
When James isn’t on the radio, he can be found hanging out with his grandson Evan or recording voiceovers. How does he juggle it all? Jon jokes, “Well, I’m a horrible juggler. That’s why I only do one thing at a time!” He says the biggest part of it all is patience and prioritizing. He says his family has always come first and he has been lucky to always find an easy balance between work and play.
Do you want to be a radio DJ? Jon says, “Be willing to move, and do it while you’re young! There are so many opportunities out there, but you have to look a little harder, and be computer savvy because so much is done digitally.”
To listen to Jon and the Moose Morning crew tune in weekdays to 92.3 FM 5:00am- 9:00am. Feel free to shoot Jon a friend request at facebook.com/jjamesvoiceovers or follow 92Moose on Twitter. Don’t forget to check out the latest contests from 92Moose here!
Lunder-Dineen Sponsors Successful Theater of War Production
On Monday night NMC’s Renée Black and Erika Bush traveled to Orono to support our client Lunder-Dineen Health Education Alliance of Maine.
Lunder-Dineen sponsored a performance of Theater of War, produced by Outside the Wire. The performance used a dramatic reading of Sophocles’ Ajax as a way to spark conversation among the audience in a panel discussion about the psychological impact of war on veterans, their families and communities.
The Lunder-Dineen team hosted a successful Theater of War production on Monday evening at The University of Maine at Orono.
The performance featured David Strathairn (Lincoln; The Bourne Ultimatum; Good Night, and Good Luck) who expressed, “From the beginning, we knew we had something special. Anyone who has ever been in the room can testify to that.”
Other actors included Erik Moody, Dustin Tucker, Patricia Buckley and Rob Cameron. The panel discussion was facilitated by retired Brigadier General Loree Sutton.
To learn more about Lunder-Dineen and about programs they’re bringing to a community near you, please visit www.mainehealtheducation.org.
Lunder-Dineen Health Education Alliance of Maine in collaboration with Massachusetts General Hospital is a nonprofit organization that provides high-quality, CME/CE-certified, evidence-based health education to the citizens of Maine using needs assessments, innovative learning methodologies and expert faculty from within and outside of Maine. www.mainehealtheducation.org
Zaarly: Bringing Local Storefronts Online
Founders of Zaarly (L-R) Ian Hunter, Bo Fishback, and Eric Koester. Koester departed in in February.
One of our recent Monday Maine Mavens, Jordan Weymouth Richards, discussed the importance and value of doing what you love each and every day. Zaarly’s three founders, Eric Koester, Bo Fishback and Ian Hunter feel the same way. The business was created in a single weekend two years ago and doesn’t show any sign of slowing down.
When I first moved to New York City in 2008, the biggest question was, where do I live? How do I find a cheap (college student here) apartment in this expensive city? I met a few people who recommended Craigslist and I found my dream place—two-bedroom/two-bathroom with hardwood floors, granite countertops, stainless-steel appliances, full dining and living room for a mere $1,650/month in a nice Harlem neighborhood and two blocks from the A train.
It seems like a dream, right? Well, for me it was, but when I recommended it to a friend last year it seemed deals were hard to find and scams were heavily abundant. Enter Zaarly—a site that brings e-commerce to a new level by allowing the seller to create a virtual storefront, complete with product descriptions, a profile picture and comments—the model is remarkably similar to a social media site for your business/services.
Your virtual storefront works like a social media site. Profile picture? Check. Comments? Check. Creativity is welcomed from a company that claims, “Rules for Work. We do not have these.”
Co-founder and CEO of Zaarly, Bo Fishback says, “Craigslist built a great first version of how to use the Web to make local economies work a little better. It’s coming on 20 years since Craigslist was started and it is unchanged at a time when technology is changing faster than it’s ever changed before—I just had a super simple idea about how to create a hyper-local marketplace.”
It all began at Startup Weekendin February 2011. Two of the founders, Bo Fishback and Eric Koester were inspired by personal pet peeves and/or inconveniences. The third founder, Ian Hunter, had been thinking of a similar idea, virtual garage sales—how can you create the sale without actually having to go to the sale? They pitched their idea and Ashton Kutcher just happened to be one of the judges that evening and loved it. He funded the project with $14 million.
All three guys quit their jobs, went all in, and in a mere two years they have grown their idea into a million-dollar brand, boasting 100,000 registered users, 200 cities, 30 employees, 15,000 unique monthly listings, and $6 million worth of posted transactions.
The idea is that they introduce you to local business people who are passionate about what they do—Zaarly helps you meet people within your community, and those relationships and core connections are the key to their business model. Their website tells you to reclaim your local economy, stating that buying local means investing in your community’s future.
On their blog, Fishback tells the story of how much he loves picnics and how happy he was with a fulfilled picnic request he posted on Zaarly. Bo and his wife, son and dog enjoyed a relaxing two hours provided by “a third-grade teacher during the day, but a picnic wizard by night (and weekends),” who made the experience the best picnic of his life. Former Zaarly Chief Operating Office Eric Koester tells a similar story about a bride who had a DJ cancel the day of her wedding. She posted on Zaarly and within a few hours she had a new DJ booked and the crisis was resolved.
In honor of Zaarly’s goal of bringing people and businesses together, their team page makes it easy for you to ‘meet’ them.
Fishback says, “We help people get paid to do what they love—it’s amazing when you talk to these sellers and they come up with amazing things. We’re just welcoming the sellers into this marketplace; we did not have to invent the world of trust and safety in peer to peer marketplaces—we just get to improve on it.”
An improvement to that system came in February when they decided to leave their peer-to-peer model and approach it from the merchant perspective. Storefronts were born, and similar to Etsy and Shopify, they allow businesses to successfully market their products to customers, receive orders and confirm details.
Fishback says this was a difficult decision, but necessary based on the metrics of their original marketplace. He says that being a startup comes with uncertainty from the market saying, “If you don’t know if there are any fish in the pond, or what kind of fish are there, why would you fish?” Their new model establishes the sellers and on average their sellers are making between $1,500 and $2,000 per month, with some reaching between $6,000 and $7,000 each month.
So how can Zaarly help your business? Here in Maine, we are lucky to have an abundance of ‘Mom and Pop’ stores that not only exist, but are doing exceedingly well. We also have a variety of downtown alliances and organizations that are all about promoting local businesses, farmer’s markets and more.
Zaarly helps connect these businesses and people, promoting local prosperity. They are currently represented in San Francisco, New York, Seattle, Kansas City and Los Angeles, and are always looking to expand their markets.
Check out Zaarly and sign up for a free account today. If you’re looking for great ideas for your business then I suggest you follow their awesome founders on Twitter @ianhunter, @bowman, @erickoester.
Contributed by Erika Bush
Social Media Evolution: How It’s Changing Journalism
WCSH 6/ WLBZ 2 Social Media Coordinator, Brett Whitmarsh
Last month, we addressed the changing landscape of journalism with the integration of social media, and NEWS CENTER 6 Social Media Coordinator, Brett Whitmarsh says the entire Gannett team is striving to lead the way in this collaboration.
Whitmarsh says that originally they figured that social media users would see bits of the news unfold throughout the day, and then we would tie it all together for them in our broadcasts. However, he adds, “My news director took it one step further and took notice of the conversations online, and she realized we needed to be having those same conversations in the newsroom in order to deliver the news that our viewers were looking for.”
Whitmarsh started his career as a general news photographer in Albany, New York after attending Lyndon State College, but he really wanted to ‘come home’ to Maine and work for the WCSH 6 team. After applying for three different positions, he finally landed a job working for 207 and Bill Green’s Maine.
By late 2007/early 2008, Whitmarsh says that they were playing with social media, not fully realizing the direction it would soon go. He says, “It was a lot of fun, but wasn’t really a focus yet.” Within a year, he was attending Quinnipiac University to get his master’s degree in interactive communications while still working full-time on 207 and Bill Green’s Maine. “Those were the hardest two years—I saw all of these techniques that we should be doing as a newsroom with social media,” he says.
Whitmarsh adds that Gannett has been leading the way in social media efforts in journalism by making it a priority. Fresh from grad school and recognized for his passion for social media, Gannett offered Brett the position of social media coordinator.
If you’ve caught Brett in action, then you know that he isn’t kidding when he says that having social media is as common as having a phone, but that people are still confused on how to use it. The etiquette if you will. This is why he works with his news director to develop programs that help demonstrate how you can manage privacy and still be social.
A great early success story was the “social cam” app on Facebook. At first, people thought it asked too many personal questions and it was often confused with spam or phishing, so the NEWS CENTER team decided to break it down and explain how the app worked (you can shoot videos using multiple settings and filters, and then easily upload them via email, Facebook, YouTube and SMS).
The public is more aware of news as it happens than ever, and this engagement is a driving factor in developing programming. Brett says he spends a lot of time observing social media trends and seeing what viewers are talking about—if he notices misinformation being circulated, he uses it as an opportunity to address it. He likes to break down all the jargon and confusion in a way that anyone can understand.
Follow Brett on Twitter @BWhitmarsh
The greatest change in journalism in the ten years Brett has been with WCSH 6/WLBZ 2 has been the technology. Everything is digital, which means no more shooting or editing video on tape. Stories are written from anywhere, so long as there is an Internet connection. This has changed deadlines to “right now” instead of 5 or 6 o’clock. It truly is a 24-hour news cycle.
Whitmarsh says, “Your phone can now be a mobile newsroom. With that comes a whole new level of responsibility in upholding the ethics of journalism. While it is important to be first, it is more important to be right—that’s never changed. It’s so much easier to make a very public mistake.” He adds that expectations have changed for journalists and reporters but that, “Our NEWS CENTER team is incredible. These people are true news veterans.” He also suggests that you follow Pat Callaghan on Twitter because if you don’t then, “you are seriously missing out!”
You will also be seriously missing out if you don’t follow Brett on Twitter! You can connect with him @BWhitmarsh or check out all of his NEWS CENTER stories at http://timebrat.tumblr.com.
Julia Clukey Honored by Maine Legislature
Olympian Julia Clukey was recognized on April 30 by the Maine Legislature as part of Alcohol Awareness Month for her work across the state to promote the importance of responsibility and good decision making with our client the Maine Beer & Wine Distributors Association.
Julia Clukey (center) with members of the Maine Legislature. Clukey was honored for her work as the spokespeson for Maine Beer & Wine Distributors Association’s responsibility initiative.
To acknowledge her work, she was presented with a customized license plate by Senator Roger Katz, Rep. Matt Pouliot, and Secretary of State Matt Dunlap. She also received a Legislative Sentiment from Rep. Matt Pouliot as well as a standing ovation from members of the legislature.
Since 2010, Olympian Julia Clukey has been the spokesperson for the Maine Beer & Wine Distributors Association’s ongoing responsibility initiative. She has presented at 27 high schools across the state, reaching more than 6,000 Maine high school students. Julia’s presentations are made possible by the Maine Beer & Wine Distributors Association as part of their ongoing responsibility initiative and are provided at no cost to the school. To schedule a presentation, visit www.clukeyluge.com/
This month, Julia was also named to the Fall 2013 National Team and recently announced plans for the second year of her 10-day summer camp this summer in Readfield, Maine.
Complete list of people in the photo:
L to R: Mike Runser of Valley Distributors, Jim Bourque of Nappi Distributors, Mike Barriault of Central Distributors, Elmer Alcott of Nappi Distributors, Cheryl Timberlake Executive VP of MBWDA, Secretary of State Matt Dunlap, Olympian Julia Clukey, Senator Roger Katz, Representative Matt Pouliot, Scott Solman of Maine Distributors, Nick Alberding of Pine State Trading Co., Peter Briggs of Aroostook Beverage Co., and Jeff Kane of National Distributors
NMC Participates in Unveiling of New Brand for America’s Newest City: Sanford
On Tuesday, May 7th, Nancy Marshall and Renée Black participated in the launch celebration for the new branding developed for America’s newest city, the city of Sanford, Maine.
Through a strategic process, NMC worked with the Economic Growth Council of Sanford, as well as residents and business leaders to develop a brand that would help fuel economic growth. Nancy and Renee are pictured below with the new Sanford logo on the side of one of Sanford’s fire trucks.
NMC Principal Nancy Marshall and NMC Account Executive Renée Black.
The artwork signifies forward movement, energy and the shape of the Mousam River that runs through the city. The tagline, “Explore. Create. Grow.” signifies the depth of natural, human, and historical resources available to explore in Sanford, as well as the opportunities that can be explored for the future. The word ‘Create’ signifies all that can be created through economic development, education, the arts and recreation. ‘Grow’ signifies the growth potential while living, working and playing in Sanford.
NMC Principal Nancy Marshall with Sanford Director of Economic Development Jim Nimon and Commissioner of Economic and Community Development George Gervais.
Empowering Young Women at 18 Years Young
Founder of Girls Above Society, Lauren Galley
The quest for perfection is one that young people face each and every day. We all went through middle school and know about the pressures that come with growing into your own skin. This week’s Monday Maine Maven Lauren Galley, at 18 years young, has developed a successful career as a working model/actress, radio show host, blogger and, most importantly, a mentor for young women through the nonprofit she founded, Girls Above Society.
Girls Above Society provides mentorship and awareness surrounding the pressures girls face on a daily basis, and works to promote strong leadership skills. Lauren says she was inspired by her own experiences in middle school and high school to start the organization. She adds, “I want to empower girls to accept who they are—to be their best, be healthy, and have the confidence to go after their dreams!”
Lauren has pursued her dream as an actress and model. She grew up in theater with her mother working as a director, and transitioned into film beginning as an extra. Since then, she has been on ABC Family’s “The Lying Game,” and NBC’s “CHASE” as well as national commercials such as Fox Sports and Jarritos. Currently, she has two films in post-production, “Matt Mercury Movie” directed by Bill Hughes and “The Making of a Serial Killer” directed by Russell Miller.
An additional creative outlet for Lauren has been writing. After founding Girls Above Society, she realized that being present and available was important. She created Twitter and Facebook accounts, along with a blog. She adds, “Blogging is a new thing for me, but when I feel inspired I also feel the need to write. I focus on creating images with motivating quotes, since that’s what teens like and enjoy sharing.”
Girls Above Society is a nonprofit that focuses on empowering young women.
It is appropriate that Lauren would choose to focus on teenagers since that’s when she was inspired to create her nonprofit. She says there was a lot of pressure to conform and she realized that she was incredibly lucky to have the support system she did, but she also realized that wasn’t true for everyone saying, “I would see so many girls and friends trying to live up to the unrealistic expectations created by the media—magazine covers, reality TV shows and celebrities.”
During that time, Galley had the opportunity to live in Waterford, Maine, and she says, “Having lived in the big city my whole life, I found it so beautiful and really loved the small town feeling. I found it surreal that everyone knows each other—there are literally no strangers!” That sense of community is something that has stayed with her even though she no longer calls Maine home.
The Maine experience impacted Lauren and she is currently partnering with Camp Waziyatah in Waterford, as a part of the Empower a Girl campaign. The camp is known as the location of Disney Channel’s hit reality camp series, “Bug Juice.” Waziyatah shares many of the same values as Girls Above Society—they teach kids to respect themselves with the hope that they will build a healthy image of themselves.
Galley’s mission in establishing self love is evident in her choice to be an ambassador for Free2Luv, hosting their Web segment, Free2BeYOU. Free2Luv’s motto is, “Take a stand to spread love and to end bullying.” In her Free2BeYOU segment, Lauren will be hosting Q&A sessions with tips for dealing with bullies and peer pressure, as well as hosting contests and giveaways to encourage participation. Galley says, “I hope to share, inspire and make a difference.”
To learn more about Lauren and how you can get involved, check out her website at http://www.girlsabovesociety.org/.
Puppy Play Date
They say that dogs have a calming effect, and are great for your health. This means we were the healthiest office in town when NMC Account Executive, Whitney Moreau’s puppy, Libby, stopped by for a visit recently.
Libby, the newest member of the NMC family.
Whitney says, “Having Libby is what I imagine having a new baby is like—I feel like I haven’t slept since I picked her up! Good thing she’s so adorable and sweet…most of the time.” Lucky for us, Libby was pretty tired and dozed off moments after this picture was taken.
The NMC staff wishes you a happy and relaxing weekend.
Using Google AdWords to Attract Customers to Your Business
Hi, Erika here!
You’re bored on a Friday night and looking for something to do when a friend suggests that you guys grab a bite to eat and go see a movie. You say, “Sure, but I want try something new.” You both agree on pizza, so you Google search local pizza place Augusta Maine and you get this:
Local businesses Whipper’s, College Carryout and Pizza Stone make up the top results of the search. Where would your business be?
Chances are, you’re going to pick one of the places on this page—and there is an even better chance that it will be one of the first three or four listings.
So, how do you make sure that your business is near the top?
A search engine marketing system, such as Google AdWords, certainly helps!
NMC Interactive Marketing Manager Matt Rideout has recently received his AdWords Certification through Google’s AdWords Certification Program. The certification required training in complex marketing systems along with multiple tests, and Rideout says, “The certification lets our customers know that we are fully taking advantage of everything the AdWords marketing channel has to offer. Ultimately, it shows our dedication to ensuring our clients receive the best online advertising possible from NMC.”
NMC Principal Nancy Marshall adds, “Matt’s Google AdWords Certification adds one more area of expertise we can offer to our clients that will help them connect their marketing messages with their target audiences.”
So how does Google AdWords work?
- Keywords are the key to a successful campaign. Think like a potential customer—if they had never been to your business how might they find you?
- Pizza place: thin crust pizza Augusta Maine, pizza delivery Augusta Maine, pizza places in Augusta Maine open late, etc.
- Gym: gym open late in Augusta Maine, Augusta Maine gym with tanning, Augusta Maine trial gym membership, etc.
- You decide how much you spend by setting a daily budget that is comfortable for you, and you can change it at any time—you are never locked into a contract.
- You only pay for results (cost-per-click), which means that you never pay for your ad to be displayed, but only when someone actually clicks on your ad and is redirected to your site and/or landing page.
- Relevance means more business—the more relevant your ads and keywords are to the demographic, the higher your Quality Score. The higher your Quality Score, the higher up your position will be on a Google search.
NMC Interactive Marketing Manager Matt Rideout, who recently received his Google AdWords Certification.
As mentioned earlier in this article, the higher your position on the search results page, the more likely you are to be chosen. The more people click on your ads, the lower your cost-per-click will be!
The team here at NMC sets up cost-per-click systems that allow us to measure return on investment (ROI) so that our customers know they are generating a profit with their campaigns.
Contact us today to see how the NMC team can help your business reach the coveted #1 search result spot with $100 in free AdWords advertising.
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