Sally's take on...

...getting dragged, kicking and screaming, into a new era

It wasn’t all that long ago that, honestly, I turned up my nose at blogs and bloggers. Too much mindless drivel. Too many poseurs. Too much horrendously bad writing.

For the uninitiated (and, yes, there are plenty of those still around), “web logs” or blogs for short, are online journals. Some, as Wikipedia explains, comment on or break news in particular subject areas. And many individuals use them as personal online diaries, shared with friends and family.

With some 113 million of them at the moment, blogs are not just growing fast in number, but in influence in this word-of-mouth, user-generated-content world. And, for some, in credibility as well.

We help manage one client’s blog, and created and manage a new blog for another (see Short Takes). We’ve come to understand how they can be used as effectively in b-to-b as in b-to-c environments as another channel to create awareness and influence. Done right – authentically and honestly – they can help build a greater sense of community around what you do. (Further, pragmatically speaking, blogs are magnets for the search engine ‘bots and increasing an online presence.)

The more we’ve learned, the more we came to realize that we had to walk the talk. And so we launched our blog, www.diabloguer.com, in early January.

We’re staying away from the drivel, especially the mindless variety. We’re not looking to pose, but to participate in the conversations about communications. And we’ve won too many awards for our writing to relax our standards now. We hope you’ll visit it, either through our Web site (www.hodgeschindler.com) or directly. And, as always, we encourage your comments.

Face-to-face marketing: When media alone is not enough

By Judi Schindler

The president of a Midwest construction company, with whom we have worked for many years, was evaluating his marketing program –which includes advertising, media relations, Web-based marketing, trade shows and direct mail.

“You’ve done a great job in marketing to real estate brokers and developers, but can’t we can get in front of end users – companies interested in new headquarters?” he asked.

Tall order. Entrepreneurs and managers who are thinking about new buildings are not a cohesive group, and there are too few of them to rationalize mass media advertising.

While most people think of public relations as media relations, there are times when you need to supplement your media program. That’s when face-to-face marketing comes into play – getting directly in front of targeted audiences through informational events structured around their interests.

This strategy works well for B2B companies that want to showcase the expertise of their management team.

In this case, we worked with the client to develop a breakfast seminar titled “To Build or Not to Build,” which was co-sponsored by a real estate brokerage, a bank and an accounting firm. All four companies contributed to the mailing list, shared costs and were featured in the panel presentation.

The seminar was marketed through a printed invitation, e-mail blasts, a press release and mailings to members of local chambers of commerce and business associations.

Special care was taken to make the program as informational as possible – no heavy-handed commercials. Attendees were presented with solid information on the current real estate environment; lease-or-own considerations; financing options; cost controls and the tax implications.

The breakfast cost a total of $4,600 and produced six viable leads for the client. If only one of those prospects moves forward with a $10 or $20 million building, that represents a substantial ROI.

If face-to-face-marketing offers your company the possibility of similar benefits here are some basic pointers:

• • Find a partner.
• • Make sure the content is informative, not promotional.
• • Bring in outside speakers.
• • Have enough staff present to cover the room.
• • Follow up.

Digging for pURLS in direct marketing programs

By Chris Scott

Direct mail campaigns can help companies add a touchpoint with customers, potentially generating business from someone already familiar with their brand.

We’ve recently started employing an approach that marries traditional direct mail with an interactive online component. Called pURL (short for personal URL), it has been shown to increase overall response rates and generate pre-qualified sales leads.

For one client that sought to increase its contact with targeted prospects, we used a two-pronged approach. The first involved designing oversized postcards with segment-customized messaging about the client’s services. The second prong involved promotion in the card’s content of a pURL for the recipient, set up with the help of Bloomington Offset Process Inc., our partner in the project.

Once postcard recipient “John Smith” accessed the pURL  www.JohnSmith.Client.com, he was taken to a personalized Web site that welcomed him and explained the process.

After confirming his contact information, John was asked to complete a five-question survey that asked about the type of information he was looking for and what and when would be the best way and time for a representative to make a follow-up call or a personal visit. As a thank you for participating, John could then click through to download a special report on the client’s services, customized according to market segment.

The first leg of the pURL program generated 30 solid, qualified leads. The client was happy - these were 30 leads he didn't have before - but the response rate was lower than what we'd hoped for. As this was a "test and learn" initiative, for the second round, we plan to adjust the offer and simplify the messaging with a goal of boosting the response rate and creating more qualified prospects.

Personalized URLs have big potential for engaging prospects (and moving them to action) by delivering a message in a fresh and effective manner. But, as with any new marketing tactic, test and learn is the operative rule in order to ensure that business goals, objectives – and expectations – are being met.

Chris Scott is a senior vice president of our agency.

Short takes

New blog + Reuters mention = visibility gold
After spending several months in development, the new blog we helped client Alternative Reproductive Resources (ARR) launch (Conception Connections) was ready for formal launch in mid-January. The blog is designed to spark conversations and share the perspectives of intended parents, egg donors, gestational surrogates and, of course, ARR’s leaders, on fertility-related issues. In the timing-is-everything category, at launch time we happened to connect with a Reuters reporter looking for examples of unusual business blogs. ARR’s was first-mentioned, and in very complimentary terms. Traffic jumped, other blogs and Web sites have linked to it, and it’s starting to generate comments. A perfect example of the benefits of tying marketing and PR together. The challenge will be in keeping up the pace!

Expertise PR pays off for professional services firm
A big part of our business is raising the profiles of a variety of professional services firms. Since we started last fall with 400twin, a New York-based luxury brand consultancy, we’ve been busy filling the media pipeline as we execute an aggressive media relations program. Our hard work is starting to pay off: Three articles were published in January alone, including a Marketingprofs.com article that during the first day drove nearly 70 visitors to the 400twin Web site (many spending upwards of 10 minutes on the site) and spurred dozens of new subscriptions to their e-mail list. In addition, our reporter relationship-building program has resulted in five expert source quotes in various targeted publications, including the coveted Women’s Wear Daily, within the last two months.

GO Group online
Since we began working with GO Group last year in preparation for the September launch of this international consortium of ground transportation companies, our work has ranged from managing creation of its Web site to development of brochures and advertising and media relations programs. What's helped build credibility while also driving traffic to the site, though, has been a series of news releases offering travel tips from consortium members. The most recent release, which discussed how to make air travel with children easier over the long Presidents' Day weekend, was distributed to a number of the online wire services and picked up by 50 separate online outlets.

Reuters cites Hodge on Marketing in Tough Times
Hodge Schindler President Sally Saville Hodge offers her advice to small and mid-sized businesses on spending smarter in a down economy. Read the article.

How to contact us

Hodge Schindler Integrated Communications is located at 900 N. Franklin St., Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60610. Our phone is 312.666.6662; fax is 312.666.1670.

To contact any of our team members via email, please use their first initial-last name-at-hodgeschindler-dot-com.