Future Marketing Strategy Beth Evarts

What is Marketing? ( Wikipedia ) Marketing is the process which creates communicates delivers the value to the customer and maintain the relationship with customers. [1] It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments. [1] It is an integrated process through which companies build strong customer relationships and create value for their customers and for themselves. [1] [1] customer relationships [1] Marketing is used to identify the customer, satisfy the customer, and keep the customer. With the customer as the focus of its activities, marketing management is one of the major components of business management.customer marketing managementbusiness management The adoption of marketing strategies requires businesses to shift their focus from production to the perceived needs and wants of their customers as the means of staying profitable.productionprofitable The term marketing concept holds that achieving organizational goals depends on knowing the needs and wants of target markets and delivering the desired satisfactions. [2] It proposes that in order to satisfy its organizational objectives, an organization should anticipate the needs and wants of consumers and satisfy these more effectively than competitors. [2]target markets [2]

Problem Statement: Today… Our marketing driven events are decentralized, reactive, and inconsistent. Many existing processes are redundant and inefficient. We do not completely understand or track the full impact and ROI of our current activities.

New Approach: Mission To develop efficient, cost-effective and consistent processes to capture the attention of our ideal prospects and convert them to new profitable clients while we retain and grow the goodwill of our current clients.

New Approach: Vision Develop unified, consistent messaging across the company, increase financial savings and process efficiencies, and continue to deliver and increase the value of the company brand. How?

New Approach: Objectives Leverage and expand brand equity and company reputation. Obtain consistent messaging. Track and analyze marketing costs – Marketing Plan – Marketing Budget – Marketing ROI Proactive approach to internal and external market trends (inbound/outbound marketing).

New Approach: Goals Maximize financial effectiveness – Short term recommendations – Long term plan Capitalize on financial savings – Leverage existing technologies – Investments in new technologies

Shift Blended Approach Centralized (Future) Financial savings and process efficiencies Little to no financial effectiveness; no process Decentralized (Today) WA NH SC WA CA FL PA ME MA NY PA DE CT Blended Marketing Approach Benefits: Centralized systems & processes supporting decentralized activities

S hort Term Recommendations Branding Strategy – Use of style guidelines, roll out plan, training and templates to achieve consistency – Successful Implementation Requires: Executive management buy-in, support, and company-wide communication Established roll out plan and training Office visits and face-to-face presentation Implementation – Update business stationary items such as letterhead, envelopes, business cards, labels – Update existing business templates such as invoices, proposal templates, SF330 templates, reports, etc.

Short Term Recommendations (cont’d) eStore Front – Expand use of existing online electronic store (tool) Centralizes branded and approved marketing materials, business cards and stationary “Regionalizes” materials based on templates Soft marketing expenses minimized Material costs built into office and/or facility budgets Quicker turnaround for support of regional activities – Successful Implementation Requires: Time – needed to recreate marketing materials based on brand guidelines with options for localization (e.g. local office address, phone…) Roll out plan Training Executive management buy-in, support, and company-wide communication

Short Term Recommendations (cont’d) Proposals – Centralized approach with thresholds Over $50,000 in value Multi-year contract MSA/IDIQ Federal and GSA proposals SF330 requirements Multiple teaming partners/subcontractors Strategic in nature (gets our foot in the door) – Successful Implementation Requires: Dedicated technical editor/writer in marketing – Proposals and other marketing program goals (e.g. project descriptions, case studies, web news, etc.) Formal Bid/No Bid process Corporate/marketing review prior to submission Executive management buy-in, support, and company-wide communication

Project Descriptions – Use Vision to capture project descriptions Key word searching Feeds SF330s Feeds online resumes Start up, mid-point, close-out descriptions – Successful Implementation Requires: Mandatory process Rollout, implementation & training strategy Documentation / user guides Executive management buy-in, support, and company-wide communication Short Term Recommendations (cont’d)

On Line Resumes – Use Vision to create resumes on-the-fly Uses project descriptions & client information stored in Vision Customized resumes can be created easily (e.g. wetlands vs. permitting, etc) Feeds into SF330s – Successful Implementation Requires: Mandatory use of Vision to capture project descriptions Rollout, implementation & training strategy Documentation / user guides Process for new hire resumes and temp employees Executive management buy-in, support, and company-wide communication

Short Term Recommendations (cont’d) Tradeshows/Conferences/Sponsorships – Blended support Centralize management of requests Ability to track costs using account codes Future budgeting and planning ability Local office support of events – Successful Implementation Requires: Marketing event items for each major office (can stock each major office with the following for <$3K) – Pop-up briefcase displays ($1,600) – Normandeau branded table cloth ($400) – Pull up banner ($650) – Use eStore front for printed materials Executive management buy-in, support, and company-wide communication

Marketing Budget (a roll up of the following) – Corporate communications Inbound marketing – Content-driven web site – Social Media programs – Thought Leadership Blogs – Analytics/revising – Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Outbound marketing – Tradeshows, conferences, and seminars – PR/Advertising/Outreach – Sponsorships – blasts – CSG level – Office/facility level Long Term Plan

Marketing Plan – Corporate Communications – CSG Level – Office/Facility Marketing ROI – Blended approach: centralized systems and processes supporting decentralized activities – Use account codes to review, Vision to analyze and report, web analytics, SEO Long Term Plan (cont’d)

Future Investments – Marketing memberships DMA, SMPS, AMA, marketing seminars/webinars – Continued training Adobe, MSOffice, Vision, Social Media – Company wide training MS Office, Vision, eStore, proposal process, online booking form Leveraging in house resources – Marketing coordinator role in each office (Leah Koch, Tracy Hardy, Brenda Strouse, others?) – Budget External – Conferences, events, sponsorships, printing, table cloths, desktop briefcase displays (5: WA, NH, ME, PA, FL), etc Internal – desktop printer for marketing, computer upgrades (Gail), blackberries or something like it Long Term Plan (cont’d)

Dedicated Marketing Director The marketing director is a member of the senior management team working closely with key members to define and implement an integrated corporate communications and marketing strategy (MARCOMM), strengthen and streamline the MARCOMM infrastructure to maximize efficiencies and gain financial savings, and to support ongoing business development functions designed to achieve revenue targets. The Marketing Director will lead and drive all of the company's initiatives in marketing, to include marketing operations, public relations, web presence, business development and strategic relationships. The Marketing Director will also act as a marketing advocate to CSG Leaders to ensure they are engaged in the strategic marketing plan and that marketing is regarded as a value added business partner as well as an integral part of the overall business planning.

Long Term Plan (cont’d) Dedicated Creative Director The Creative Director is responsible for translating and communicating strategic goals into actionable design solutions, establishing the conceptual and stylistic direction for design staff and orchestrating their work, as well as the work of production professionals. Ensures the right resources are in place, from designers to developers to copywriters and more, so that the interactive produced is visually compelling and able to drive revenues. Areas of responsibility may include: – Branding – Graphics – Communications – Motion/Video – Research/strategic – 3-D design – Prototyping – Designs for mixed media uses (print, web, video, etc)

 Company Goals Board of Directors, Long Range Planning, CSG’s, Regional Office/Facility   

Marketing Action Plan Next step(s) – open discussion