So what’s the forecast for 2011? Being the nostalgic person that I am, I wanted to look back at the predictions made earlier this year and the latter part of 2010 to determine if they held water, while taking a glance at 2010 buzzwords as well. After a little research at the international, highly esteemed research library Wikipedia, this is what I discovered…

2010

…When someone turned off the lights.  In this year, words like caution, recession-proofing, budgeting and downsizing became the operative words for business.  However, 2010 also brought new importance to terms like relevance, reassurance, value-added, social media, and SEO as firms searched for alternative methods to preserve (or improve) customer retention.

2011

This year we’re finding our chi and thinking happy thoughts. Transformation, revitalize, creativity, emergence, reinvention, comeback, and reenergize are the keywords many business owners believed would set the pace, with ongoing emphasis on SEO, social media and now mobile marketing.

Our deduction?

We say these predictions are right-on. While seeking to recover from 2010, many firms are more aggressive about SEO and use social media and mobile marketing as vital resources to retain relevance and visibility. Meanwhile we notice evolving business strategies and management systems to bring new life to company.

Want to contribute your two cents? Join the conversation on Twitter. #buzzwords2011

Find out what we think and give us your business buzzwords.

The Wright Asphalt brochure project was a fun challenge for us, since it dealt with an industry we had not previously worked with. The design utilized images of asphalt in various ways to bring out the essence of the product and highlighted the beauty of the open road. The completed piece was a 9” x 12”, 4-page plus cover brochure.

Corporate brochures are important as sales tools and positioning pieces. However, if the brochure is not strategically planned out and professionally designed, your new brochure may end up in your potential customer’s trash can.

Consider the following points, when you decide to redesign an existing brochure or create a new one.

• Does your brochure communicate the message intended and stand up against the competition?
• Does your brochure connect emotionally with your prospective customers?
• Is your design professional?
• Does the design use high quality imagery?
• Does your brochure connect personally with your target audience?
• Is your brochure easy to read and follow?
• Is the brochure in language the customer will understand and relate to?
• Are the benefits of the product or service listed up front?
• Does the brochure convey a strong message?
• Is the customer asked to complete a specific action such as calling the office or visiting the website?

When it’s time to produce a new brochure, it should be for a definite purpose and the appropriate investment should be made. Cutting corners may end up with an unimpressive piece.

Check Marion’s latest brochure creations.

Learn more about Marion’s brochure design processes at www.marion.com.

The positioning brochure Marion designed for Champion Technologies is an example of a completely custom, high-end piece. 

Champion Brochure Cover Design

Goals

The goal for this brochure was to create a positioning piece that would put Champion Technologies in the same playing field as other larger upstream chemical companies such as Baker Hughes, Nalco… etc. Although Champion Technologies is the world’s largest privately owned upstream chemical company, many in the industry have been unaware of Champion’s presence or have been under the impression that the company was not competitive with large, publicly traded firms.

Champion’s challenge was to position the Champion brand as one of the “Big Players” within the industry and to have their technical capabilities and global experiences stand out from their better known competitors.

Strategy/Tactics

The strategies used to accomplish the objectives were to:

• Determine an overall structure and layout for the text and images, showcasing an overview of company capabilities
• Illustrate each page layout by hand to create unique imagery and diagrams of processes
• Select images that capture Champion’s brand and capabilities
• Lead a custom photography session with hired models and selected props for additional original imagery that would enhance Champion’s new positioning within the industry
• Showcase Champion’s high level of sophistication, technical know-how and global reach to again enhance their positioning, by utilizing high-end printing and binding techniques including:
  • Spot dull varnish
  • UV coating throughout
  • Custom die cut pocket

Results

The end result showcased a full-color, 8-page brochure that encompassed the company image and qualities of leadership and innovation.

Once the brochure was delivered to its intended audience, the awareness of those unfamiliar with Champion Technologies rose significantly. This was determined by an increase in the unaided recognition rating measured from a pre- and post-brochure survey. This positioning brochure has proven to have played a part in the new recognition and awareness of the Champion brand and capabilities.

Additionally, through the use of the selected photography and illustrations, the piece successfully conveyed that Champion is a worldwide player, a technology pioneer, a proactive leader and a people- and service-oriented company in the upstream chemical industry.

The Champion brochure received the Communicator Awards Gold Award of Excellence.

To see other examples of recent brochure designs, check out Marion’s portfolio.

Marion can help you get a handle on mobile marketing

Momentum is gaining with mobile marketing as more and more individuals are utilizing phones with data packages. The mobile phone is the one device that is always with you, making the accessibility factor a major benefit for businesses promoting to consumers. 

With mobile marketing you provide a direct response mechanism for any call-to-action and when utilized as part of a larger media campaign, it increases visual exposure for better results. It should reinforce your other marketing strategies.

Benefits of a text messaging campaign may include:

     – More traffic to your business and your website with targeted campaigns
     – Improved customer loyalty and a closer relationship with your customers
     – Enhanced name and brand recognition

The most advantageous part of mobile marketing is it is 100% permission based.

With mobile marketing, your audience receives your message immediately, your reach is extended, and it’s affordable. The response rate has also been noted to be higher than direct mail or other promotional tactics.

According to a white paper by Zeep Media, over 5 billion SMS (short message service) messages per month are sent to subscribers’ phones in the US with content they opted-in to receive. Texas receives 9% of the total SMS alerts sent in the United States and California is number one with 11%.

Types of Response-based SMS Ad Formats

Pay per reply – subscriber responds with a specific keyword (74% of market)

Pay per click – ad contains a link to a website (26% of market)

Let’s also think about B2B for a moment…

Where mobile marketing was once viewed only for the B2C business, B2B companies can get creative in how they stay connected to their clients. Businesses can send their customer base best practice tips on using a particular product or case studies on how a product or solution worked well for another client.

Look at mobile marketing as another way of engaging your customer and providing them the information they need as efficiently as possible.

If you’ve considered mobile marketing but are not sure where to begin, Marion can help you determine the best strategy.