Q2 Marketing Blog» Q2 Marketing Blog – Technology Marketing, Public Relations, Brand Consulting

Ten tips for choosing the perfect ad agency

Becky Sheetz-Runkle — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 20:08:18 +0000

Looking to land a marketing or PR agency? Or maybe you’re considering the options and looking for alternatives to the agency or agencies you already have? Here are some fundamentals for making the best choice.

But first, if you haven’t already, read the four essential ingredients you’ll need before selecting a marketing agency.

And now, for the first 3 tips for securing the perfect marketing agency for you:

1. Commitment to delivery. Agencies sometimes lack structure. Everyone you talk with is going to tell you they hit their clients’ deadlines. To get to the real issue, ask their references about their track record in hitting deadlines.

2. Seeing the big picture. Your account manager should have a firm grasp of your business objectives. The agency methodology should be more about helping you reach your goals than creating award-winning pieces. They must understand how and why you want to impact your audience.

3. What’s the ROI? The agency needs to be able to demonstrate return on projects like yours. If you’re looking at web marketing, what’s the agency done and how has it impacted their clients? If they’re trying to sell you on direct marketing, what’s their track record? How have they measured past success and how will they do it for you? A formal measurement methodology in plain English is a huge plus.

Check back soon for the rest of the ten tips for selecting the perfect marketing agency.

Promoting Your Company’s Awards

Becky Sheetz-Runkle — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 14:48:33 +0000

Your company has won an award. Now what? Under-utilized by many companies, I contend, awards can be a powerful source of credibility. They should also be an element of most PR programs. But too often they exist in a vacuum. The award is won. The photo is taken at the ceremony. The plaque is hung on the wall. So what does that get you? Besides a campy photo and an award, not a whole lot.

I don’t mean to be so glib. Congratulations on the award. That’s fantastic. But let’s look at this from a marketing perspective.

Here are some ways to get the most out of awards. Go here if you’re also interested in how to make sure you’re considered for hot industry awards.

Distribute a press release.

Not all awards are created equally. Small regional awards may not get much recognition. But national recognition, awards for corporate growth and even awards from well know industry partners can generate a lot of visibility for you. The release should highlight why you won the award and what’s exciting about your company. If a well known partner gave you the award, make sure that’s prominent in the release. The pick up from that can make all the difference, especially if they are publicly traded and you aren’t.

Integrate with other PR programs

If you have an ongoing PR strategy, you will see additional value from awards. For example, Q2 Marketing recently had clients featured three times in media, influenced greatly as a result of the awards they won and (this is important) the publicity we did around the awards. One of those features was in Inc. Magazine. Each was part of an ongoing media strategy that coupled press releases, award programs and media pitching.

Incorporate in sales and recruiting materials

If you have won awards for being a great place to work, that should be part of your recruitment message. Awards for corporate excellence, sound management, etc., should be rolled into your sales and marketing materials. Sometimes companies choose to incorporate the logos of a major award they have won on their web site, or even their business card.

Online media room

Add any and all award wins to your online media room. This is the easy one.

Win awards. Boost credibility.

Becky Sheetz-Runkle — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 14:16:17 +0000

With a shiny new year upon us, there is no better time to begin or refine your corporate awards program. If you desire to boost your company’s and/or executive’s credibility and profile, this is a great way to do it. It takes time to gather data on award opportunities, so get to work now, if you want to reap rewards in 2009.

Here are the four steps for creating (or improving) your successful awards program.

Find the awards. So you’ve seen your competitors win awards for technology innovation, fast growth, leadership, corporate philanthropy, etc. Or you’ve read about distinctions like these and wondered how to bring this positive attention to yourself. Or, just as likely, senior management is irritated because it should be your company in the spotlight, not the competition.

You can find award opportunities in your regional business publications. In the Washington, D.C. region, both the Washington Business Journal and Smart CEO award companies for everything from growth to philanthropy to financial excellence, achievement by women and minorities, and more. You can also find opportunities through your chambers of commerce and other regional and national business organizations, industry associations and industry magazines.

Qualify for the awards. Once you’ve found the awards, the next step is to make sure you qualify for them. Restrictions include number of years in business, revenue thresholds and more. Make sure you qualify before you dedicate your resources. When in doubt, contact the organization directly and gather more data.

Submit the awards. Once you’ve found the awards, you’ll need to determine how far in advance applications must be submitted. Often they are six months or longer. So now is a good time to build your matrix and track when opportunities will fall. Yes, these awards can be time consuming. However, once you’ve gathered the data for the first time, submitting for subsequent opportunities is often much easier.

Yes, you will often open your kimono to the world and share your otherwise private information like revenue numbers, etc. Make sure you are ready for this step before you proceed, if you seek awards that highlight financial growth.

Promote the awards. This is the “duh” step, the ironic step, the “why are we doing this again” step. It’s great to win the awards. But remember, the whole point of winning them is to let the world know you won them and use them as part of your marketing portfolio. More on this next time.

Learn more about winning awards.

A Way to Boost Credibility that Your Company Probably isn’t Doing

Becky Sheetz-Runkle — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 16:37:05 +0000

At Q2, we live all things tech marketing in the Washington D.C. region and beyond. Our people network with colleagues and peers. We give presentations to the industry. We talk with prospects, clients and partners. We contribute to the Technology Marketing Blog and other tech marketing blogs and print outlets. We’re regularly quoted in industry news outlets.

The point is, we have our finger on the proverbial pulse of what’s happening (and what’s not) in the wonderful world of tech marketing. And one of the things that’s not happening is a relatively straight-forward, fundamental program. That program is award opportunities.

As many of you probably know, awards exist for corporate governance, revenue growth, product innovation, social responsibility and more. Awards also exist for specific industries and solutions. What you probably also know is that many companies don’t take advantage of opportunities for which they are well qualified. You might even know that a little too well.

Executives understand the value of gaining credibility. Almost every one we talk with believes there would be a benefit in developing an ongoing award opportunity program. But still, when it comes to practice, many companies don’t pursue awards.

The reason for this may be in the amount of lead time and planning required. While the level of effort in an award program isn’t daunting, it requires foresight. The opportunities should be amassed 12-months or more in advance, and continually monitored for changes and additional opportunities. Some are ongoing awards, and some change. An example is the Inc. 500, which has expanded to the Inc. 5000.

The second challenge may be lack of awareness of which organizations (media, industry associations, corporations, etc.) present awards. These can be found by paying close attention to industry news, media editorial calendars, and monitoring your competitors’ news coverage.

For more tips on how to develop an award program that increases your company’s exposure, contact info@q2marketing.com.