Manson Construction Takes Top Honors

We couldn’t be prouder of our client Manson Construction, a privately held dredging and marine construction company based in Seattle, which was named in the number-one spot for construction projects in 2008.

Manson Construction and project partner Flatiron Construction built the I-35W Bridge in Minneapolis after the old bridge collapsed in April 2008. Flatiron-Manson was named Grand Award Winner by the largest U.S. construction trades association, Associated General Contractors of America (AGC).

As reported in the AGC press release, Flatiron Construction and Manson Construction demonstrated hard work and diligence in completing the project three months early, while overcoming difficult challenges and constraints under the watchful eye of the public and the media.

BroadBased produced Manson’s capabilities brochure and other marketing materials, and designed the company’s Web site.

Newest Member Joins PR Team

Congratulations to Lynsey Mullis, the newest member of our team! She has been promoted to Junior Account Executive and joins the PR team led by Maria Coppola.

Lynsey will help support the team’s work with high profile clients including Waste Management, Fifth Third Bank, Reality Check First Coast, and many more regional and local businesses.

“This addition to our PR department has been projected in our business plan since last year,” said BroadBased President Jan Korb. “Lynsey has proved her value to our company and our clients in the few months she’s been with us, and I’m delighted she has accepted this new level of responsibility.”

Florida Coastal Adds Twitter to Communications Strategy

On the heels of the March BROADcast reporting on the use of Twitter for business, Florida Coastal School of Law has launched its own official Twitter micro-blog. “We are using it as a means to reach prospective and current students, as well as our 2,000+ alumni living across the country,” says Brooks Terry, Marketing Director. “It’s our goal to update it at least daily with items including upcoming special events and recruitment opportunities, school successes and milestones, and even faculty publications and items in the news.”

Twitter’s growth chart continues to look incredible, says the Silicon Alley Insider. The blog reports that the messaging/microblogging service attracted 9.3 million U.S. unique visitors to its site in March, up 131% over February, according to comScore. That’s more than five million new visitors than the site had in February.

The Coastal Law Office of Institutional Advancement, which houses the school’s alumni affairs and marketing staff, will administer the page. BroadBased worked with the marketing department to integrate branding.

Check out the site and become a follower at twitter.com/FloridaCoastal

You are also invited to follow the musings of BroadBased CEO Jan Korb and Director of Public Relations Maria Coppola at twitter.com/JanKorb and twitter.com/MariaCoppola

Print Taking a Bigger Piece of the Budget Pie?

BroadBased owner Jan Korb turned up a surprising result when studying the company’s first quarter business mix.

“We have several in-house services that we track including public relations, marketing planning and print and online development,” says Korb. “While it certainly takes more than one quarter for a trend to take shape, we are very surprised to see that development of print materials is well ahead of the volume forecasted. This comes after five years of steady decline in print development. That’s pretty stunning to me.”

What does this mean? Is it an anomaly? Is it a return to simpler times, simpler media? Have clients spent the last several years building an online presence and simply run out of printed collateral?

Where our clients spend their marketing dollars is important to us as we plan staffing and equipment according to our forecasts. It’s essential that we provide the service mix that meets or exceeds our client requirements, so we’re keeping a close eye on where this trend may be going.

Most popular print product developed in the first quarter:

• Handbooks for recruiting and retention of employees
• Corporate magazines
• Capabilities brochures
• Direct mail

The Printers’ Perspective

Jon Cummins, CEO and President at Paramount Performance Marketing, said diversity is definitely the key to surviving in this economy. “Commercial printing, while down approximately 8%, is still one of the largest and most important manufacturing businesses in the U.S. ($98 billion in total sales). We are being strategically optimistic. While the current economic conditions are certainly challenging, it is the best time to redefine ourselves.”

Ami Caswell of Hartley Press reports that business has indeed suffered since the economy tanked late in 2008. But although some regular publications have been pulled to the Web, the company is holding steady, and its diversified business base is yielding some distinctly bright spots. Of note:

• Direct mail is definitely on an upswing. For example, although expected to go away just a few years ago, it turns out print catalogues continue to remain strong.
• Health care industry is investing heavily in print.
• Stimulus money is starting to trigger printing projects – proposals, informational brochures in businesses like transportation, public infrastructure.

We’ll continue to watch what may be a developing trend and report our findings to you. We can only conclude that using all appropriate media as part of an integrated, strategic marketing communications plan is the way to go for our clients.

Take Our Survey

BROADcast for March

BroadBased Communications | BROADcast Newsletter March 2009

Keeping Tabs on Twitter

If your company is looking for new ways to find or reach customers, we suggest you look into Twitter. It has moved quickly beyond the world of social media-savvy teens and into marketing departments and board rooms.

We use it ourselves, and other companies like Dell, JetBlue, H&R Block, and the Lakeland, Florida, Police Department do as well.

Is Twitter for you? Can you see a use for a medium that builds a family of “followers” to your communications? Boosts your brand? Raises visibility? Read below, and you be the judge.

Why We Tweet

Many companies are using Twitter to stay in touch with customers.

BroadBased uses its Twitter account to support our brand, advise clients and answer questions. We regularly post keyword-rich messages to prospective clients. It’s a distinct advantage that Twitter posts, or “tweets,” come up on Google.

So it becomes an SEO (search engine optimization) tool that can help boost your visibility on the Web. View BroadBased Twitter.

BroadBased members have their own accounts, too. President Jan Korb is a self-confessed“power user” who networks with other marketing and PR professionals via Twitter. View Jan Korb’s Twitter.

Why They Tweet

You don’t have to search far for a “who’s who” list of Twitter users among American businesses. Here’s a short list of names and Twitter applications:

Newell Rubbermaid – Marketers noticed that professional organizers (the people who declutter homes and offices) were blogging, and those bloggers were also on Twitter. They now use Twitter to reach the organizers and cultivate relationships with them.

Dunkin’ Donuts – The company’s public relations department uses Twitter to “listen” to customers. They ask for opinions and feedback from their customers on Twitter, and enjoy the responses in real time.

Dell – Dell tweets notices of new products or new versions of their computer games. They’ve also used Twitter for targeted customer service, and have seen a growing body of users offering to help other Dell users through Twitter. Dell also provides its employees with Twitter and Facebook accounts for company updates.

GM and Kodak – These companies use Twitter to monitor what’s being said about their brands.

JetBlue and H&R Block – These companies and many others use Twitter to boost brand awareness and answer customer questions.

Lakeland, Florida, Police – Just after they sent out the bomb squad, they sent an alert of a possible bomb in a public parking lot on Twitter. Other police departments send tweets on road closings, Amber alerts, suspect descriptions and as a substitute for press releases.

Want to Try Twitter? We Can Help

Contact us for a consultation on use of Twitter and other social networking media. We can explain the different uses and users, review the pros and cons and share some marketing tips.

Picture Your Face on Facebook

Facebook users by age group
(Feb/March 2009)

Users age 40 and above are the fastest growing segment on Facebook.

Picture this scenario: You need a campaign to reach the 20-somethings in your town. You place an ad on Facebook. You also place print and radio ads that run concurrently. The results: through the real-time monitoring on Facebook, you learn that your ad received nearly 1.5 million views and 500 click-throughs to the page you set up for reinforcement, far outperforming print and radio ads.

That’s an actual BroadBased case history. But it’s not just about reaching 20-somethings. Facebook accounts are skyrocketing in other age sectors. And for the first time Facebook is beating MySpace account start-ups in selected groups. If you need the high school crowd, try MySpace. For others, move toward Facebook.

Outdoors and Loving it with Jacksonville Kids

Sean Collins, left, hands out trail mix at the Native Sun table.

Two BroadBased employees recently shared moments in the sun with area children. More than 200 children participated in the latest RALLY Jacksonville! event – Great Outdoor Adventure Tree Festival – as part of Mayor Peyton’s Book Club early literacy program.

During the morning’s activities, Jacksonville Mayor Peyton was present to help with a tree planting. The children heard stories, took nature walks and had their photos taken with Pete the Dog and Chlorophyllis. They returned home armed with gifts of seedlings, birdhouses, and healthy treats.

BroadBased Traffic Manager Joy Jarrell supervised the photo booth, and Web Designer Sean Collins helped serve treats at the Native Sun table.

“Our table was a big success,” said Collins. “All in all, it was a great turnout and a great day.”

BroadBased Communications was the creative team behind RALLY Jacksonville! in the program’s first season. Now, aside from volunteer projects, BroadBased personnel continue to work with RALLY Jacksonville! and its current staff.

“At this point, it’s a labor of love for us,” said Jarrell.

News From the Public Relations Department

Our Public Relations Director, Maria Coppola, was recently named to the Board of Directors of the Jacksonville Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA). As an experienced PR professional with more than 17 years in the media industry, she was also named the Media Relations Chair for the group. Congratulations Maria!

Right now, Maria is busy grabbing headlines in seven counties as interest builds in Northeast Florida’s future. The client, Reality Check First Coast, will bring 300 community leaders together May 21 to brainstorm a blueprint for area growth through 2060. For more information on Reality Check, visit realitycheckfirstcoast.com.

She is also busy managing the media relations for Waste Management as it works with the city to resolve the issue over the future of the Trail Ridge landfill. For more information on the facts, visit keeptrailridge.com.

Some of her other clients include Fifth Third Bank, Children’s Lighthouse Learning Center of Jacksonville and Erica Courtney.

As for FPRA, the local chapter Web site can be found at fpra-jax.org, and the next big event is the 2009 FPRA Image Awards being held Friday, April 3, at MOCA Jacksonville from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Image Awards highlight and recognize the best public relations campaigns in the area.

Kudos to BroadBased Prez Jan Korb

Last month, Jan received the Silver Medal Award from the Jacksonville chapter of the American Advertising Federation (AAF).

The American Advertising Federation’s Silver Medal Award Program was established in 1959 to recognize men and women who have made outstanding contributions to advertising and who have been active in furthering the industry’s standards, creative excellence and responsibility in areas of social concern. Annually, AAF member clubs bestow this honor upon outstanding members of the local advertising community.

Jan Korb Becomes Only the Second Jacksonville Woman to Win The ADDY’s Silver Medal Award

Jan Korb, has received this year’s Silver Medal Award, presented over the weekend by the Jacksonville chapter of the American Advertising Federation (AAF).

“I’m thrilled to be a part of the growing and progressing field of advertising and marketing in Jacksonville,” said Korb, who just recently expanded the 13-year old company and opened new offices in the Riverplace Tower. “After more than 20 years in the profession it’s a genuine pleasure to be recognized for my contributions. I couldn’t do it without the talented staff of the firm.”

Korb didn’t know she was up for the award, as her senior employees secretly nominated her for the ADDY. The application included information about her achievements in creating and implementing the Mayor’s Rally Jacksonville! literacy program, a long history of providing services for a variety of industries and highlights about her community involvement, which includes being a long-time Boys and Girls Club mentor and a graduate of both Leadership Jacksonville and the Northeast Florida Regional Council’s Regional Leadership Academy.

Congratulations to our head Broad!!

BROADcast – February 2009

The Payoff is in the Planning

Making your 2009 marketing dollars work hard for you is more important than ever, and we can help your chances of marketing success by developing an integrated marketing plan.

The key benefits of a well thought-out marketing plan include:

• creation of a long-range strategy to guide your marketing decisions
• delivery of an annual budget detailing projected monthly investments
• proposed techniques to measure effectiveness of efforts

A marketing plan is developed to meet your specific business goals, be they increasing overall brand awareness, driving consumers to your Web site or developing media relations that result in news articles. Your plan should identify your audiences, geographic reach, outlets (print, online, radio, direct mail) and objectives for your marketing activities. Projected ROI should also be included, as well as agreed upon methods of determining the success of your efforts.

A well-written plan will integrate your marketing or brand awareness initiatives through all outlets and offer strong guidance throughout the year. This is very helpful in that your careful planning will discourage ad-hoc marketing decisions that may not be in line with your business goals or target markets.

If you are interested in exploring the benefits of your own plan, please call Jan at 904.398.7279.

One of the important features of a BroadBased marketing plan is that we identify Cost Per Thousand (CPM). CPM is how much it costs to reach any 1,000 (M) people in your target. Knowing the the CPM can be of great assistance when determining if a particular outreach “costs too much.”

Mac Papers in the Vanguard for Sustainable Resources

Created by BroadBased for Mac Papers, Developing an  Environmental Paper Procurement Policy is an informative guide on how businesses of all sizes can join the worldwide effort to sustain and protect the environment through the use of certified paper.

The United States has recently banned the import, sale or trade of all illegally harvested wood and forest products. The legislation applies the same principles to wood and forest products as are maintained against import of live tropical species, elephant ivory and tiger skins.

Environmentally certified paper encompasses both recycled paper and virgin pulp harvested from certified forests, with many types of paper to choose from. “With so many options available, using a certified paper doesn’t have to cost any more than using a non-certified paper,” said David Bowers, Marketing Director for Mac Papers. “Copier paper, letterhead, brochures, catalogs and direct mail can all be printed on environmentally certified paper. You just have to request it.”

BroadBased, with the help of Mac Papers, has begun the steps toward developing our own internal environmental paper policy. To find out how your business can participate in a certified paper procurement program, see www.macpapers.com/advantagegreen.

A Fresh Face at BroadBased

A graduate of the University of North Florida with a BS in Communications, specifying in public relations, Lynsey Mullis is the most recent addition to team BroadBased.

During her college years, Lynsey gained a great deal of marketing and public relations experience from internships at local advertising agencies and corporations. Her hands-on experience working directly with clients has prepared her well for her new role supporting both the PR and Marketing departments at BroadBased. Welcome Lynsey!

BroadBased Public Relations Grabs the Headlines

Can you picture your company here?

The foundation of public relations at BroadBased Communications is Media Relations. “Good media relations rely on expert timing, strategic ‘placement’ and the right communicator,” says Maria Coppola, PR Director for BroadBased. From print journalists to TV and radio reporters, Maria knows how to tell a story to gain maximum exposure.

Dollar for Dollar, Specialty Advertising Packs the Biggest Punch

Thinking of cost-effective ways to punch up your advertising on a limited budget? Everything old is new again – try imprinted specialty items.

According to recent advertising research, those imprinted mugs, caps, bags and pens are more powerful advertising messengers than you might think, and they’re cheaper per impression than any other form of media.

Consider this: Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI) data show that the average cost per impression of a specialty item is $0.004. Compare that figure to one for any other form of advertising (according to Nielsen Media data):

• National magazine ad $0.033
• Newspaper ad $0.0129
• Prime time TV ad $0.019
• Cable TV ad $0.007
• Spot radio ad $0.005

Not only are specialty items cheaper, but they have more staying power with recipients. The ASI’s recent survey showed that 84 percent of people remember the advertiser, 42 percent have a more favorable impression of the advertiser after receiving an item, and 62 percent have done repeat business with the advertiser after they received the item.

According to recipients, they’re most likely to hold on to (in order of magnitude) pens, shirts, caps and bags.

So call Joy at BroadBased to order up those key chains, pens and coffee mugs. They work hard to promote your business!

Presenting BroadBased 4.0: Bigger, Bolder and Room to Grow!

Now bigger, brighter and bolder, the new BroadBased Communications headquarters is buzzing with activity as we add the final decorative touches to our new 18th floor home in the Riverplace Tower.

BroadBased owner and CEO Jan Korb took a few minutes last week to talk about the move and what it means for the company and its clients. The move, she said, was intended to give the company better tools for delivering services to clients and stay on top of evolving communications trends.

“We now have more office space, more design workstations and upgraded computer equipment and software for everyone,” said Korb. “We’re especially excited about the new, larger conference room. The built-in technology allows us to perform electronic presentations and web conferencing on a 50-inch flat screen. This is really helpful for all our clients, both in town and out of the area.”

Underlying the expansion is the intention to stick with the business plan; growth and continued adaptation to market demand are at its core.

“Many businesses cut back during tough financial times,” said Korb. “We’re doing the opposite. We’re investing in our future.”

Many thanks to John Perez of Rink Design for his invaluable space planning consultation and design.

BroadBased delivers holiday cheer to Jacksonville kids

In the spirit of season the BroadBased team hand delivered Christmas cheer to hundreds of children.  The 10th annual Children’s Christmas Party of Jacksonville was held December 13 and, as always, it was a huge success and a wonderful experience for volunteers and children alike. Each year local sponsors and hundreds of volunteers donate time and money to provide holiday cheer for First Coast families in need. This year, nearly a dozen volunteers manned the BroadBased booth, and close to 10,000 children received four new toys each.

BroadBased has been a long-time supporter of the Christmas Party. Over the past five years, we have developed and maintain their brand identity including logo, web site, printed materials and public relations.

Nearly a dozen volunteers manned the BroadBased booth

We’re cleaning house

In the coming weeks we’ll be making some major changes at BroadBased, as part of those changes we’re cleaning house and we have some furniture we’re looking to sell. $50 for everything, except the lime green chairs are $200 each. We also have a wide assortment of desk chairs for $20 each.

Lateral filing cabinet

There are two for sale

There are two for sale

Desk

Receptionist desk

Receptionist desk

Please feel free to contact Jan if you have any inquiries.