Findlay, Ohio : Anderson Robertson Marketing, headquartered in Findlay, has been chosen by Secretary of State, Jon Husted, to be highlighted as a leader in business to business communication in the state of Ohio.  According to a written letter of recognition to the agency’s owners, Secretary of State Husted remarked that Anderson Robertson Marketing “is a great example of both perseverance and leadership in your industry”, further stating, “my office would welcome the opportunity to profile your company.”

Sept. #OBP pick @armarket prides themselves on their creativity which yields high return for clients: http://t.co/QikYxBWvP5

— Ohio SOS Jon Husted (@OhioSOSHusted) September 18, 2013

Each month the Secretary of State recognizes a handful of Ohio based businesses with a common theme. The month of September is focusing on companies with best-in-class business-to-business services throughout Ohio.  Other featured companies include Battelle & Battelle, dunnhumbyUSA, Vividfront and Boss Display.  “Just to have our organization recognized in the same sentence with companies like Battelle and dunnhumbyUSA is incredible.” said Betsy Robertson, Principal of Anderson Robertson Marketing. “I think our progress with national trade organizations and larger accounts is beginning to get noticed. AR has won a couple of national awards for work for Fresh Encounter, and even been a part of some pretty high profile projects for some much larger national clients like Marathon and CardioReady.”

Anderson Robertson Marketing approaches business a little differently. According to their company profile featured with the Secretary of State, Anderson Robertson Marketing gives its employees a philanthropy budget annually to be spent in any fashion they wish. Additionally, the company funds a 529 college tuition fund for any employee or spouse who gives birth while employed with the company.  “We need to attract and retain only the best team members, so we do things differently. Better. I think that is why Secretary Husted is recognizing our firm.”, remarked Robertson.

 Founded in 2009, Anderson Robertson Marketing is a woman-owned, full service marketing firm serving clients ranging from independent proprietors to Fortune 500 companies.  Headquartered in Findlay, AR is one of Northwest Ohio’s fastest growing full service marketing firms, employing 12 designers, copywriters and digital media professionals.

 You can read more here and see the profile on Anderson Robertson Marketing on the Secretary of State website.

The post Secretary of State Jon Husted recognizes Findlay marketing firm appeared first on AR Marketing.

So we'll be honest with you here.When brainstorming our blog post about branding, this started as a combined effort.  After we both wrote our posts though we discovered that we had two different angles that we felt our audience we love to hear about.  So, as a result, we have two great posts on Why We Adore Brands.  Give them a read and be sure to comment below with your thoughts and the answer to this question.

What brands do you LOVE and why? Comment below

The post Why We Adore Brands appeared first on AR Marketing.

If you’re reading this post, you’ve probably trolled through the thousands of other social media posts pointing out the same no-no’s for managing your social media.  This would include posting at inappropriate times, not completing your page info and ignoring comments from your audience. I’m beyond that. I’m looking to give insight on deeper issues that I see spread across social media profiles.  Check out the list below, and please give me your comments on these tips and if you agree or disagree.

First Things First

1. Stop Treating Social Media like a Stepchild

Do you find yourself or your business discussing social media as a novelty tactic that you’re just playing around with it?  Stop it! Social media is a serious communication tool that, when done correctly, becomes involved in every other marketing strategy you have.  It’s not meant to be its own isolated form of communication with your customers.  By involving social media in your existing marketing strategies, you’ll see consistent growth and bring awareness to your audience that they can use social media as a direct line of communication to you.

2. Stop Ignoring Other Channels

Facebook is the largest social network and with the largest usage worldwide.  Ok, now that we got that out of the way, let’s discuss the importance of identifying other social networks for participation. YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Google+ and more are all other viable options to increase your reach through social media.  By using various social media platforms, you're developing more touch points with your audience to keep them informed and involved with your brand.  Each channel has its benefits and you should consider the amount of time needed to effectively maintain those channels before diving in.  I’ve put an infographic here that breaks down some of the most popular social media channels and their usage.  On top of these channels, continual content generation is highly important and having a blog on your website or using WordPress or Tumblr can generate a lot of web traffic for you as well.

3. Social Catfishing

If you’re a social media manager, you may be giving into this guilty pleasure without even realizing it.  Social catfishing is defined on UrbanDictionary.com as

“The process in which a social media manager creates multiple fake profiles only to engage with brands in order to boost the brand's popularity. Also the practice of a social media manager liking and commenting every status that is written from every brand page he or she is in possession of.”

Have you noticed this deceptive action before?  Where a Facebook post is getting no engagement from personal profiles but has likes and comments from numerous business profiles?  This is a trick social media managers do when their engagement numbers are low and underperforming.  Stop doing it!  The success of your Facebook page cannot be skewed by pages that have no person or emotion in the response; you’re only deceiving your clients and ruining the brand reputation for all involved.

If you’re a social media manager and you find yourself doing this often, know that the problem can be solved by writing better content, using better imagery and finding that button to press that makes your audience feel compelled to interact.  Social media is about strategy and personality, not smoke and mirrors.

4. Stop Being Boring and Bring Some Life to your Profiles

A quick way for your social media profile to go stale is by using it to openly advertise your business and by keeping everything in text form.  Mix it up a little. You have the ability to do photos, videos, contests, live events and more.  If you’re wanting to do more imagery on your Facebook page, consider setting up an Instagram account for your business.  It creates another touch point with your audience and easily shares photos and videos (15 seconds) to your Facebook and Twitter profiles.  Photo posts receive 39% higher interaction rates than average. However, simple text posts do fairly well with a 12% higher interaction rate than average. Posts with links and videos tend to drive the least amount of likes, comments and shares.  Also, don’t be afraid to cross-promote your social media channels either, this is a great way to carry people over from one to the other.

Remember, social media can both positively and negatively impact your business depending on how you use it. So, I highly encourage you to have fun with it.  Find the personality and life in your business and express it in the best ways you can.

Here is a great example at how Lowes is using Vine to engage their followers.

5. Do. Or do not. There is no try.

I know what you’re thinking, why is there a Yoda reference in this post?  The answer.  I’m a geek. Seriously though, if you’re going to do social media (which I encourage you to do), give it as much effort and passion as you would starting your own business.  I squirm when talking to business owners who say “we’ve created a Facebook page and have it posting once a week”.   They don’t seem to comprehend that social media can be compared to having a phone line in your business.  If you’re not there when a customer calls (writes on your social media), you’ll have a disappointed customer and potentially a lost sale.  Also, the more you engage with your audience, the more your audience will want to engage with you.

Here’s a free tip: install mobile apps on your phone that alert you to interactions on your page and make it a point to respond promptly to whomever messages/comments/tweets you.  With our grocery and restaurant clients, answering an immediate question can be the difference between someone visiting within the next hour, or going to the competition.

Also, show pride in your social media and encourage your customers to like you and give their thoughts on your wall or profile.  You can do this verbally through table tents, bag stuffers or other mediums.  There is a reason TripAdvisor and Yelp are killing it right now for hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions.  They are encouraging their audience to write reviews of their establishments which then leads new business their way.

Social media is here to stay. It started as a test, turned into a gimmick, and has evolved into one of the primary uses of the internet today.  If you want to brainstorm or discuss your social media initiatives, I’d be glad to take your call, have a Google+ Hangout or Skype.

The post 5 New Things You Need To Stop Doing with Social Media appeared first on AR Marketing.

COLUMBUS - State Representative Robert Sprague (R-Findlay) presented commendations on behalf of the Ohio House of Representatives to Michael Needler Sr. and Anderson Robertson Marketing for winning national-level awards that were previously presented to them at the National Grocers Association Trade Show in Las Vegas.

Mike Needler Sr., CEO of Fresh Encounter, was awarded the 2012 Thomas K. Zaucha Entrepreneurial Excellence Award. The award honors a single independent grocer.

The post Sprague honors locals who received National Grocers Awards appeared first on AR Marketing.

Eric Anderson says

Most Effective Ad:

I felt that Go Daddy’s “The Kiss” was the most effective. I personally hated this commercial though. The sound editing really made it sound gross and I'm sure others cringed at the audio work. Charlie (my son) and I actually turned out heads away from the TV the first time it came on. It makes it easy to understand though that Go Daddy is supposedly more than just sexy models. There is some computing power behind them and they have a stigma they must break.

Worst Ad:

Coke Chase. Way too much spent on that and a poorly executed attempt at incorporating social media voting into a commercial.

Most Entertaining:

Audi Brave. Loved this commercial, but wasn’t sure who they were selling to. No kid can afford that car. Are they trying to appeal to nerds who are looking for their first big spend item?  It was entertaining, though.

My Favorite:

Samsung. Paul Rudd and Seth Rogan. El Plato Supremo! The Big Game between the San Francisco 50-1er’s and the Baltimore Blackbirds. All classic commercials.

Julie Anderson says

Favorite Commercials:

I agree with Eric said on the Samsung ads with Paul & Seth.  They were rewind worthy to catch all the script and humor rolled into that ad.  I also liked the sentimental military Jeep ad and Clydesdale ads. From the response on social media, these ads pulled on a lot of heart strings and reached the core audience of these automakers.

Kids Favorite Commercial:

Our kids liked the Gangam-style pistachio ad with Psy.

Val Shannon says

Favorite Commercial:

JEEP has my vote!

Aside from Oprah narrating this commercial, it was brilliant. I knew within the first 3 seconds that I would cry by the end of it. Not only did it effect those who have loved ones serving in the military, but anyone who has a family. It was an easy tear-jerker for any mom (pregnant or not).

Jay Yeater says

Favorite Ad:

I think Tide did a solid spot that was humorous, relevant to the Super Bowl and brand specific.

Worst Ad:

Blackberry just released its latest device and spent millions of dollars on this spot. Many (including myself) were left wondering after the commercial just exactly what they were trying to communicate. For a technology company that is trying to re-establish its identity, this was a big #fail from Blackberry.

Most Entertaining:

I found this Taco Bell commercial to be very entertaining. From the soundtrack to the visuals, it made for a great laugh!

Stole the Show:

I really feel Oreo stole the show on Sunday night. Their mildly humorous commercial was half of their marketing arsenal. They also had key decision makers of Oreo and their ad agency (360i) monitoring everything live. When the power outage happened, they jumped into action, absolutely killing it on social media and gaining an enormous amount of brand exposure. Kudos Oreo and 360i

Power out? No problem. twitter.com/Oreo/status/29…

— Oreo Cookie (@Oreo) February 4, 2013

What was your favorite Super Bowl ad?

Comment below

The post The 2013 Super Bowl Ads Review appeared first on AR Marketing.

Below is the transcript from a question we were posted with regarding social media marketing as it related to the independent.

Regarding your local independent grocer (not big box or supercenter): What could they be doing better to attract more of your business?

We've been doing independent grocery marketing for many years and we feel the struggle you've been having. We want to remind you of something, you have the upper hand in social media! The big box stores cannot compete on the personal, local level like the independent grocer can. With how spread-out all their locations are, most of the social media dialogue is vague and applies to all store locations. Here are some tips that will help you along your journey and be able to reach your target customer.

Keep your messaging social and not advertising related.

Your customers know when you are advertising to them, they've been exposed to advertising and marketing almost their entire life. Whenever you are interacting with customers, take the "media" out of social media and instead hold discussions that are more personal and entertaining. Ask them things like

• What is your favorite recipe for Thanksgiving?
• What did your mother used to make that you still make?
• Did you attend the county fair this year?

You want to establish that engaging discussion with them that triggers an emotional connection to your local community or their family. Try it, it works!

Talk about the local community.  Then talk some more.

Like I said before, your an independent that is more involved in each community than what the big box stores are. Share the ways you have been giving back, congratulate local teams on their success and keep your audience in the loop on local events. It's important for your customers to know of your involvement in their hometown. Don't stop their though, keep the discussion going beyond that initial status update or tweet, the more you interact, the more your customer will.

Give back and promote the ways you give back.

Your logo is probably on tee-ball jerseys, displayed at the local festival and seen in print advertising for an upcoming charity event. Giving back is as important to your company and your crew as it is your customers, so highlight via social media how you are "paying it forward" and to whom. Remember to tag the organization or event that you are referring to as well. Remember, you are building a local online community, and your store will be in the center of it.

Hold contests that involve your brands, local businesses and individuals.

Never....ever, hold a contest that involves giving away a product that does not involve you or your local community. Too often people give away a shiny Apple product in hopes of increasing their social media following but only capture new likes that want an iPad and that's it. If you don't sell iPads, don't give away one.

Instead, give away product from your stores or items that are unique to one of your market(s). We've successful bartered with local businesses to give away hotel stays, free product and tickets to local events.  You want to promote what you have to offer or what your community has to offer. Also, if you have a vendor who is looking to get items in your locations, be sure you get samples that you are able to give away via social media. This is a great chance to increase your following and product exposure.

Don't be afraid to have your customers share photos.

Building an online community that allows for customers to share photos, recipes and news is what you want. You want customers to share photos of the steaks they grilled from your store. You want your customers to post those "thank you" pictures of your vehicle in the town parade. Establishing the trust and caring nature from your customers will ultimately increase their visits and relationships with your store.

Utilize merchandising.

Just because social media is only on computers, tablets and mobile devices doesn't mean you can't highlight it in other places. Make sure your in-store shelf talkers, danglers and signage promote your social media profiles. A great way to boost traffic is to have bag stuffers that lead people to your profiles. We rewarded people with a like/following with a Facebook coupon that can redeem in store. Measuring the ROI is easy when you are giving away a discount for an in-store purchase. Give a little, and get a whole lot back!

People are in front of social media more than they are the newspaper, billboards and many other forms of media. The more you increase your base of customers who participate in social media, the more of an opportunity you have to drive them to your store and events.

The Bottom Line.

Social Media is here to stay, and the grocery industry has an excellent opportunity to take advantage of it. I recommend though you go beyond social  and utilize email and SMS marketing to drive traffic to your stores. They are both inexpensive, highly effective and measurable. I invite you to follow Community Markets on Facebook and Twitter to see how we are using social media to increase traffic to our stores. If you'd like to discuss your social media goals and our grocery social media experience, give us a call at AR (419-427-2772) or drop us a message on Facebook, Twitter or our contact page.

Jay Yeater | Director of Digital Marketing | Anderson Robertson Marketing | Twitter

The post Winning the social media battle against big box stores appeared first on AR Marketing.

Great Scot pharmacy operations initiated a continuity program offered to customers in September, October and November of 2011. The program has been recognized by the National Grocers Association for advertising excellence in the area of Best Non-Price or Consumer Value Print Ad.

The three month continuity direct mail program communicated the commitment of Great Scot Pharmacies safe fulfillment of children's prescription medication, its
accurate and expedited fulfillment rate and finally, the commitment to outstanding customer service. The program was designed and executed by Anderson
Robertson Marketing, Findlay, Ohio.

Anderson Robertson Marketing was also awarded on behalf of Fresh Encounter as honorable mention in the Connections through Technology category. With
the cross media use of social media, print media and in-store signage, Anderson Robertson implemented an “Ice Cream Dreams” giveaway. Contestants posted
a special sundae recipe with creative name through Facebook and two lucky recipients were rewarded with free ice cream for one year!

The National Grocers Association (N.G.A.) is the national trade association representing the retail and wholesale grocers that comprise the independent
sector of the food distribution industry. The Anderson Robertson Marketing team will be attending The N.G.A. Show in Las Vegas, February 12-14.

The post Anderson Robertson Marketing wins National Advertising Award appeared first on AR Marketing.

The Community Markets Pharmacies have a knowledgeable and personalized staff that remains unmatched by larger drugstore chains, and we want our customers to be aware of the valuable services we offer. While three of our stores have always had a pharmacy, we have never made it a priority to advertise exclusively for that department. With the help of the pharmacy, we developed 3 target areas that would benefit the pharmacy and develop new customers: new & refill prescriptions, children’s prescriptions & reduced wait time.

With the help of the pharmacy, we first developed 3 target areas that would benefit the pharmacy and develop new customers:

View our Slipsheets from this promotion

Fill & Win: Our goal was to drive prescription fills & gain new customers. By offering a shopping spree as a perk, we were able to attract new customers.

Kids Come First: Highlighing the fact that we let kids cut in line at the pharmacy, we were able to drive parents to our pharmacy, knowing they would experience a fast turnaround time. Everyone understands that a sick child should come first, and the sooner prescription medication can be administered the quicker the road to recovery. The idea for this policy actually came from a customer at the Fostoria, Ohio location who saw a mother with a dreary child and insisted that our pharmacist fill the child’s prescription first.

Less Than 15 Minutes: We guarantee a 15 minute wait time on any single prescription so we focused on that promise, offering a $5 gift card to anyone who waited longer.

Each ad ran for one week in our weekly circular in three different months.

Bottom line (sales increases, margins, % gains, etc): The promotion as a whole was a success, with one particular pharmacy experiencing increased script count and sales increase of 1.3%. For the “Less Than 15 Minutes”, no $5 gift cards were given out, which reflects our 15 minute promise.

Our Pharmacy promotion at 3 stores ends next week! See how you can be entered to win a 90 second shopping spree! facebook.com/photo.php?fbid…

— Community Markets (@CommunityMarket) October 20, 2011

The post NGA Creative Choice Award 2012 appeared first on AR Marketing.

When it comes to inexpensive ways to reach a broad range of customers, digital is the way to go. With our strong foothold in mobile and social media marketing we chose to utilize our digital tools to reach all the customers in our 30 store range. Aside from our own growth, we also wanted to assist Prairie Farms in increasing their social media network as well.

The process started with a research and strategy session to determine the optimal way to both deliver the message and track it’s effectiveness. Once determined, the next step was to identify all the tools we would use. We chose to create unique QR codes for every form media in order to track both how someone was entering the contests and what marketing material they saw. The QR codes directed the user to a mobile website to increase its effectiveness as compared to the traditional website. Every entry was either recorded on our Facebook page or website and required the user to like both Community Markets and Prairie Farms Dairy. Users submitted their favorite ice cream flavor, three of their favorite toppings and a fun name for their Ice Cream Dream. Following the submission period of 2 weeks, we had a 2 week voting period that went viral on Facebook. Every time someone voted for an Ice Cream Dream it posted to their Facebook wall increasing our reach and our Facebook following. This turned out to be a highly successful campaign that accomplished all our goals and created a surge in awareness for Prairie Farms Ice Cream, Community Markets and our Digital Marketing initiatives.

Newspaper Slipsheet | Facebook Statistics | Facebook Screenshots

The post Ice Cream Dreams Social Media Giveaway appeared first on AR Marketing.

Let's face it, sometimes as marketers we need to "hold the hand" of our audience. Otherwise our message gets lost or is even misinterpreted.

I've been chewing on this for a while.  For as long as I can remember people have been using social media logos in attempt to increase users to sites like Facebook and Twitter. The concept behind this is that if the consumer sees the social media icons, they will remember to go home and like them on Facebook and start following them on Twitter. If only it were simple. I'm sure Big Tom Callahan could come up with some great lines on how this is a waste of visual property.

Have you every done this?  Have you? Raise your hand right now if you have?

GUILTY!

Have you told your marketing department or designer "slap a Facebook and Twitter icon on our ad" like it gives your company some Klout or will magically increase your social media numbers?  I've done this for clients, only because they insisted on using this method.  Like telling your children to clean their room while they are watching a movie, the message doesn't fit the response you are looking for.

If you have and still use the logo icons on your marketing materials I want to ask you some questions.

1. Have you been able to measure how many new followers you have based upon these methods?  It's already very difficult to gauge ROI (Return On Investment) on social media, especially in traditional media.
2. If you are comfortable using the Facebook and Twitter icon on your marketing materials, would you useto signify you have a website instead of giving your domain name?  I mean why  not, a globe is the symbol for the internet.  Easy pickens, eh?
3. Would you use instead of giving your phone number to people?  Do you trust your clientele to go to their phone book or the internet to find your phone number?
4. Would you use  instead of your address on your marketing materials?  Google maps is pretty accurate you know so why not trust them to find where you are.

Proof flavored pudding.

Hold the hand of your audience

Jay

The post Holding Hands in Social Media Marketing appeared first on AR Marketing.