Strobe was recently named by Inc. Magazine as one of the most entrepreneurial and fastest-growing companies in America. In 5 years, we have grown to $4.5MM in revenue, earning us a place on the “Inc. 5000,” the annual ranking of top companies in the U.S., spanning all industries, reported by the magazine. Strobe enters the top half of the list, ranked #1683, mainly due to our continued growth, a rate of 168% over the past 3 years. We attribute much of this growth to an increased demand for social media promotions, as well as deepening business with long-standing clients eBay, Visa and Pepperidge Farm. Recent additions to Strobe’s client roster include Campbell Soup Company, NetSpend and Tiny Prints, from the brand side, and Edelman and Imagitas, from the agency side.

“We are very proud to be recognized by Inc. Magazine as one of the fastest-growing private companies in the country,” said Steve Caputo, President of Strobe Promotions. “In today’s challenging economic climate, we have been fortunate to continue to expand our business. We are constantly evolving to meet the needs of our clients and the demands of the ever-changing landscape of digital marketing.”

The 2010 Inc. 5000, announced last week, measures revenue growth of privately held companies based in the U.S. from 2006 through 2009. More information about Strobe and its ranking on the list can be found here. The complete list, along with company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found here.

Strobe Promotions is excited to announce the move of our new corporate headquarters! Strobe has been blessed with great clients from day one, when we opened our doors just about five years ago. In that short time, we’ve achieved a level of success that is the catalyst for our move to new and bigger offices. We look forward to continuing to work with our clients to deliver world-class marketing solutions in today’s digital marketing landscape. We realize that much of our success is built on the relationships we’ve cultivated, and we can’t wait to begin this new chapter with you.

Our move is taking place today, July 26, 2010, with uninterrupted service for our clients.

Please address all correspondence to the new mailing address beginning today, July 26, 2010. Please note that our original phone number (516-733-1835) will remain active until October 31, 2010, to minimize confusion. Our email addresses, as well as all online destinations (website, Facebook, Twitter, etc.), will remain unchanged and will not be affected by the move. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the move, please do not hesitate to contact us.

We would love for you to come see our new place! If you are ever in the area, there is an open invitation for you to come visit us at our new facility.

The curve for social media trends seems to be shorter than in other industries, new apps are popping up daily. SCVNGR is a great example of this; the increasing popularity of FourSquare and other location based social apps led to its creation. According to its website, “SCVNGR is a game about doing challenges as places.” Much like FourSquare, you are able to check in at various locations using the app on your smart phone. However, with SCVNGR checking in is not enough, the experience is more interactive.  With this new app, you can go to your favorite local spots to check-in and once you’re there, you will be prompted to complete different tasks or challenges to gain points. You may have to take a photo at a park, solve a riddle at a museum, scan a QR code at a theater, or do some other kind of adventurous activity. The points you earn for completed challenges are redeemable for bragging rights as well as unlocking badges and other features. Companies can create their own challenges or hunts  as a cheeky way to involve adventurous consumers with their brand.

Recently, the New England Patriots tapped SCVNGR for a promotion to get fans excited about the upcoming football season. They have created their own “Trek” and compiled a list of themed challenges for fans to complete at various locations throughout New England, in order to help Patriot player Vince Wilfork find his “stolen” Super Bowl ring. The campaign has received much press for both the NFL organization and the application itself. Other SCVNGR adopters include major universities (such as Duke University and Princeton), city tourism councils (the City of Rochester and Boston are both users), and several museums throughout the country.

Marketers are just starting to jump on board the location-based social media app train, with good reason. The interactive nature of these applications lend themselves to promotions – put an incentive behind these behaviors and the usage rate will surely soar. FourSquare, Loopt, Gowalla and now SVCNGR are great new platforms to attract, engage and reward consumers and I can’t wait to see what comes next.

Now through July 11 2010, soccer fans can visit www.youtube.com/visagofans to upload and view videos of enthusiastic fans screaming their longest “Goooal” shout. Fans that submit videos are emailed links so that they can easily share their submission on various social media outlets.

Visa also supports its partnership with FIFA in the Visa “Watch Your Way to Brazil” Sweepstakes. Fans that view “Goooal” videos have an opportunity to win a trip for two to the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, or one of 60 $100 Visa gift cards. Strobe supported Visa with this epic promotion by providing content moderation, record/view functionality, email messaging/links, sweepstakes administration and web hosting.

Show your support for Team USA as they move to the top of Group C and advance in the race for the 2010 FIFA World Cup by checking out the Visa GoFans YouTube Channel! Go USA!

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photo credit: FIFA/Getty Images

Learn how to get started, gain a following and continue to engage that following with Strobe’s Social Media Marketing Kit. This convenient download includes our Strategic Thinker’s Guide to Marketing through Social Media, our Strategic Thinker’s Guide to Achieving Promotion Objectives and tip sheets on how to run engagement campaigns on Facebook and Twitter. The advice in this packet will show you how to analyze and improve any current campaign, and is helpful whether you are a social media novice or a more advanced user.

Click here to download your FREE copy now!

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PROMO magazine announced today its annual list of Top Promotion Marketing Agencies in the US, the PROMO 100. Strobe Promotions ranks #89, moving ten spots ahead of its inaugural position on the list last year. Building upon its success in 2009, Strobe Promotions reported net revenues of $1.99MM. In addition, its two-year growth of 49% landed Strobe among the Top Ten fastest growing agencies. Strobe attributes this remarkable success to expanding its business with existing clients Visa, eBay and Pepperidge Farm, while acquiring new brand accounts including NetSpend, Tiny Prints and Intuit, and new agency clients Edelman and Imagitas.

“Given the challenges presented by the economy over the past year, we feel truly blessed to have been able to continue to grow,” notes Strobe’s President, Steve Caputo. “We are so thankful that our clients continue to find value in our service offerings, and we work hard every day to deliver promotion marketing campaigns beyond their expectations.” He attributes Strobe’s success to date to the company’s tenacious approach to adapting promotion marketing to the changing landscape of digital delivery channels including social media, and to a tremendously dedicated and knowledgeable staff. “Every member of the Strobe team has contributed to our growth, and I am awed by what we have been able to achieve thus far. We are all looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead.”

The 2010 PROMO 100 was announced via live webinar on June 1st and ranks firms across the country according to numerous factors including overall net revenue, net revenue per employee, two-year growth and years in business. The 16-page report, also unveiled at the webinar, not only lists the top 100 agencies, but profiles companies in specific marketing disciplines. See the full list.

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Strobe recently received a 2010 Interactive Marketing Award for its work with PayPal on the “Wishing Wonderland” campaign, which garnered 1st place in the Holiday Theme category. More on that program can be found here.

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Working with other agencies doesn't have to be like an episode of Hell's Kitchen

Think of it this way, the client is the common priority, so keeping them in the loop is key, but making sure all chefs share their cookware is essential.  So the first thing to do, after the initial introduction of all agencies, is to arrange a follow-up call with only the agencies. This allows all to speak freely and identify everyone’s individual responsibilities.  This will serve to set the expectation among all the players.  Second, come up with a strong promotion together, allowing each agency to utilize their expertise.   Everyone has their own special ingredients to bring to the recipe and this is the time to share.  Third, develop a timeline outlining all deliverables, like a sous chef staging the food preparation.  Last, but most important, present the final recommendation to the client as a team. The best way to work well together is to act like you all work for the same company.  (Essentially, at this point, you do!) And viola, you have your perfect entrée.

Every diner has their favorite food, and every chef brings something different to the table. When all the partnering agencies lend their particular spice to the recipe, it should result in a very tasty dish, baked to perfection and aimed at satisfying the client’s hunger for a successful campaign!

Image source: TV Guide/Fox

For years, I have been receiving (& deleting) emails from marketers and companies telling me that I won a free car. I have encountered (& closed) the ever-present pop-up advertisements saying “Click Here to Win $10,000” numerous times, without a second thought. It’s easy to dismiss these claims as fake; everyone’s a skeptic, myself included. Until now…

I have been at Strobe Promotions for about a year now. Working in the promotional marketing field has opened my eyes to the value that promotions provide not only for the prize winners, but also for the sponsor. I now know about the great amount of awareness, excitement and buzz promotions can bring to a brand; I see it every day with the sheer volume of mail or large online entry files we receive for each project. The prize in each promotion not necessarily the main focus, like I previously thought, it’s more like the cherry on top. A big portion of my job as a Marketing Assistant is to deliver that cherry by notifying the potential winners in the various promotions we administer for our clients. When contacting our potential winners, I am often asked the question “Are you serious?” It is sometimes a daunting task to convince the potential winner that we are a legitimate company and that they have actually won a prize. In some cases, the consumer may be unaware that they even entered a sweepstakes (with an automatic-entry promotion), making them even more skeptical. I have found one of the best remedies for this problem is to put the consumer in contact with the client directly. Whether by email, or over of the phone, hearing an employee from the sponsoring company usually puts the consumer at ease.

I never imagined that it would be so difficult to give away money (or trips or cars or cool gadgets). A part of me is still somewhat amazed when people refuse to accept the prizes they have won, even though I understand how hard it may be to believe that opening one email or answering one phone call could reward you with extravagant prizes. After all, there still are some shady individuals who use less than honest means to trick people. That’s why questions and follow up are warranted. As a promotion marketing professional, I now know to take a closer look at the next winner notification email I may receive. Sometimes I wonder, what if all of those emails I deleted weren’t just spam? I could be vacationing on an island, driving around a new convertible, and living a lavish life with thousands of prize dollars.

Account Management: is it an art or a science? I’m here to tell you that it’s a little bit of both. The key to maintaining client relationships is good customer service, and there are many aspects to customer service that one must master in order to produce a satisfied client. Here are a few key tips and best practices to help make you hone your account management skills:

Know your clients’ businesses

Understand their brand, their marketing objectives and goals. Always be aware of what their competitors are doing.

Think like a brand person

Help your clients meet their needs by providing strategic thinking as an approach to solving their problems.

Be resourceful

When attempting to come up with marketing solutions for your client, don’t always go for the tried and true.  Brainstorm with your team and be innovative.

Be responsive

When your client contacts you, respond to them immediately.  You may not always have an immediate answer to their questions, but you can let them know you are looking into it and will get back to them within a certain time frame. If you are not available to help them at the moment they need you, appoint someone from your team who will be available to address the client’s questions/concerns while you are unavailable.

Develop a relationship with your client

Be friendly! Smile and ask about the kids or the dog.  Show them you are interested.  Remember, people want to work with others that they get along with, rather than those they dislike.

Be organized

Know where your pertinent information is stored and perform your work in a timely fashion and with accuracy.

Communicate

Reach out to your clients even when they are not reaching out to you.  Forward them interesting articles that you think they may enjoy or may be pertinent to their business.

Be proud (in a good way!)

Take pride in yourself and your work. Believe that the service you provide to your client is valuable.

Be accountable

Manage your clients’ expectations. If there are problems, discuss them and be honest!  If you make a mistake, admit it and offer solutions.

Under promise and over deliver!

You shouldn’t promise a client something you know can’t be done.  However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t shoot to accomplish it, or something close to it.

Master these customer service techniques and you’ll produce satisfied (and profitable) clients.