Mar16 Bottom Line

p r o v i d i n g b u s i n e s s i n n o v a t i o n sL I N E

B O T T O M

THE BUZZ

CASE STUDY

8 WAYS TO LEVERAGE YOUR CONTENT Industry trends

that your business needs to know to survive. p. 20

A digital storefront and warehouse solution lightens the load for a global manufacturer’s marketing team. p. 18

Ease your workload and expand your reach by repurposing existing material. p. 3

EMPOWER Y O U R B U S I N E S S T H R O U G H T E C H N O L O G Y

Take your company to the next level with these must-have digital innovations. p. 12

A TRADITION OF FORWARD THINKINGSince 1946, we’ve worked with our customers to drive revenue through integrated marketing and customized business-driving programs and to reduce costs through supply chain automation and B2B eCommerce solutions. Third generation strong, we look forward to working together to improve your bottom line.

Celebrating 70 Years

P.O. Box 925, Bay City, MI 48707 fphorak.com 800.735.6505

The challenges we, as CEOs, CFOs, CMOs, and other business leaders, face today are multifaceted and complex. We’re often asked to do more with less. That’s where maximizing return on dollars invested in marketing and business development efforts is crucial. In Bottom Line, we present a number of practical, innovative ideas that can help you drive revenue and reduce costs.

The idea of trying to stay up-to-date on the latest business trends and topics is a Herculean task. The fact is, we can’t.

What we can do—and what your customers do—is rely on trusted sources to sift through the noise and to deliver relevant, real-world intelligence (read: content) based on experience. And in your industry for your customers, that should be you as the thought leader.

A killer content strategy starts with your audience: understanding their needs, their pain, and their desires. In “Mission: Content” (p. 2), we look at the content marketing movement and show you how to craft a strategy that works.

But even if you have great content, it does you no good if you can’t connect it to your customers when and how they want it. “Unleashing the Power of a Key Stroke” (p. 12) examines recent technology innovations that your business shouldn’t—and your customers don’t—live without. (You might know a GURL, but do you know a PURL?)

When your sales force is all over the world, a convenient one-stop shop for ordering sales literature and marketing materials is a cost-saving, hassle-reducing tool. In the case study (p. 18), find out how STEMCO, a commercial truck components manufacturer, created a comprehensive, branded B2B eCommerce solution.

“The Buzz” (p. 20) is all about outfoxing the inbox in today’s overcrowded electronic marketplace. Use those lonely mailboxes to your advantage with direct mail that delivers tangible results. Plus, you can bulk up those results by looping your marketing efforts across a variety of platforms as discussed in “Overheard” (p. 10).

This issue of Bottom Line is packed with tips, strategies, and insights designed to strengthen your bottom line. As always, we welcome your thoughts and feedback.

Upgrade YourBottom LineLETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER

Contents

OVERHEARDUse closed-loop marketing to put your brand in all the right places.

10 THE BUZZIn an overcrowded electronic marketplace, direct mail delivers tangible results.

20CASE STUDYIdeas that work: A B2B eCommerce solution lightens the load for a global manufacturer’s marketing team.

18

Bottom Line, Volume 5, Issue 1, March 16 (ISSN 1550-8064) is published by The F.P. Horak Company, 1311 Straits Dr, Bay City, MI 48706. Periodicals postage pending at Bay City, MI. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The F.P. Horak Company, P.O. Box 925, Bay City, MI 48707. Copyright © 2016 The F.P. Horak Company. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without permission is prohibited.

Fritz [email protected]

PUBLISHER: Fritz Horak, [email protected] THE F.P. HORAK COMPANY CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER: Marisa Horak Belotti, [email protected]

EDITOR: Mimi Bell, [email protected] | ART DIRECTOR: Chad Hussle, [email protected] | DESIGNER: Carol Quade, [email protected]

PHOTOGRAPHER: Doug Julian, [email protected] | PROOFREADER: Stacey Tetloff, [email protected]

MISSION: CONTENTTarget your audience with a well-designed content strategy that drives action and loyalty. 3

EMPOWERING YOUR BUSINESS THROUGH TECHNOLOGYHere are the must-have digital innovations to take your company to the next level. 12

THIS ISSUE PRINTED ON:

Cover: 80# Cover, Starbrite by VeritivText: 70# Text, Starbrite by Veritiv

FRITZ HORAK

THE F.P. HORAK COMPANY IS THE PARENT COMPANY OF MONARCH PRINT SOLUTIONS AND PROGRADE.

BOTTOM LINE V5:1 | 1

AD

Take a step in the relevant direction.

DRIVE REVENUE by delivering the RIGHT message, to the RIGHT person, using the RIGHT channel, at the RIGHT time.

Lead Generation | Target Audience Nurturing

Promotional Campaigns | Trade Show & Event Marketing

P.O. Box 925, Bay City, MI 48707 fphorak.com 800.735.6505 For more information, call Paul Adler - 989.891.1749

feature

A ki l ler content strategy starts with your audience—understanding their needs,

their pain, and their desires. Here’s how to craft

a strategy that works.

BY LAURIE HILEMAN

mission: CONTENT


Take a step in the relevant direction.

DRIVE REVENUE by delivering the RIGHT message, to the RIGHT person, using the RIGHT channel, at the RIGHT time.

Lead Generation | Target Audience Nurturing

Promotional Campaigns | Trade Show & Event Marketing

P.O. Box 925, Bay City, MI 48707 fphorak.com 800.735.6505 For more information, call Paul Adler - 989.891.1749

Yeah? I thought so. For many organizations, this is where their content

marketing strategy begins and ends. They publish a few blog posts, maybe even a tweet or two, and hope for the best. A few months later they start questioning its effectiveness.

In all fairness, the buzz about content marketing is at a fever pitch—and for good reason. A recent study found content marketing generates three times as many leads as traditional outbound marketing but costs 62 percent less.*

Granted, “Everybody’s doing it!” is not a sound business approach (just ask your mom). However, a carefully planned and well-executed strategy can drive profitable action and develop long-term relationships with your desired audiences.

Read on, and we’ll give you a clear understanding of content marketing and how it feeds into a content strategy. Plus, we’ll show you how profiling different audiences can help you tailor your content to meet their needs, address their pains, and satisfy their desires—all while smashing your own business goals.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before….“We should start a blog!”

4 | BOTTOM LINE V5:1

feature

Step one: UNDERSTAND CONTENT MARKETING

In a land of a thousand choices, your customers need a reason to choose you. Price, product, location—all of the staples of traditional marketing become overshadowed as relationships take center stage. And that’s where content marketing—when deployed correctly—dominates.

According to Content Marketing Institute (CMI), a leading authority on all things related to the field, content marketing is “a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience—and, ultimately,

to drive profitable customer interaction.”

It goes on to explain that it’s “an ongoing process that is best integrated into your overall marketing strategy, and it focuses on owning media, not renting it. Basically, content marketing is the art of communicating with your customers and prospects without selling. It is non-interruption marketing.” **

It’s not easy (although some brands that have mastered the craft can make it seem so), but it’s far from impossible. With the right strategy in place, organizations of all sizes can leverage content to achieve their desired goals.

SAMPLE CONTENT MARKETING GOALSEvery great strategy begins with relevant goals that tie in to your overall business objectives. Common content marketing goals include:

Raise awareness for your brandBuild your email listNurture prospects along their buyers’ journeyConvert your audience to paying customersRetain customers and/or increase, through upselling or cross-selling, their purchasesConvert customers to evangelists

Capture your goals in a mission statement that also outlines the core audience target (hint: it should never be everyone), what will be delivered to the audience, and the desired audience outcome.

From 2 Essential Elements For Getting Started in Content Marketing, The Content Marketing Institute. (http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2014/05/essentials-getting-started-content-marketing/)

Step two: DEFINE A CONTENT STRATEGY

Back up. What’s the difference between a content marketing strategy and a content strategy?

In his article, “How Content Strategy and Content Marketing Are Separate But Connected,” Robert Rose, chief strategy officer for CMI, looks at it this way: “Content marketers draw on the wall with magic markers, while content strategists use fine pens.”

Rose goes on to explain, “The content marketer addresses the ‘whys’ and the content strategist addresses the ‘hows’—and together they work out the ‘whats’ and ‘wheres.’”

Clearly defining how your content is created, structured, governed, and maintained lies at the heart of a good content strategy. Understanding who is doing what and when helps you identify gaps that may require help from agencies or freelancers and can help you smoothly transition staff members as they come and go.

Another benefit of having a content strategy? It gives you the power to say no. You’ll waste much less time, money, and other resources developing content that is not relevant to your goals.


Step three: KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE

At the heart of both the content marketing strategy and content strategy lies your audience. Without a clear picture of who you’re trying to reach, there’s no sense in starting.

In the content arena, different audiences are often referred to as buyer personas. Depending on the scope of your project, personas may be simple demographics such as age, industry, or income level. Think about the challenges and pain points your different personas are experiencing. What successes are they trying to achieve? The more focused your personas, the more targeted—and effective—your content will be.

As content ideas form, sort the pieces into virtual “buckets” for each persona. Remember to create content that appeals to your personas through every stage of the customer journey—as they discover, learn, try, and buy—with your organization. You’ll want to craft content that helps retain customers, too, and turn them into potential advocates.

“Your content and your content buckets should be focused enough to appeal to the audience you want to reach, while being broad enough to appeal to a few subsets within that audience. Don’t cast the net too wide—it’ll dilute your message and potentially confuse people,” writes Lauren B. Mangiaforte in her NewsCred blog post “10 Unbreakable Rules for Content Marketing in 2015.”

Avoid confusion and watered-down content with a clear content strategy. A good direction will take six to 12 months to gain traction, so commit to it and give it time. With a strong commitment and willingness to measure and tweak content as you move along, your audiences will choose you every time.

* http://www.brianhonigman.com/championing-b2b-content/** http:/contentmarketinginstitute.com/what-is-content-marketing/***http://blog.newscred.com/10-unbreakable-rules-for-content-marketing-in-2015/

Top 5

Tactics…. . .of B2B small business content marketers

Social Media Content (other than blogs) 92%

Newsletters and Magazines 83%

Articles on Your Company Website 81%

Blogs 80%

Case Studies 77%

MARISA HORAK BELOTTI is the chief strategy officer for The F.P. Horak Company. She helps client companies refine their branding, marketing, and sales efforts to support and enhance ROI. Contact Marisa at 989-891-1707, or by emailing [email protected].


feature

Why work harder when you can work smarter?

Creating consistent, relevant content is a tough task but one that can be made easier with a thoughtful eye toward repurposing.

Whether it’s an in-depth blog post, compelling video, or humorous podcast, repurposing your work in other formats can ease your workload (and, oftentimes, costs) associated with creating content. Plus, it opens up opportunities to increase your audience, reinforce your message, and give your website an SEO boost. Whenever possible, look to repurpose content from the start. After you’ve landed on a core concept, “break your idea down into your key topic areas,” suggests Arnie Kuenn in his post, “How to Fulfill

Your Content Marketing Plan Through Content Repurposing,” for Content Marketing Institute. “The result will be a skeleton you can use in adapting the topic to different formats.” Here are eight ways Kuenn suggests presenting information that appeals to various learning styles and engages audiences in their preferred methods of communication.

BLOG POST: When created consistently with your targeted readers in mind, blog posts offer easy-to-consume information. INFOGRAPHIC: Grab stats and other key tips, organizing them in a graphic depiction that appeals to visual learners. PRESENTATION SLIDES: Boil down your

key points into slides that are easy to share in formal presentations, impromptu meetings, and on slide-sharing sites to give yourself greater visibility. VIDEO: By combining graphics, audio, and movement, video is a great way to reach an impatient audience that may be looking to be entertained in the process of learning. EBOOK: An in-depth look at a topic that, when offered as a (for-purchase or value-added) download on your site, eBooks can help build your subscriber base for other communications. PODCAST: Whether a snack-size few minutes or a half-hour presentation, these audio discussions can reach on-the-go listeners and quickly establish your brand voice.

NEWSLETTER OR MAGAZINE: These publications allow readers to dive deeper into the topic, letting them spend more time with your brand and establishing you as a thought leader in a given area. WEBINAR: Presented in real time, interactive online experiences set you up as a subject matter expert.

Developing compelling, consistent content is a continual process of creating, testing, and tweaking as you move along. Allow your strategy to evolve as you see what works and what doesn’t for your targeted audiences.

Source: http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2013/12/fulfill-content-marketing-plan-repurposing/

8 Great Ways to Leverage Your ContentEase your workload and expand your reach by repurposing exist ing material .BY LAURIE HILEMAN


A year or two ago, companies may have been able to treat social media as an afterthought in their marketing efforts. But no more. If your organization isn’t integrating social media into its marketing plan, it’s

a pretty sure bet your brand will fade into the background in consumers’ minds.

“It’s really not something you can ignore any longer, because [for] the younger demographic, this is their primary source of information. And if they can’t find it on your [social media] page, then they’re going to go to a company where they can find it,” says Jennifer Brinks, a social media consultant at The F.P. Horak Company in Bay City, Mich.

But if you think you can ignore social media because your target audience skews older, think again. “The older demographic is the highest-growing fan base,” says Brinks. “They are getting on board with technology, and they have more time to learn and be online.”

There’s another compelling reason to go social: negative customer feedback can spread quickly on social sites. If a company has built up a following there, it has a platform from which it can react quickly and reach people in that same venue to address any negative perception.

And if those reasons aren’t convincing enough, here’s another: People have become immune to online advertising. There’s a phenomenon known as “banner blindness,” whereby people tend not to even look at the parts of a website—such as the right-hand column—where the ads usually are. With social media, you can get users’ attention back—if you do it right.

Which platform should you use?If you’re just starting to get serious about social media, it’s important to consider who your target audience is, which platforms they’re

using, and which are best suited for your product. For instance, the food industry thrives on photos, so image-heavy sites, such as Tumblr, Pinterest, and Instagram, work well in that sector. But there’s no need to be on every platform out there. “See which ones you can manage, and do those ones really well, instead of trying to be on all of them and do them all not very well,” says Brinks.

Learn the social gracesSocial sites create a space where people can talk about your brand and you can interact with them. “You can build a loyal base and educate your fans on why they should do business with you,” says Brinks. But you have to do it subtly.

“You can’t just say, ‘Hey, buy my product,’ because that would still come off as blatant advertising,” says Brinks. Instead, companies should provide useful information, promoting good content and good causes—and not necessarily just your own.

There’s no excuse not to participateAlthough retail and service industries tend to generate more fans and interaction than other businesses, it doesn’t mean you’re not benefiting if your social media efforts don’t achieve similar levels. “Every business—consumer-oriented or business-to-business—has a customer base, a potential fan base. It’s just [a matter of] finding those customers who want that information and appealing to them, and going to where they are going to be,” says Brinks. You can accomplish that through cross-promotions with traditional marketing. “Social media should be on everything: business cards, flyers, magazine ads, billboards, TV, etc.,” she emphasizes.

But what if your staff is just stretched too thin to take on another project? Brinks has an answer for that: “If you don’t have the passion, time, or dedication to run these social platforms, then outsourcing is a must.”

special advert isement

IF SOCIAL MEDIA ISN’T PART OF YOUR COMPANY’S MARKETING PLAN, YOUR BRAND MAY LOSE VISIBILITY

D O N ’ T B E A N T I S O C I A L

To develop a social media strategy for your business and put your brand at your customers’ fingertips, contact Marisa Horak Belotti, The F.P. Horak Company, 989-891-1707, or [email protected]

Closed-loop marketing puts your brand in al l the right places.

BY KATHRYN WILL

G O I N G I N C I R C L E S


overheard

Closed-loop marketing puts your brand in al l the right places.

BY KATHRYN WILL

E ffective marketing is becoming increasingly challenging.

Why? Marketers must choose from a growing abundance of platforms on which to market, customers are increasingly demanding website-posted or downloadable content to aid them in

making a buying decision, and super-savvy prospects know how to opt out of the marketing messages you send. This makes the task of delivering an effective message and getting the customer to take action more complicated.

The best defense against becoming overwhelmed by having too many to dos is a closed-loop approach that ties sales and marketing efforts together through data and metrics reporting for better pre-campaign decision-making that yields greater campaign ROI.

From a high level, this approach looks individually at each channel you may choose to use—email, direct mail, social media, custom content and publishing, your company website, etc.—and collectively at how they may tie back to one another. Examples include when a print piece uses a QR code to direct a prospect to the company’s website, or where visitors to a social media channel are asked to fill out a form that will enroll them to receive an emailed newsletter.

Closing the loop in this way allows the sales team to see the marketing methods and promotions that are driving the most leads. Sales can then report back to the marketing team as to what works and what needs tweaking.

Closed-loop marketing is marketing that relies on data and insights from closed-loop reporting, according to HubSpot, an inbound marketing software and consulting company. “Closing the loop” simply means that sales teams report to the marketing department about what happened to the leads that they received, which, in turn, helps the marketing department understand the best and worst lead sources.

Effective closed-loop marketing requires that you track specific lead sources and the response rates garnered from each channel and by which promotions. Knowing these details lets marketers identify what delivers the highest lead-to-customer conversion rates. But to get these answers, you’ll need to trace URLs, employ social media metrics, and use an email vendor that allows for easy tracking of open and click-through rates.

And if content delivery offers are part of your marketing mix, landing pages fortified with forms that capture a visitor’s contact information are also necessary. Being able to see which offers get the most traction can help to close the loop even further by pushing visitors to a second relevant offer or promotion.

What’s the ultimate objective with closed-loop marketing? Keeping your brand front and center as prospects cycle through your marketing and sales channels and back again.

“ C L O S I N G T H E L O O P ”

S I M P L Y M E A N S T H A T

S A L E S T E A M S R E P O R T

T O T H E M A R K E T I N G

D E P A R T M E N T A B O U T

W H A T H A P P E N E D T O

T H E L E A D S T H A T T H E Y

R E C E I V E D , W H I C H ,

I N T U R N , H E L P S T H E

M A R K E T I N G D E P A R T M E N T

U N D E R S T A N D T H E

B E S T A N D W O R S T L E A D

S O U R C E S .


BY LORRIE BRYAN

Explore the best ways for your business to harness developing technology.

POWERPOWERPOWERU N L E A S H I N G T H E

POWERPOWERPOWERPOWERPOWER

feature


O F A K E Y S T R O K EPOWERPOWERPOWERPOWERPOWERPOWERPOWERPOWER

I f you are like most people, you probably have never heard of DVORK or COLMAK, alternative keyboard configurations that were touted as easier and more efficient but never widely adopted.

In 2013, researchers offered a new split keyboard design, KALQ, that features a layout with two 4-by-4 grids of keys that optimize thumb typing. Tests indicate that it is 34 percent faster than a traditional keyboard, but it hasn’t been readily adopted either. The standard QWERTY configuration, first developed for manual typewriters in 1868, persists today despite its awkward fingering patterns—it was purportedly designed so that users couldn’t type too quickly and jam up the delicate machinery.

So while keyboard layout has remained mostly unchanged, the commercial capacity and capabilities wielded by a single keystroke have evolved dramatically and are increasing exponentially. With a light touch to the keyboard screen on a hand-held device, businesses around the globe today are swiftly summoning terabytes of data, ordering billions of dollars of merchandise, storing warehouses of information in a cloud, and simultaneously sending personalized messages to all their clients. At speeds 100 times faster than Wi-Fi, the emerging new Li-Fi technology offers possibilities that exceed the imagination.

This constant barrage of emerging technologies often leaves overwhelmed leaders pondering which of these new tools are the most essential for businesses today. According to Nick Flor, associate professor of information systems at University of New Mexico’s Anderson Management School, of the technologies described, the customer relationship management system (CRM) is the most important.



feature

“We live in an online world where customers have a tremendous advantage over businesses—the ability to easily switch to another business. All it takes is an Internet search returning a list of competitor products or even substitute products. Often, if those products are sold at a lower price or they have shiny new features that a customer desires, they’ll buy them,” Flor explains. “Utilizing a good CRM ensures that a business stays ‘close’ to its customers. It’s more than just a technology that emails a birthday card and coupons to customers. Many CRMs rely on data from a central website (think Amazon). But next-gen CRMs will aggregate data from a variety of social media platforms and use that data to make predictions about goods, services, and maintenance that add value for customers.”

You can optimize a basic CRM by integrating it with a marketing automation program, a system that uses software designed to help you prioritize and execute your marketing tasks more efficiently. A good marketing automation system can result in improved lead management in the form of scoring, nurturing, and segmentation, as well as more efficient email and campaign management.

Customer Relationship Management and Marketing Automation

The Evolution ofBusinessTechnology

This timeline indicates the major technological advances that have shaped the way we do business today.

1960

1964

1971

1973

1973

1989

IBM brought out the MT/ST (Magnetic Tape/Selectric Typewriter), which combined the features of the Selectric with a magnetic tape drive. This marked the beginning of word processing as it is known today.

Xerox Corporation introduced (and patented) what many consider to be the first commercialized version of the modern fax machine, under the name (LDX) or Long Distance Xerography.

The first email was sent by engineer Ray Tomlinson to himself. “The test messages were entirely forgettable. Most likely the first message was QWERTY or something similar,” he said.

The first personal computer, the Alto, was developed at Xerox. It was the first computer to be called a desktop and had a mouse and Graphical User Interface with icons.

A Motorola engineer, Martin Cooper, made a phone call on the first hand-held mobile phone.

The World Wide Web was invented by English scientist Tim Berners-Lee.

BY LORRIE BRYAN

Does your company offer customers a smart phone app that facilitates the purchase of your products or services? Mobile commerce now accounts for nearly one-third of all U.S. eCommerce sales, according to an analysis of data from Internet Retailer’s newly published 2016 Mobile 500. And that number is expected to continue growing. Start with an online storefront that will change your website from merely informational to transactional. More sophisticated storefronts can offer customers the opportunity to personalize and apply their company’s brand to the products offered. In a nutshell, an online storefront can provide you with real-time customer data that you can use to build stronger customer relationships and deliver all the applications needed to attract new customers, secure additional business from existing clients, and become more cost effective in the process.

Another way to stay close to your customers is to be in their hand via their mobile devices. Desktop computers are heading for the same scrap heap as rotary phones and fax machines. With the availability of increasingly complex apps and quickly evolving hardware, consumers are utilizing smart phones and tablets for most of the functions assigned to computers just 10 years ago. All of this mobile engagement is rapidly transforming the business marketplace. Just look at how the Uber app is revolutionizing transportation in cities across the globe.

If your company’s website is not readily navigable and engaging on a mobile device, start there. Consider setting up an adaptive website (websites that automatically tailor organization and presentation based on user access patterns).Then you are assured that customer experience will be optimized regardless of the device in use.

eCommerce

Mobile Marketing



feature

Enhanced URLs are another way to engage customers and build relationships. A generic URL (GURL) is a special landing page that shares timely information or promotes a specific marketing campaign. A personalized URL (PURL) is a customized landing page created especially for a specific recipient and is frequently an engaging element of a multichannel marketing campaign that integrates direct mail and email. The benefits of using PURLs are increased response rates and the ability to track responses in real time and follow up accordingly. You can engage customers and prospects at a deeper level by collecting valuable information when they log onto their PURL and then use that information to make subsequent messaging even more relevant and engaging.

GURLs and PURLs

If your server is waning or no longer adequate, you should consider heading to a cloud. One of the most popular cloud storage services available today, Google Drive offers individuals and businesses free and affordable storage rates, easy access to more than 40 popular file formats (videos, images, Microsoft Office documents, spreadsheets, and PDFs), and hundreds of integrated apps to help you get things done efficiently. You can keep all your files online, and they can be accessed from any computer with an Internet connection. Google Drive allows you to easily share files with your team members or external partners, eliminating the need for redundant emails.

Other advantages of cloud service are scalability and flexibility. The technology can be easily modified to meet the changing demands of your business and to integrate future technological advances. With the rate of innovation continuing to accelerate, we can hardly imagine what those future advances may be, but we know they are coming. The mighty digital age will continue to unfold, and the magnitude of a keystroke will be further amplified in days to come.

Cloud Computing

1996

1999

1990

1992

1993

2002

2003

2004

2007

2010

2014

2015

Palm Pilot, the first hand-held computer, debuted.

The first Blackberry device, the 850, debuted and supported email and limited HTML browsing.

Windows 3.0 was released.

The first text message was sent: “Merry Christmas.”

The first AOL Instant Message was sent by Ted Leonsis to his wife: “Don’t be scared ... it is me. Love you and miss you.”

One billion computers were in use by this time.

The first sentence uttered on Skype was in Estonian by a member of the development team.

GoToMeeting was developed by Citrix. The later release of GoToWebinar in 2006 and GoToTraining in 2010 expanded GoToMeeting capabilities to accommodate larger audiences.

The iPhone launched.

The iPad tablet was announced by Steve Jobs.

Internet usage on mobile devices surpassed PC usage.

There are more than 3.26 billion Internet users on the planet—roughly 40 percent of the population.

PAUL ADLER is director of integrated marketing for The F.P. Horak Company. Using new and traditional media and technology, he creates integrated and relevant marketing programs for diverse client groups. Contact Paul at 989-891-1749, or by emailing [email protected].

osh Puryear was nervous. The senior marketing

specialist for STEMCO watched as a fully loaded 18-wheeler pulled away with his company’s entire inventory of sales and marketing literature. It was traveling from Texas to Michigan where it would be cataloged, warehoused, and used to

populate a B2B eCommerce solution that would streamline distribution to the vehicle components manufacturer’s global sales force.

Would the unwieldy collection be too much to handle for the Michigan operation? Would the materials be ready for online ordering and fulfillment when the sales force needed them?

Puryear notes that he was astonished to learn that the entire load was inventoried and accounted for in just four days. “It (the cataloging, warehousing, and printing and distribution capability) was much less painful than I imagined,” he says with a small laugh. He soon discovered there were even more pleasant and profitable surprises ahead.

BackgroundSTEMCO, a division of EnPro Industries, Inc., is an international commercial trucking components manufacturing company with headquarters in Longview, Texas. The company makes everything from seals, bearings, and brakes to new TrailerTails® that save truckers nearly 10 percent on fuel costs.

For years, STEMCO used a local print vendor to produce all of its sales and marketing literature, delivering materials in bulk to the company’s Longview facility. From there, marketing staff added product catalogs and other collateral to routine outgoing shipments to their global sales force as these items were ordered.

ProblemThe pallets of marketing materials took up valuable space on the manufacturing floor, plus managing huge box loads of printed items—and shipping them out to multiple worldwide locations as orders were received—had always been cumbersome and time consuming for staff.

Puryear says that at times old and obsolete literature would resurface (and find its way into circulation) if the most recent materials were not clearly marked. And while a certain amount of overstock was to be expected considering STEMCO’s steady growth and acquisitions, out-of-date

A B2B eCommerce solut ion l ightens the load for a global manufacturer’s marketing team.

JBY LAURIE HILEMAN

CLICK AND SHIP

Ideas That Work:


case study

FRED ZINGG is a sales consultant with The F.P. Horak Company. He helps customers maintain brand integrity while saving time and money through the implementation of B2B eCommerce solutions. Contact Fred at 989-891-1854, or by emailing [email protected].

material “happened more often than I would have liked,” recalls Puryear.

STEMCO’s marketing team started looking for a smarter system. They wanted a B2B eCommerce solution, “kind of like Amazon,” says Puryear, to streamline their ordering, printing, distribution, and storage of all sales and marketing materials.

SolutionFollowing a careful bidding process that included their existing print vendor and other suppliers, STEMCO selected The F.P. Horak Company in Bay City, Michigan, a full-service print and marketing communications services provider, for their web-to-print and warehousing needs.

“They promised us analytics, lower prices, and a smarter [literature-managing] solution,” says Puryear. “They promised on all three fronts, and they really delivered.”

The F.P. Horak team created a B2B eCommerce solution where STEMCO sales team members across the globe can order product catalogs, marketing posters, sales fliers, print-on-demand items, static items, warehouse stock, and business cards with point-and-click ease.

And even though STEMCO uses a separate vendor to produce company wearables, an online ordering link blends seamlessly with the web-to-print function for simplified access.

A host of reporting features allows Puryear to track what individual salespeople order, record how much they order, and identify gaps where additional sales opportunities may exist. He relies on Fred Zingg, his F.P. Horak sales consultant, to closely monitor store inventory and make recommendations on how and when to restock web-to-print and warehoused items.

“Him keeping an eye on it frees me up to do other things,” says Puryear.

Results“The biggest deal [on this partnership] is that we saved even more money than we anticipated,” says Puryear.

As an example, he notes the significant cost savings STEMCO has realized as a result of batching print runs together and adjusting order quantities based on Zingg’s recommendations. And managing and moving around sales literature no longer monopolizes Puryear’s time.

Gone are the days of new salespeople trying to remember literature codes or accidentally ordering the wrong thing on their old system. The B2B eCommerce solution is always stocked and ready to go so orders can ship immediately.

And Puryear appreciates the value-addeds he receives as a result of the business partnership that go beyond traditional printing, too.

“Fred’s offered solutions like mailings, other creative pieces, and pop-up banners that we use for trade shows.” It’s this proactive approach [to meeting marketing communications needs] coupled with technology-based solutions that has attracted the attention of some of STEMCO’s sister companies as well.

“The whole B2B eCommerce solution is a win for STEMCO,” says Puryear.


the buzz

Outfox the InboxIn an overcrowded electronic marketplace, direct mail delivers tangible results.

Inboxes are out. Can you blame us? Our devices are flooded with email, ads, and

offers on an hourly basis. It’s no wonder we’re reaching for (or swiping) the delete button faster than we can say “no, thanks.”

When results matter, savvy marketers are finding old-fashioned direct mail to be the “new” thing. A well-targeted, uniquely crafted piece in the hands of prospects delivers a sensory experience unmatched by any electronic form.

Simply put, mail is an experience readers remember. Studies show direct mail and tangible advertisements create an emotional connection in the brain.* And with data from the U.S. Postal Service showing that 98 percent of Americans check their mail daily**, messages in those trusty mailboxes get noticed.

In today’s digital age, consumers place a premium on print communications. Use it to your advantage with a direct mail campaign that sets your business apart.

BY LAURIE HILEMAN

Advantage:Direct Mail ***

5 things direct mail doesbetter than email. It:

» has a higher perceived value.

» has better delivery rates.

» projects personality.

» is more reliable and trustworthy.

» has longevity.

Sources: * http://www.thenewsletterpro.com/direct-mail-marketing-tangible-results-in-the-digital-age/** http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/242731*** http://gkic.com/blog/marketing-2/the-demise-of-direct-mail-strictly-a-grand-illusion/

5,000Number of electronic advertisements

the average person gets in a day.*

YOU’RE INVITED FOR DINNER

“With a strong print sales piece, you will walk right into their home, sit down at their dining room table, and pitch your product with expertise that only you can deliver.” ~ Contributor Craig Simpson on Entrepreneur.com.**

Direct mail is 10 - 30 times more effective than email when it comes to generating new customers. ***


Better ideas. A page at a time.

MATH PHOBIA?Fear not. These free tools and tips can lessen your anxiety. p.10

YOU SAY YOU WANT A (R)EVOLUTIONThe rapid rise of digital has shaken up the printing industry. p.13

SEEING GREENPrint and paper have a great sustainability story to tell. p.20

A look back at the storied past andBRIGHT FUTURE OF PAPERMAKING

150 YEARS

V 2 Issue 1 2014

p.4

After reading your custom publication that includes compelling

content, stunning visuals, and sophisticated design, prospects and

clients develop an emotional connection with stories about your

organization. They feel familiar with your business and are more

inclined to donate, join, or buy—like 63% more inclined.**Data from Roper Public Affairs Survey

THAT CREATE STAGGERING RESULTS

GLBR FAMILY FIELDS TO FAMILY FACTORIES TO YOUR FAMILY’S TABLE

p. 31

THE TOP 38 GROWING

COMPANIES p. 41

WHAT’S HOLDING

YOU BACK IN BUSINESS?

Look fear straight in the

eye… then go for it

p. 22

Successful Execs Share

THE BEST ONE-WORD

ADVICEp. 18

The Pulmonary Rehab Program Improves Quality of Life p. 3

Have Your Cataract Surgery Close to Home p. 6

Warm Up with Winter Lentil Soup p. 7

We Work Together for a Healthier Community p. 4

CONTENTSCEO Notes ........................p. 2

Hills & Dales Foundation Update .............p. 4

The Costs of Giving Back ....p. 7

Convenient Clinic Locations ........................…p. 7

Community Calendar ..........p. 8

QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER FROM HILLS & DALES GENERAL HOSPITAL | Winter 2015

A Helping Hand at Hills & Dales Medical students learn new skills at a hometown hospital p. 5

CMU College of Medicine students Matthew Wolf, Cassandra Vogel, Omar Khan, and Shelby Reitzel

An Affiliate of Covenant HealthCare

A Thriving Bay Area

Giving Guide

6 Feel-Good Gift Ideas

pg. 5

The Power of

Endowment pg. 13

Philanthropy 101: Charitable Giving Lessons Begin at Home

pg. 7

How to Tell Family about

Planned Giving Wishes

pg.8Serving Michigan’s Bay and Arenac Counties

BACF.indd 1 8/8/13 10:33 AM

We make magazines

P.O. Box 925, Bay City, MI 48707 fphorak.com 800.735.6505

Newsletters | Annual reports | Case studies | Alumni

and donor magazines | Web content and blog posts

Commemorative editions | Custom content strategy

Top 6 Ways to Give Find a planned giving option

that’s right for you p. 9

Spreading His Love Sister Elaine Raymond, M.S.S.p.

and the Special Religious Education ministry celebrate 40-plus years p. 2

A (Catholic Education) Love Story One couple makes a lasting gift to All Saints High School with a charitable gift annuity p. 8

In the Business of Giving Catholic Federal Credit Union uses donor advised funds to help people in need p. 6

Inspiring Gifts for His Glory

A publication of the Catholic Community Foundation of Mid-Michigan

FINANCIALSENSE

A RESOURCE BROUGHT TO YOU BY FPH FINANCIAL

PAGE 5

PAGE 1

PROTECT YOURSELF FROM IDENTITY THEFT WHEN TRAVELING

SIMPLE STEPS FOR GETTING YOUR HOME BUSINESS OFF THE GROUND

PAGE 3

HOME IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS5 THAT WILL PAY YOU BACK!

BOT TOML I N Ep r o v i d i n g b u s i n e s s i n n o v a t i o n s

Once Upon a Time

Case Study

The Buzz

A pontoon manufacturer floats its brand boat with an impressive dealer sales kit p. 18

Organizations use storytelling to build loyalty and drive revenue p. 12

Industry trends that your business needs to know to survive p. 20

P R I N T I S A L L T H E

H E Y, LOOK AT M E !5 w a y s t o g r a b a t t e n t i o n w i t h s p e c i a l e f f e c t s o n p r i n t p . 2

S P E C I A L I S S U E

BU Z Z

R U B A N D S M E L L T H E L AV E N D E R !

V3:2

instockVol. 2 • Issue 1

Where are communicators spending their budget? p. 15

Commercial printing continues to evolve rapidly. Here are tips for moving forward successfully. p. 13

Neuroscience and design converge to drive buyer behavior. p. 9

LUXURY PACKAGIN

G

NAVIGATING CHANGE

PRINT INDUSTRY TRENDS

YOUR BRAIN ON PACKAGING

When yo

u wan

t what

you’re

holding in yo

ur han

d to b

e as sp

ecial a

s what

’s insid

e. p. 5

WINTER 2013

Information at Your FingertipsNew parents manage child wellness with Family BirthPlace App p. 3

McLaren Health Plan Offers “Rewards” to Members Individuals and small businesses can access affordable health insurance p. 7

Opening the Door on the FutureMcLaren Bay Region invests in hybrid imaging p. 4

501741_BeWell_Winter13.indd 1 11/25/13 10:03 AM

For more information, call Shaynie Feinauer - 989.891.1710

P.O. Box 925, Bay City, MI 48707 800.735.6505

70 Years StrongDrive revenue. Reduce costs. Working together to improve your bottom line.

That’s F.P. Horak.

To learn more, visit

Mar16 Bottom Line

Documents

Transcript of Mar16 Bottom Line