1. Designline Remodelers Hires EdgeMark Partners for Brand Re-Fresh

    November 11, 2008 by admin

    (RICHMOND, VA)—EdgeMark Partners has been hired to create a fresh new look for Designline that will better reflect their personality and promote their uniqueness.

    “We found Designline offered very clean, professional, detailed home transformations,” said Scott Highfill, Vice President of Creative Solutions at EdgeMark. “We have leveraged these attributes into a new clean and sleek updated logo and tagline. Now prospective clients will easily identify and clearly understand who they are and what they have to offer.”

    DesignLine Remodelers, Inc., Established in 1997 is Richmond Virginia’s premier design/build remodeler and builder. DesignLine specializes in kitchens, aging-in-place remodels, baths, additions and whole house renovations. Wayne Booze and the DesignLine team enjoy remodeling projects in the Richmond, VA market.

    EdgeMark Partners, established in 1990, is a full-service marketing communications agency based in Richmond, Virginia, and specializes in brand building, marketing strategy, an creative implementation to a broad range of clients.

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  2. Because Every Dollar Counts: Five Reasons to Use Direct Marketing

    November 1, 2008 by admin

    The Direct Marketing Association predicts that 2008 will be the first year that direct marketing (direct mail, e-mail, and Web) spending will outpace mass media (print and broadcast).

    1. TARGETING: It’s hard to sell prime rib to vegetarians
    Why advertise to people who don’t want your product or service? Direct marketing lets you target only those who want what you sell. Using increasingly sophisticated data analytics, regression and predictive modeling, as well as other techniques, a direct marketing agency can find those who are highly likely to respond to your DM message. You can also apply modeling and analytics to your current customer base to help predict future purchasing behaviors and plan cross-selling strategies. With 98% of consumers bringing in their mail the day it’s delivered, and 77% sorting through it immediately,* a well-targeted direct mail campaign can deliver your message to highly qualified recipients within your chosen time frame.

    2. PERSONALIZATION: Speak their language
    Now that you know who you want to reach, you can focus on what you want to say. One of the many advantages of direct marketing is the ability to customize your message for different audience segments. You would want to speak differently to men than you would women, to Gen Xers differently than Boomers, and to customers in a different voice than you would prospects. In fact, direct marketing is an ideal customer retention tool, as it helps you sustain a dialog with your customers—especially when you include surveys and other feedback channels.

    3. TESTING: What you don’t know can hurt you
    With direct marketing, you can take the guesswork out of what makes a campaign successful. How? By testing various elements so you know exactly what works and what doesn’t, such as:

    • Lists – Do age, income or other demographics affect your response rates?

    • Formats – Does a postcard out-pull a self-mailer? Do follow-up e-mails lift response?

    • Response channels – Is a postage-paid reply card needed? Or will phone and web response channels do the job more cost-effectively?

    • Offers – Will a 15% discount out-pull a 10% discount in sufficient quantities to justify the bigger discount? Or does a free premium offer work better than discounts?

    • Creative – You can test short copy vs. long copy, colors, photographs— virtually all the creative elements to find just the right combination to grab attention and get results.

    • Timing – Does your product or service sell better at the beginning of the month? At certain times of the year? Does seasonality effect your sales cycle?

    4. AGILITY: Battle ships vs. jet skis
    With each DM campaign, you learn what works and what doesn’t, so you can fine tune for the next campaign. Trying to change your mass media campaign once it’s launched is like trying to turn a battleship on a dime. Direct marketing, on the other hand, gives you the speed and agility of a jet ski, so you can change course almost instantly, and get increasingly better results. And this agility is possible only because of testing and the relatively low cost per acquisition of direct marketing.

    5. ACCOUNTABILITY: When every dollar counts, DM gives you the measurable response and results you need
    Dr. Peter Johnson, the DMA’s Research Strategy and Platforms Vice President, says it best. “Marketers are moving dollars into direct marketing because of its higher ROI (return on investment) relative to other forms of advertising. This makes DM a more reliable engine for sustaining sales, incomes, and jobs at a time when the mortgage and energy markets are heightening economic uncertainty.”

    * United States Postal Service

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  3. Marketing in a Recession: Five Budget-Friendly Marketing Strategies That Can Help Grow Your Business

    September 1, 2008 by admin

    Whether the U.S. economy is in an actual recession or not, the picture isn’t as rosy as it was two years ago. With the current mortgage crisis, and unsettling news about IndyMac, Fannie Mae and other financial institutions, confidence is down. And costs are up. You may be feeling the pinch, and maybe you’re thinking about scaling back or reallocating your marketing budget. But, as marketing is a necessary component of both short-and long-term business plans, now is a great time to reevaluate your current strategies and make the most of unexpected opportunities to market smarter.

    Five Recession-Proof Marketing Tips

    1. Keep your current customers near and dear
    You’ve probably heard this before, but it bears repeating: It costs 10 times more to acquire a new customer than to sell to an existing one, so do all you can to solidify your customer relationships.

    • Send your customer’s emails on a regular basis—to thank them, announce a special offer, or share tips and hints.

    • Mail postcards with an invitation or a reminder. Consider including an offer, redeemable at your website. When your customers log on you can capture current email addresses.

    • Keep your customers engaged—and bring in new customers—with a “refer-a-friend” program, offering a free gift or a discount for referrals.

    2. Go for measurable results
    When you want your marketing dollars to work as hard as possible, choose media that let you measure your results. And according to the U.S. Postal Service, 30% more dollars are spent by multimedia shoppers than single-media shoppers, so consider a mix of direct mail and email, which let you:

    • Target only the people who want your product or service.

    • Customize messaging to different audience segments.

    • Test offers, messages, timing, even size and colors to learn what elements generate the biggest response rates and return on investment (ROI).

    3. Share the costs, increase the sales
    Get creative, reach out to friends and associates and combine marketing efforts and costs. For example…

    • At your brick-and-mortar locations, organize partnership marketing events with your business neighbors.

    • Raise awareness through community service programs. Partnering with other organizations in support of community programs has advantages for the community and for you.

    4. Brush up your social skills
    If you’ve got some time on your hands, ramp up your networking to create top-of-mind awareness for you and your business.

    • Attend Chamber of Commerce and other business breakfasts, socials and forums.

    • Volunteer for community and charity work.

    • Explore some of the new social networking websites geared for businesses, such as Twitter, Plaxo, Yelp and LinkedIn. Most are free to join.

    5. Put your expertise to good use
    Remember, you’re not just selling a product or service. At some level, you’re selling yourself. So position yourself as THE expert in your field.

    • Write articles or white papers and offer them as free downloads on your website or include them as part of mailed newsletter—an affordable and effective marketing tool in any economy.

    • Start a blog, accessible from your website. Keep it light and interesting; let your personality shine through.

    • Host a webinar, which gives you the added benefit of tracking who attends.

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  4. EdgeMark Partners Recognized For Design Excellence

    July 30, 2008 by admin

    (RICHMOND, VA)— EdgeMark Partners has been recognized for excellence in graphic design by Graphic Design USA.

    The company received two awards for direct marketing communications produced for financial services clients—one a customer activation/retention piece, and the other, a business acquisition series. The award-winning communications are to appear in the 2008 American Graphic Design annual publication.

    EdgeMark Partners, established in 1990, is a full-service marketing and communications agency based in Richmond, Virginia, specializing in results-focused marketing strategies, brand building and creative implementation.

    Category: Agency News | Comments (0)

  5. Marketing to Women: The Focus That Can Boost Your Bottom Line

    July 1, 2008 by admin

    It’s a proven 21st century reality—there are verifiable and measurable differences in the way men and women process information and make decisions. And this should make every marketing professional sit up and take notice.

    Why target women specifically in your marketing efforts
    Virtually every type of business can benefit from marketing to women. Consider these facts:

    • Women purchase or influence the purchase of 80% of all consumer goods.1

    • By 2010, women are expected to control 60% of the nation’s wealth.2

    • The number of women earning $100,000 or more has tripled in the past 10 years.3

    • Of the 37-38 million women in the baby boom generation, nine million are business owners with a net worth of more than $1 million.4

    • Women control about $5 trillion in U.S. business and consumer spending.5

    • Single women buy one of every five homes that sell, and more than twice as many as single men buy.6

    • Women make or influence 59% of all car purchases.7

    Men and women ARE different and so are their consumer behaviors
    Research tells us that men and women receive advertising messages differently and behave differently in the marketplace. For example:

    • During decision-making, women tend to gather more information than men do and are less likely to be influenced by advertising.8

    • Women are more interested in practical features and applications of products and services, while men want to know the ‘specs and techs.’9

    • Men tend to go after self-focused goals that have greater personal consequences, while women are more guided by communal concerns and personal relationships.10

    • Women have more sensitivity to the concerns of both self and others.11

    • Women respond to advertisements that are verbally and visually rich and highly informative, whereas men respond better to non-verbal advertising.12

    Strategies you can put to work right away
    While certain basic marketing strategies—such as highlighting benefits rather than features—should always be incorporated in your marketing efforts, here are a few ways to effectively target women:

    • Women gather more information before making a decision. Multiple marketing communications can pay off in attracting new women customers.

    • Show how your product or service will benefit not only your potential woman customer, but make her home/neighborhood/workplace/planet a better place.

    • Pictures of family or friends enjoying life IN a car will speak to a woman more directly that a photo of the car alone.

    Find out if you could be doing more to attract and retain women as customers with a complimentary consultation from EdgeMark Partners. Call us at 804-967-2000 to schedule your consultation.

    1,2Joanna L. Krotz, Microsoft Small Business Center, www.microsoft/com/smallbusiness/hub/mspx
    3The Employment Policy Foundation
    4Thomas Stanley, Ph.D., Millionaire Women Next Door
    5Gallup Management Journal, March 10, 2005
    6USA Today, December 14, 2006
    7Edmunds.com
    8BusinessWeek, February 14, 2005
    9BNET Business Network, October 31, 2003
    10Martha Barletta, The TrendSight Group
    11,12Exploring the Origins and Information Processing Differences Between Men and Women: Implications for Advertisers, Sanjay Putrevu, Brock University

    Category: Marketing News | Comments (0)

  6. CapCenter Hires EdgeMark Partners for Brand Re-Fresh

    June 11, 2008 by admin

    (RICHMOND, VA)—EdgeMark Partners has been hired to create a fresh new look for CapCenter that will be bring consistency, internal alignment and better positioning in the Richmond market.

    “We found CapCenter offered a very unique attribute to the Richmond market. They offer zero closing costs for mortgages,” said Doug Glasco Executive Vice President of EdgeMark. “We will leverage this unique promise in all their communications to include: tag line, marketing collateral and advertising.“

    Capital Center L.L.C was formed and licensed as a mortgage lender by the Virginia Bureau of Financial Institutions of the State Corporation Commission in 1997.

    Gary T. Piacentini, President, started the company with a mission. The company’s mission is to help clients buy, sell, or refinance their primary or vacation homes by providing financing at market interest rates without charging or requiring the borrower to pay for certain traditional closing costs. By combining the talents of Lenders and in house Attorneys, customers are able to receive professional representation every step of the way while saving on fees such as broker fees, lender fees, appraisal, credit report fees and mortgagee title insurance fees, etc.”

    EdgeMark Partners, established in 1990, is a full-service marketing communications agency based in Richmond, Virginia, and specializes in brand building, marketing strategy, and creative implementation to a broad range of financial service clients.

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  7. EdgeMark Partners to Manage Upcoming Merger Communications for PNC

    May 1, 2008 by admin

    (RICHMOND, VA)—EdgeMark Partners will manage customer notification mailings for PNC’s upcoming conversion of the recently acquired Sterling Financial Corporation.

    EdgeMark Partners will handle the direct mail merger communications program introducing customers of the seven Sterling affiliate banks to PNC and providing personalized account information to retail and business clients.

    The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., headquartered in Pittsburgh, is one of the nation’s largest diversified financial services organizations.

    EdgeMark Partners, established in 1990, is a full-service marketing and communications agency based in Richmond, Virginia, specializing in results-focused marketing strategies, brand building and creative implementation.

    Category: Agency News | Comments (0)

  8. EdgeMark Partners To Manage PNC’s Upcoming Merger Communications

    September 18, 2007 by admin

    (RICHMOND, VA)—EdgeMark Partners will manage customer notification mailings for PNC’s upcoming conversion of recently acquired Yardville National Bancorp (YNB).

    EdgeMark Partners will handle the direct mail merger communications program introducing YNB customers to PNC and providing personalized account information to all retail, business and wealth management clients.

    EdgeMark also handled the merger mailings for PNC’s recent acquisition of Mercantile Bankshares Corporation, as well as for the company’s 2005 conversion of Riggs National Corp. and the 2004 conversion of UnitedTrust.

    The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., headquartered in Pittsburgh, is one of the nation’s largest diversified financial services organizations.

    EdgeMark Partners is a Richmond-based, full-service marketing communications agency specializing in brand building, marketing strategy, and creative implementation for financial services clients.

    Category: Agency News | Comments (0)

  9. EdgeMark Partners to Assist with Village Bank Grand Opening

    August 15, 2007 by admin

    (RICHMOND, VA)—EdgeMark Partners will assist in promoting the new Village Bank branch opening soon in the Forest Office Park in western Henrico County.

    The week-long branch opening celebration will be held October 22-27. EdgeMark Partners will handle direct mail and web promotions, in-branch collateral, and radio, television and newspaper advertisements.

    With the opening of the new branch, Village Bank will operate eleven offices in the Richmond metropolitan area. Founded in 1999, the company provides both commercial and retail banking services.

    EdgeMark Partners, established in 1990, is a full-service marketing communications agency based in Richmond, Virginia, and specializes in brand building, marketing strategy, and creative implementation to a broad range of financial service clients.

    Category: Agency News | Comments (0)

  10. First Capital Bank Hires EdgeMark Partners for New Product Launch

    April 20, 2007 by admin

    (RICHMOND, VA)—EdgeMark Partners has been hired to brand First Capital Bank’s newest product.

    An acronym for Fast Reliable Electronic Deposit, FRED will allow business customers to make check deposits directly to their First Capital accounts without having to travel to the bank.

    FRED’s persona is the brain-child of Kate Wagner, First Capital’s senior vice president and COO, and was developed in partnership with marketing agency EdgeMark Partners. FRED bears a striking resemblance to the specialized desktop scanner the service uses to transmit checks, using a high speed Internet connection, to a secured server for deposit into a First Capital business account.

    “Welcoming FRED as an associate personalizes the service for our business customers, which fits with the individualized customer service that is top priority at First Capital Bank,” Ms. Wagner says. “FRED’s services can eliminate or greatly reduce deposit trips to the bank, leaving more time to focus on business.”

    FRED is illustrated as a new friendly character brand icon and can be seen in all the branches on posters, table tents, brochures and more. Storks announcing the arrival of FRED were placed in front of each branch locations signage.

    Those stopping by First Capital Bank branches could join the celebration of FRED’s arrival. “It’s a boy!” cigars, balloons and FRED himself was available to greet visitors.

    Established in 1998, First Capital Bank is a full service, locally owned and operated commercial bank with 7 offices located throughout the metropolitan area.

    EdgeMark Partners, established in 1990, is a full-service marketing communications agency based in Richmond, Virginia, and specializes in brand building, marketing strategy, and creative implementation to a broad range of financial service clients.

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