From the Book of Matthew

Website Workshops

Mon, 27 Feb 2017 09:00:00 -0500

Before getting into the meat of this month’s update, I’d like to take a moment to congratulate Lee Gaines for producing another successful ADDY Awards. Great job, Lee! Congratulations on winning the AdFed Suncoast Member of the Year Award too. You certainly earned it!

As many readers know, Milestone has supported the local chapter of the American Advertising Federation for many years. I served on the board of directors for several years as programs chair, president, as well as ADDY chair, and I can vouch for the incredible amount of work it takes to manage the awards and put on a good show.

And for the second year in a row, Lee has pulled together a fantastic event that was enjoyed by all who attended. Be sure to check out the photos and videos on Facebook.

Now for this month’s update, I’d like to share one aspect of Milestone’s annual marketing plan for 2017.

Last year, in an effort to build stronger relationships with our clients, we began hosting quarterly networking events called Milestone Mixers. The purpose is to introduce Milestone clients to each other so they can refer more business to each other.

We’re continuing that effort this year, and we’ve added another series of events to our calendar. Aptly named Website Workshops, these are online training sessions for Milestone’s website clients. The purpose of is to provide additional website training for new and existing clients.

As part of our website development process, every new client gets a personal online tutorial of Accrisoft Freedom, the content management system we use to build and maintain websites. But like any software application, your level of proficiency depends on how often you use it. Some clients log into the system on a daily basis. Others never do.

It depends on how sophisticated your website is and how much online marketing efforts factor into your business. It also depends on who is responsible for administering your website. Plus people come and go, so clients have new users that need system training, and some clients enjoy a refresher every once in a while.

Starting in March, the Freedom Essentials workshop will be offered every other month. This class will cover the basics so it is great for new users and existing clients who need a refresher.

In between each essential workshop, you’ll have an opportunity for a more advanced training session. Topics include working with forms, email marketing campaigns, managing meta data, and more.

Website Workshops are scheduled on the third Wednesday of each month from 11am until 12pm. These classes are included with your monthly service fee so check out the schedule and sign up today.

Until next month,

Matthew Anderson, President
Milestone Marketing Associates, Inc.

Going Forward

Mon, 30 Jan 2017 15:00:00 -0500

After more than seven years of writing weekly updates I decided it was time for a change. Going forward my plan is to update this blog once a month. There are several reasons for the change, but mainly it has to do with the amount of time it takes to write these updates.

On average, I spent about two hours per week thinking about what to write, writing, editing, posting, and emailing these updates. Over the course 373 blog posts (this one makes 374) that equals 746 hours. If you do the math, at 24 hours a day, that equals 31 days, or an entire month of my life working on this blog.

The other big reason for making the change has to do with the amount of email people receive in their inbox. Of course we keep track of these updates, and we can tell who receives them, who looks at the emails, and who clicks on them. The averages vary quite a bit each week, and as you might expect, it is those who are closest to Milestone and me – family, friends, and clients – who pay the most attention to this blog.

Interestingly, when I speak to people about this blog, the comments are fairly consistent. Folks say they look forward to receiving updates every week, but they readily admit they don’t always read them. I get it. And I’m the same way. I receive many more emails than I read.

Hopefully, by reducing the frequency of these updates, I will find more time to spend doing other things, and you will be more inclined to find out what’s new at Milestone.

Thank you for paying attention. I appreciate your support, and as a business, we thrive on your referrals and recommendations.

Until next month,

Matthew Anderson, President
Milestone Marketing Associates, Inc.

Have fun. Be Safe.

Tue, 27 Dec 2016 08:00:00 -0500

Welcome back from the holiday weekend! Hopefully you enjoyed spending the time with your family and friends. The Andersons had a wonderful Christmas morning, as you can see from the expression on Mia’s face while opening her stocking.

We have one more week of 2016, and one more special night coming up this weekend. Please be safe if you’re going out on New Year’s Eve. If you haven’t tried Uber before, give it a shot. It’s cheap and easy. Or if you find yourself out, and had yourself too much fun, call Tow To Go. Better safe than sorry.

Until next week,

Matthew Anderson, President
Milestone Marketing Associates, Inc.

Painting On a River

Mon, 19 Dec 2016 09:00:00 -0500

We’re down to the last two posts of 2016! It’s amazing how much faster time seems to go by the older we get, but I get a sense from most people I know this year couldn’t come to an end soon enough. Perhaps it was the negativity or uncertainty of the election, or other issues closer to home, but I remain cautiously optimistic for the New Year.

I learned a new saying from a client the other day that I’ve repeated several times now. And the more I think about it. The more I like it.

He likes to use the phrase, “painting on a river.” In his context he is referring to the difficulty of business planning when faced with multiple uncertainties beyond our control.

Over the last few weeks I’ve met with several of our retainer accounts in preparation for 2017, and this expression keeps working its way into the conversation.

Thinking about the river and the passing of time, it occurs to me one’s perception is based on the culmination of one’s experience.

I distinctly remember when I learned the term “baggage” in my high school literature class. It was a reference to the way your personal experience affects the way you interpret what you read.

Over the years I’ve often marveled at the way our perception evolves over time. I know I’ve written about it in this blog several times, and I remain fascinated how much a decade or two can influence your view of the world.

While it’s true people say some things never change, I’m not so sure. I was just reading an article the other day how the 24-hour day changes over time due to the influence of the moon. It may be milliseconds of change over the millennia, but change it does.

So what’s the point of this week’s missive? You can decide on your own. I just think it’s cool the river keeps flowing. Sometimes it trickles. Sometimes the river runs over its banks. But the river is not the only thing that changes. So does our perception, and in turn, what we choose to paint.

Until next week,

Matthew Anderson, President
Milestone Marketing Associates, Inc.

Collateral Materials

Mon, 12 Dec 2016 14:00:00 -0500

A few weeks ago we shared some insight into working with our newest retainer account, Audio Video Partners. Since then Milestone has been busy producing all sorts of fun things to help AVP project a consistent brand identity and message.

When we design a new logo for a client the first thing we usually do is update their corporate identity suite (business cards, letterhead, and envelopes). Next, with a complete set of logo files and an established design aesthetic we turn our attention to collateral materials.

Collateral materials include a broad category of printed items that typically require some level of graphic design prior to production, and depending on the scope of the project, may also require copywriting and/or photography services. In AVP’s case, we have focused on two areas: signage and advertising specialties:

Signage

Door Magnets
- For personal vehicles used for work
Window Wrap
- For the one of the owner’s vehicles
Vehicle Wraps
- For the company’s growing fleet of work trucks

Specialties

Stickers
- 3x4 UV-coated stickers with contact information for various applications (installed equipment, etc.)
Magnets
- 3x4 oval magnets for various applications (mostly because they’re cool)
Tumblers
- Stainless steel tumblers to be used as a premium giveaway for their lunch & learn attendees
Koozies
- Low-cost giveaway for trade shows, events, and customer appreciation parties
Apparel
- Logo files and artwork for a variety of work shirts (embroidered polo shirts for sales and management, and imprinted t-shirts for installers and techs)

Whether you’re investing in vehicle wraps, promo products, or logo apparel, the goal is always the same: present a consistent professional image for your business. Each of these items has the potential to be seen by dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of potential customers. It’s critically important to make sure those first impressions reflect positively on the business.

Until next week,

Matthew Anderson, President
Milestone Marketing Associates, Inc.

Holiday Season

Mon, 05 Dec 2016 10:00:00 -0500

Now that we’re officially in the last month of the year, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of our clients, colleagues, and supporters for helping Milestone find success in 2016. Our plans are shaping up for the New Year, and we’re looking forward sharing them with you.

In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to ask for some help. We love to talk about marketing, and we’re always looking for more clients. Milestone may or may not be a good fit for your business, but we’re always more than happy to offer a fresh perspective and share some free advice.

Enjoy the rest of the holiday season with your family and friends, and be sure to do whatever you can to support those in need. Volunteer your time, donate your services, help raise money for a good cause, no matter what it is you choose to do, you can make a difference.

If you like the idea of helping kids, and you like to laugh, then consider joining my Kiwanis club for a special fundraiser at McCurdy’s Comedy Club on Saturday, January 15, 2107. Here’s a flyer with more info:

Until next week,

Matthew Anderson, President
Milestone Marketing Associates, Inc.

Holiday Parade

Mon, 28 Nov 2016 09:00:00 -0500

In what has become somewhat of an annual tradition, we walked in the Siesta Key Holiday Parade on Saturday. Years ago we used to walk in the parade representing the Kiwanis Club of Siesta Key, but when that fell out of favor, Mia’s girl scout troop stepped up.

Here is a photo of the girls with their troop leader – my wife, Dana – at the end of the parade route:

I hope you all enjoyed spending time with friends and family over the long holiday weekend. Now it’s back to work for the last five weeks of 2016.

Until next week,

Matthew Anderson, President
Milestone Marketing Associates, Inc.

Giving Thanks

Wed, 23 Nov 2016 08:00:00 -0500

May your Thanksgiving holiday be filled with good food, good friends, and good times with your family. Please remember those less who are less fortunate than you, and donate what you can to help others enjoy the season of giving thanks.

Seven Weeks Left

Mon, 14 Nov 2016 08:00:00 -0500

Can you believe there are only seven weeks left in 2016? Thanksgiving is next week! Between all of your last-minute, year-end projects, and all of your holiday parties and family commitments, don’t forget to sit down and give some thought to your 2017 business plan.

Setting sales goals for the upcoming year is the best way to start the planning process. And the best way to project future sales is to review your historical numbers. Breaking down revenues into categories – by product, by customer, by geography, etc. – whatever makes sense for your business will often yield insight into how the business is evolving.

Once you have a better handle on your sales history you can begin to factor in any new initiatives for the upcoming year. Are you going to hire more salespeople? Are you planning to introduce a new product or service? Maybe you’d like to expand your business by entering a new market, or grow your business by acquiring a competitor. Any and all of these options will affect both sides of the balance sheet.

From a marketing perspective – as opposed to other functions of your business (production, finance, etc.) – the next step in the planning process is your target audience. One of the interesting things about looking at sales history is you might learn something new about your customers. We all make assumptions about our business – such as who is buying our products or how we define our ideal customers.

But sales numbers don’t lie. Taking time to analyze empirical evidence in the form of sales results over the past year will reveal the truth, and the reality will sometimes surprise you.

Likewise, depending on your initiatives, you may need to adjust your target audience to reflect those changes. Once you know if and how your target audience has evolved, then you’ll be ready update your message strategy as needed. Has you brand evolved? Is it time for a refresh. Are you launching a new product or service? Does it need it’s own brand identity or is it an extension of your corporate identity? Do you need a new brochure, new packaging, or a website update?

The point is your marketing planning decisions should relate back to your sales goals. You might be surprised, but in our experience most business owners don’t connect these dots. All too often their decisions about marketing are reactionary. Something will come up during the year – such as an event to sponsor, an advertisement to support a cause, or some sort of “must have” promotional item for whatever reason – and if there is money to spend, it’s spent, regardless of whether or not the expense has anything to do with achieving their sales goals for the year.

Sometimes getting an objective perspective can help. Milestone offers a strategic marketing planning service that walks you through a step-by-step process. It takes six hours over the course of three meetings. Let me know if you’re interested. But don’t wait too long. There are only seven weeks left in 2016…

Until next week,

Matthew Anderson, President
Milestone Marketing Associates, Inc.

Audio Video Partners

Mon, 07 Nov 2016 10:00:00 -0500

As you already know, Milestone designs, builds, and hosts websites for local businesses. And as you may know, we also work with retainer accounts. People sometimes ask what we do for retainer clients, so this week I thought I would give you some insight into what we’re doing for Audio Video Partners, our newest retainer account.

The reason why clients hire Milestone on a retainer basis is to help them execute a comprehensive annual marketing plan. The plans we develop always break down into three categories: print marketing, web marketing, and event marketing.

Print marketing is comprised of tradition tactics and tangible projects. Examples include advertising and public relations, as well as collateral materials like brochures and signage. For AVP we are working on two different press releases and several different sign projects.

The purpose of writing press releases is to tell their story – whatever is new and interesting about the business. The result generates timely, relevant content for their company website, and with any luck, some free publicity in the media. The signs we are designing are essentially mobile advertising, moving billboards in the form of vehicle wraps that promote the business while they’re on the road and at the jobsite.

Web marketing involves online communications and promotions. Social media, search engine optimization, directly listings, online advertising, the list goes on an on. For AVP we helped them develop a social media marketing strategy. Now we’re helping them update their social media profiles, and next we will help them prepare an editorial calendar.

Event marketing refers to face-to-face marketing. This includes trade shows, seminars, business associations, and corporate functions. One of the goals of AVP’s marketing plan is to develop strategic referral partner relationships with commercial contractors and residential builders – two groups that have contributed to their growth.

We’re helping AVP develop a series of quarterly lunch & learn events designed to educate referral partners about the latest in audio video technology and build stronger relationships.

If you’re curious how we could help you grow your business, or if you know someone who would benefit from a retainer account relationship, please don’t hesitate to contact Milestone.

Until next week,

Matthew Anderson, President
Milestone Marketing Associates, Inc.