3 Overused Core Values For A Company (And How To Make Yours Stand Out)

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William Craig | Forbes | April 19, 2016

It’s not enough just to make something. Many companies are so busy breaking new ground and inventing new things that they sometimes let their values fall by the wayside. But what good is owning a company if you don’t have beliefs worth standing up for?

Don’t just make something — make something better. That’s what we’re here today to discuss: Company values and how to make them really matter. Cut through the cookie-cutter jargon and find out what your company is really meant to do and how you can tell the world about it. Read more

Nicole Wagner Brings Internet Marketing Strategies Seminar to Senior Housing Professionals on the East Coast

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LOMBARD, ILL., April 21, 2016 – Continuing on the tradition of educating the senior living and aging care services industry on successful marketing techniques, Stevens & Tate Marketing’s Internet Marketing Director Nicole Wagner is heading to Pennsylvania this May to host a special seminar for the Marketing and Public Relations Society of Senior Housing and Service Professionals. The three hour session, being held from 9am-12pm on May 6, 2016, will cover a myriad of online marketing topics, including social media, search engine marketing and website strategies.

“Social Success: Enhance Your Online Presence and Attract New Prospects” will take attendees through an in-depth look at specific strategies and tactics that can strengthen their online marketing programs, generate traffic, convert and nurture leads through to sale.

Wagner said, “I have custom-tailored this session for the senior housing audience and to help aging care services professionals learn relevant, actionable techniques that make sense for their market. Regardless of current program efforts or online marketing skill level, there is something new for all to take away…ultimately leading to enhanced success with attracting prospects and converting them to occupancy.”

The Marketing and Public Relations Society of Senior Housing and Service Professionals (MPRS) is a non-profit, professional society dedicated to providing educational and networking opportunities to enhance and develop the professional development and skills of its members. Senior living/aging care professionals from all around Pennsylvania will be attending the day’s seminar. For more information about the event, visit www.stevens-tate.com/news-insights/events.

Stevens & Tate Marketing (www.stevens-tate.com) is a digital advertising agency focused on making things happen for our clients. Stevens & Tate offers an array of integrated marketing solutions including strategic planning, StoryBranding, inbound marketing, and search & social.

To learn more about the speakers at Stevens & Tate Marketing, visit www.stevens-tate.com/speaking. To discuss specific speaking opportunities for your organization or association, contact Stevens & Tate by calling (630) 627-5200 or via email at gartlan@stevens-tate.com.

SUMMARY: Stevens & Tate Marketing Internet Director Nicole Wagner will be presenting to the Marketing and Public Relations Society of Senior Housing and Service Professionals (MPRS) in Pennsylvania on May 6, 2016. Her informative online marketing workshop will discuss key strategies designed to help senior living/aging care services professionals strengthen their marketing results.

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Stevens & Tate Lands Three New Real Estate Marketing Accounts

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Lombard, Ill.—Stevens & Tate Marketing has landed three new real estate advertising accounts: Plote Homes, Bob Ward Companies and Foxford Communities.

“These three clients are a solid addition to our real estate marketing portfolio,” said Dan Gartlan, Stevens & Tate president. For more than 20 years, the agency has provided real estate companies across the country with bold, innovative creative and media strategies that generate trackable, measurable results.

For Plote Homes, based in East Dundee, Illinois, Stevens & Tate was tasked with promoting two upscale lifestyle communities. To maximize impact and minimize waste, the agency focused on geotargeting—both digitally and through local print publications—for the builder’s real estate advertising. Read more

RECAP: “Social Success: Enhance Your Online Presence and Attract New Prospects” Seminar for Senior Living Professionals

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WHO: Marketing and Public Relations Society of Senior Housing and Service Professionals in Pennsylvania

WHERE: Frederick Living Community, 2849 Big Road, Frederick PA 19435

WHEN: May 6, 2016

DETAILS: Stevens & Tate hosting a special three-hour seminar for senior care services marketing professionals.

Internet Marketing Director Nicole Wagner is strengthening her presence in the senior living/aging care market—being selected to share her unique insight at an exciting industry event in Pennsylvania this spring.

The exclusive seminar for the Marketing and Public Relations Society of Senior Housing and Service Professionals will be held from 9am-12pm on May 6, 2016, and will cover a myriad of online marketing topics, including social media, search engine marketing and website strategies.

Nicole’s presentation will focus in her area of specialty—online marketing techniques to improve performance and get real results. “Social Success: Enhance Your Online Presence and Attract New Prospects” will include an in-depth look at website, search and social strategies and tactics to help draw in new prospects, engage audiences and build online following, generate new traffic, and increase occupancy for senior care housing professionals.

To learn more about the Marketing and Public Relations Society of Senior Housing and Service Professionals in Pennsylvania, please click here.

RECAP: “be the difference” LeadingAge Spring Conference and Exhibitor Showcase

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Update:  LeadingAge Iowa was another great success.

Stevens & Tate President Dan Gartlan and Internet Marketing Director Nicole Wagner were selected to share their senior living marketing expertise as speakers at the conference. Dan led a session titled,“Integrating Marketing Strategies to Attract Prospects to Your Brand and Drive Occupancy” and Nicole spoke on“Embrace the Conversation: Strategy and Tactics for Using Search and Social to Engage and Attract Prospects/Residents.”

Stevens & Tate was asked to share our expertise at the conference based on our extensive experience in the senior living marketing field – with proven success building brands and growing business.

Read more

Stevens & Tate Marketing Speaking at Regional LeadingAge Event for Senior Living Professionals

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The senior living marketing experts at Stevens & Tate Marketing are continuing their long-standing association with the acclaimed LeadingAge organization, as they head to the LeadingAge Iowa Spring Conference for two featured speaking events.

Over the last few years, the digital agency has established notable credibility in the industry and has been asked to share its expertise at numerous senior living/aging care events across the country. The upcoming LeadingAge Iowa event is one more example of the professionals’ ability to educate and engage audiences with their targeted marketing presentations.

LeadingAge Iowa Spring Conference & Exhibitor Showcase is taking place from May 4-5, 2016, at the Meadows Conference Center in Altoona, Iowa. Both President Dan Gartlan and Internet Marketing Director Nicole Wagner will be speaking at the “be the difference” event on Wednesday, May 4th. First up will be Nicole Wagner with her highly regarded “Embrace the Conversation: Strategy and Tactics for Using Search and Social to Engage and Attract Prospects/Residents” session from 2:30-3:30pm, followed by Dan Gartlan’s newly-revamped “Integrating Marketing Strategies to Attract Prospects to Your Brand and Drive Occupancy” from 3:45-4:45pm.

Tailored to meet the needs of the senior living and aging care marketplace, both presentations will focus on key marketing strategies that organizations can implement right away to draw more prospects and convert more leads. Complete with real-world examples and actionable takeaways, the pair’s sessions continue to be well received by senior care associations nationwide.

Nicole will focus specifically on Internet marketing tactics to help enhance online presence through relevant website updates, engaging social media campaigns and targeted search engine marketing techniques. Gartlan will expand on four overall strategies that are proven to attract new followers and strengthen current marketing efforts. Together, the insights gained from the two sessions will allow attendees to get more out of the programs they put in place, and maximize their results.

“The fundamentals of Attraction Marketing revolve around inbound tactics that senior care organizations can use to get optimum impact out of their marketing efforts, said Gartlan. “By addressing the realities of our online world and the mindset of today’s consumer, the processes outlined offer immediate benefits for improving performance,” he continued. To learn more about the upcoming LeadingAge Iowa Spring Conference 2016, visit www.stevens-tate.com/news-insights/events.

LeadingAge Iowa is the local chapter of the national association, which includes thousands of not-for-profit organizations dedicated to the health care and housing of the aging. The Spring Conference is an ideal platform to showcase products and services and provide relevant education to senior living providers representing the full continuum of Independent Living Communities, Assisted Living Communities, Skilled Nursing Facilities, Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs), Adult Day Care, and other home and community-based services throughout these states.

Stevens & Tate Marketing (www.stevens-tate.com) is a digital advertising agency focused on making things happen for our clients. Stevens & Tate offers an array of integrated marketing solutions including strategic planning, StoryBranding, inbound marketing, and search & social.

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defining your true brand story

Defining Your True Brand Story and Bringing it to Life Online

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Today’s most well-known brands share a powerful marketing secret—its about connecting with customers on an emotional level and in a way that addresses their challenges. But how can you do this without pushing your ideas on prospects?

Taking a true storytelling approach is the answer. Sharing your brand’s core values and competitive advantages in meaningful, memorable way will help reach your ideal buyer and build a following to your brand. Any brand, large or small, in any industry, for any product or service, can benefit from getting past just telling advantage and benefit claims, and truly developing a unique voice that customers believe in and becomes your brand.

The Power Of A Great Story

Stories have feeling. Emotion. Honesty. A good story naturally draws people in and creates lasting impressions. Beyond showing personality, it can convey a brand’s authentic motivational core—distinguishing you from the competition. A brand story rooted in truth and experience, and not about simply speaking about your product or service facts, will communicate your values and beliefs while empowering your customers and prospects. And once you have people on board, they will instinctually want to share it with others. So you not only attract buyers, you attract followers and advocates of your brand—without forcing it.

Uncovering The Plot

As you begin to think of your brand as a story and the best ways to convey it, consider these two essential layers: your Core Values—which is the WHY you do what you do (what you stand for and believe in) and your Competitive Advantages—the WHAT and HOW you do what you do best. By aligning these two elements, you define the true essence of your brand, and develop a unique value proposition that no other company or brand can match. While one point on its own may not be the differentiating factor, in combination, they become what makes you unique and extend the belief that you do it for the right reasons.

Learn more about telling your Brand Story here!

Diving Deeper

Companies must do some internal processing to find a brand’s difference and its’ point of view. The difference is the brand’s function. The POV is the brand’s cause. Features and benefits are copied or upgraded all the time. But when a customer feels a brand shares their beliefs, when they believe in the same Core Values, they are more likely to connect with them. As they consider at different purchasing options, you will have already built an emotional connection—and trust.

Expressing Your Story

Once you capture and define your one authentic story, you must bring it to life for the world to discover. Crafting the voice and tone to showcase your personality, what motivates and inspires you, and demonstrate your values. Creating consistent, relevant and informative website content that speaks to the right prospects you are trying to attract. Maintaining a positive experience for all visitors, but shaping experiences for your key audiences to keep them coming back for more.

At the end of the day, your website’s greatest objective is to deliver prospects the information they need, when they need it, and provide clarity around how to act. When you shape it around a story that already engages, you will effectively build the following—and the sales—that lead to lasting success.

Learn The StoryBranding Process

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Strengthen Your Brand – Learn From These Competitive Advantage Examples

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Listing the things you do well and considering them your competitive advantages is not enough these days. So many words like “value,” “innovation” or “trusted” have become passive to the marketplace. Prospects and customers want to know what you stand for, how you can improve their life and remove one of their frustrations. Your brand needs to connect on an emotional level.

To get to that emotion, a company must first uncover its core value, or inner layer. It’s the reason why you are in business. After that, you can develop the outer layer messaging to explain what you do and how you do it, while tying the message back to your core value. Read more

storybranding for business

Award-Winning Author of StoryBranding Jim Signorelli Brings Proven Brand Development Process To Stevens & Tate Marketing

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(CHICAGO, IL) – Professional StoryBranding Advisor Jim Signorelli has joined the award-winning team at Chicagoland advertising agency, Stevens & Tate Marketing.

Jim brings over 30 years of marketing and advertising experience to Stevens & Tate, with a vast background spanning many areas of brand development for such prominent names as Citibank, General Electric, Toshiba, Burger King, Kraft Foods, Arby’s, and others. As co-founder of former Chicago marketing and branding firm eswStoryLab, Jim is well versed in all aspects of the industry, but specializes in building brand following through the power of story telling.

As originator of the “StoryBranding” concept, Jim is the Internationally awarded author of two best-selling books, including ‘StoryBranding 2.0: Creating Standout Brands Through the Power of Story.’ He has been voted to the list of ‘Top 50 Marketing Thought Leaders Over 50’ by the readers of Brand Quarterly Magazine and is the recipient of U.S. Bank’s Smart Leaders Award. He is a skilled marketing veteran, a renowned speaker and educator, and adds to Stevens & Tate’s professional assets of high-level thinking, diverse insight and extensive expertise.

“The team at Stevens & Tate shares the same outlook as I do—philosophically and in the way we approach clients’ challenges,” Signorelli said. “This common vision and attitude means we can draw on each other’s strengths and become something even greater moving forward,” he continued. Along with Stevens & Tate’s shared belief in the power of storytelling to build brands, the agency’s robust digital capabilities offer Signorelli a new outlet for his in-depth StoryBranding focus.

“Marketing should not feel like marketing. It should feel like a story.” Signorelli said. “One that resonates with its audience…causes them to feel understood…offers a sense of belonging,” he continued.

“The most successful brands today are ones that customers can relate to in values and beliefs…they don’t just attract buyers, they attract followers.” For business leadership teams looking to find, define and develop their unique brand story, Signorelli conducts educational workshops through his consultancy firm Story-Lab. Learn more about StoryBranding at www.stevens-tate.com/storybranding.

Stevens & Tate Marketing is a full-service Chicago advertising and marketing agency offering award-winning, on-strategy creative; integrated message development; and cost-effective media planning and execution. The team creates targeted solutions for clients within CPG and food, grocery and retail, homebuilding, travel and tourism, business-to-business, healthcare, pharmaceutical, and senior living industries. To learn more about how Stevens & Tate can help Make Things HappenTM for your business, call (630) 627-5200.

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SUMMARY: Stevens & Tate Marketing adds industry expert Jim Signorelli to its professional team. Signorelli brings 30+ years of experience to the full-service Chicagoland advertising agency. Signorelli is an award-winning author and renowned educator on the unique brand development strategy ‘StoryBranding: Creating Standout Brands Through the Power of Story.’

brand management

Senior Living Marketing Expert Dan Gartlan to be a Featured Speaker at LeadingAge Illinois 2016 Annual Meeting & Expo

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LOMBARD, ILL., March 31, 2016 – As long-time educators in senior living/aging care marketing, Stevens & Tate Marketing has once again been selected to present at a LeadingAge association event. President Dan Gartlan will be bringing his renowned Attraction Marketing program to attendees at the LeadingAge Illinois 2016 Annual Meeting & Exposition, being held from April 5-7, 2016, at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center in Schaumburg, Illinois.

Thousands of LeadingAge Illinois members and affiliates are expected to attend this year’s “be the difference” event, which is the most anticipated for senior living providers and professionals in Illinois. Gartlan will be speaking on Wednesday, April 6th, from 2:45 – 3:45 pm, with a session titled “Integrated Marketing Strategies to Attract Prospects and Drive Occupancy.” Over the last few years, Gartlan’s custom-tailored Attraction Marketing presentations have been highly regarded by numerous LeadingAge Chapters around the county, with a program that provides actionable insight that senior living and aging care professionals can use to enhance their organization’s success.

According to Gartlan, Attraction Marketing revolves around a series of key marketing initiatives that, when used together, can strengthen an organization’s marketing programs, improve performance, and successfully drive business.

“Adapting to the changing marketplace, and implementing cohesive marketing programs that create efficiencies, optimize budgets and improve ROI, is the key to success today,” said Gartlan. “Attraction Marketing is designed to offer business leaders strategies and processes they can use to get more out of the programs they put in place,” he continued. “Virtually any senior living/aging care organization can benefit with positive increases in lead generation, overall brand awareness and interest, and even boosts in occupancy.“

Gartlan will provide members of LeadingAge Illinois a thorough overview of the Attraction Marketing program, as well as proven techniques to further impact results, such as: setting measureable goals and objectives; a unique process to manage individual initiatives; and how to utilize dashboards to track activities, future indicators and results. “The steps one takes along the way can significantly influence a program’s success,” Gartlan said. “I provide a solid foundation for understanding how to make adjustments as needed in order to continuously recognize the most positive outcomes,” he concluded.

LeadingAge Illinois is one of the largest and most respected associations of professionals serving Illinois older adults—with more than 500 providers including home and community based services (HCBS), senior housing, continuing care retirement communities (CCRC), assisted living, supportive living and skilled nursing/rehabilitation centers. LeadingAge Illinois is the state affiliate of LeadingAge and Argentum (previously the Assisted Living Federation of America (ALFA)) association consisting of more than 6,000 not-for-profit organizations dedicated to expanding the possibilities of aging.

Stevens & Tate Marketing is a full service advertising agency offering Internet advertising; award-winning, on-strategy creative; integrated message development; and cost-effective media planning and execution. Stevens & Tate creates focused, targeted solutions for its clients within senior living, healthcare, pharmaceutical, homebuilding, CPG and food, grocery and retail, travel and tourism, and business-to-business industries.

Dan Gartlan, President of Stevens & Tate Marketing (www.stevens-tate.com), counsels businesses on improving their marketing results and speaks on the topic of Attraction Marketing to businesses, groups and associations. He can be reached directly by calling (630) 627-5200 or via email at gartlan@stevens-tate.com.

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SUMMARY: Dan Gartlan, President of Stevens & Tate Marketing, will be presenting his redefined Attraction Marketing program to senior living/aging care industry professionals at the LeadingAge Illinois 2016 Annual Meeting & Exposition on April 6, 2016. This represents multiple showings for the group in the national LeadingAge association sector.

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