JULIE 50th Anniversary

Stevens & Tate Marketing Wins Coveted Award Of Excellence 
For JULIE’s Long-Form Corporate Image Video

(LOMBARD, IL) – Stevens & Tate Marketing received The Communicator Award of Excellence in the category General—Corporate Image for the video titled “Protecting The People In The Land Of Lincoln” created for JULIE, Inc.

Crafted to celebrate JULIE’s 50th anniversary, the sweeping video captures various landscapes across Illinois: farms, rural communities, suburbs, and cities. Drone footage illustrates the places that JULIE helps safeguard; the places where Illinois residents live, work and play. Messaging emphasizes the organization’s legacy and how prioritizing safe digging minimizes interruptions to critical services like electricity, natural gas, water, communications, Internet, and fiber optics but more importantly how it helps keep the state’s most valued resources—it’s people—safe. 

“Our creative team concentrated on presenting the JULIE narrative in grand style to reflect the organization’s passion for the important work they do,” said Dan Gartlan, partner at Stevens & Tate.

The result is a dramatic, heartfelt video that entices and engages viewers. It combines panoramic scenes, aerial images, inspirational music, and a confident yet comforting voice over to tell the JULIE story…from its longstanding role as the foundation for safe digging to the organization’s evolution into a leader in utility line damage prevention and safety awareness. 

“We are extremely gratified with the response our 50th anniversary video has received from our members and utility companies across the state,” said Mark Frost, executive director at JULIE, Inc. “Our strategic partner, Stevens & Tate, transformed our ideas into what we feel is a very powerful video that speaks to our mission. It evokes strong emotions and a true sense of pride in our contributions to safe digging practices…and how that serves the residents of Illinois.”

JULIE has incorporated the long-form version of “Protecting The People In The Land Of Lincoln” into internal marketing and communications efforts including anniversary celebrations and using it to kick off meetings with contractors and other key partners. It’s also prominently displayed on the home page of the non-profit organization’s website, JULIEBeforeYouDig.com.

Stevens & Tate edited the nearly 3-minute video into two :30 versions for outreach advertising such as broadcast and cable television commercials, full-episode-player over-the-top streaming spots, digital display ad units, social media posts and advertisements, and public service announcements.

About The Communicator Awards 

Held annually for the past three decades, the Communicator Awards is the premier international awards program dedicated to celebrating excellence, effectiveness and innovation in communication. Awards honor outstanding talent across a variety of industries and mediums…from informative projects to fantastical creations. They also recognize both groundbreaking newcomers and established practices, global brands to indie creators.

The Award of Excellence, the organization’s highest honor, is given to those whose communication skills place them at the top of their field and acknowledge them as industry leaders in a highly competitive arena.

The Communicator Awards are reviewed and sanctioned by the Academy of Interactive & Visual Arts (AIVA), an invitation-only group of leading professionals from renowned media, communications, advertising, creative, and marketing firms. AIVA members include executives from Amazon, Big Spaceship, Chelsea Pictures, Conde Nast, Critical Mass, Disney, ESPN, GE Digital, IBM, The Nation of Artists, Nextdoor, Spotify, Time Inc., The Wall Street Journal/Dow Jones, and Wired. 

About Stevens & Tate Marketing

Stevens & Tate Marketing is a full-service advertising agency offering on-strategy creative, integrated message development, and cost-effective media planning and execution. The team creates targeted solutions for clients within the not-for-profit, food/grocery, retail, homebuilding/real estate, travel/tourism, business-to-business, healthcare, and senior living industries. 

To learn more about Stevens & Tate’s award-winning capabilities, view the agency’s online portfolio at www.Stevens-Tate.com/work. For information on how Stevens & Tate can help Make Things Happen™ for your business, contact the business development team at (630) 627-5200.  

JULIE 50th Anniversary JULIE 50th Anniversary

Crescent Cardboard

Crescent Cardboard retains Stevens and Tate to Revamp Marketing Efforts

Crescent Cardboard, the recognized leader in manufacturing and marketing of paper and mat board products for the custom framing and art materials markets, has retained Stevens & Tate Marketing to revamp its marketing efforts to frame shops. The agency was brought on board to define Crescent’s unique selling proposition, create specific messaging for this select audience, and push that message out to frame shop owners and employees across North America. Through its Competitive Advantages Workshop, Stevens & Tate is narrowing down Crescent’s reasons to buy and making them easily understandable and memorable. The agency is developing a comprehensive outreach strategy that includes public relations along with partnering with trade media outlets to advertise to their captive audience both digitally and in print. To strengthen Crescent’s relationship with current customers and keep the company top of mind with prospects, Stevens & Tate is creating and implementing a lead nurturing program, as well. An ongoing inbound marketing program is being established that positions Crescent as a thought leader through blog posts, social media, and web content. In addition to adding resources to the website, Stevens & Tate is making the site more searchable through search engine optimization.

An industry leader for more than 100 years, Crescent offers a vast selection of museum-quality, conservation, and decorative matboards along with a variety of framing products and art supplies. The private and family-owned company maintains a global market presence responding to the needs of its customers wherever they may be.

Village Green

Village Green Real Estate and Development hires Stevens and Tate Marketing to Help Meet Expansion Goals

Village Green Real Estate and Development has added Stevens & Tate Marketing to its team, handing over the advertising reigns for its senior living properties. The agency is tasked with developing a strong marketing program to meet expansion goals for The Carolina Highlands and The Carolina Inn. Marketing both together, Stevens & Tate is repositioning them as one all-inclusive senior living environment in the Village Green neighborhood of Fayetteville, North Carolina. During its Competitive Advantages Discovery process, Stevens & Tate found each property has a unique selling proposition yet both share several reasons to buy. New messaging combines both to create an overarching brand with the ability to promote properties individually. Stevens & Tate is mixing traditional media such as newspapers, direct mail, and directories with digital and social media campaigns plus outreach emails to communicate with seniors as well as their adult children. Google Ads are a key component to reaching all audiences who are actively seeking more information on independent and assisted living. Complementary designs visually tell the all-inclusive story in new brochures and on all-new websites.

The Carolina Highlands and The Carolina Inn are operated by Village Green Real Estate and Development. As part of the Village Green neighborhood—Fayetteville’s senior living destination—they offer access to a continuum of care with independent living in The Carolina Highlands, assisted living at The Carolina Inn, and skilled nursing and rehab.

Marketing Trends 2

What’s Trending in Marketing for August 2020

Staying current on marketing trends is especially important to assess whether your marketing efforts are harmonious with today’s evolving world. We know the difficulty of keeping up with these trends given the abundance of information thrown at us every day. The following articles highlight current August 2020 marketing trends that we think are worth paying attention to:

Noteworthy Marketing News

Hulu Launches Beta for Self-Serve Advertising Platform

In effort to combat the negative economic backlash of Covid-19, Hulu has created an opportunity for small businesses to use its platform. Hulu has recently launched a self-service advertisement program eligible for any company with a minimum ad budget as low as $500. The process is simple: a company creates and submits a 15-30 second creative video along with details on budget, date range, and an area to upload the ad to Hulu Ad Manager. Hulu approves or denies within 3 days. Brands also have the option to specify their target market by age, gender, genre and location. Hulu provides approved brands with a simple walk-through of set-up and launch. For this program, Hulu permits a maximum of one version of a creative video per campaign.

As part of its recent Enabling Dishonest Behavior Policy, Google Ads is banning any advertising for “spyware and surveillance technology” in both search and shopping starting August 11. Examples of services include fake passports, fake degrees or diplomas, drug test aids, exam or paper writing services, invalid reviews and clicks, and fake social media endorsements. Examples of unauthorized access includes hacking, cable-stealing, radar jamming technology, traffic signal changers, and phone/wiretapping. Google explains that its list is not exhaustive and only mentioned for example. Google exemplifies spyware as GPS trackers, cameras/recorders marketed for spying purposes, and software that monitors someone else’s texts and phone calls, with the exception of parents tracking underage children. Violators on Google Ads will receive a 7-day warning.

Social Short: Twitter Ad Engagement Drops, Snap Minis Launch, more brands pause Facebook Ads

Twitter’s ad revenues have fallen in the past years though daily active user rates have increased. However, Twitter’s CFO Ned Segal is confident in the rebuilding process of Twitter’s ad server. He expresses optimism for the future of advertisements on Twitter through the advantage the platform has for live events.  Snapchat reports a 17% increase in revenues. Though its audience is largely younger, Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel found that the average number of users on the Discover page are in their thirties. Additionally, the platform has benefited from the increasing Facebook ad withdrawals. Twitter has also taken action against QAnon content, suspending thousands of accounts for sharing or associating with any “conspiracy theory-ridden content”.

Improving your Marketing Program

Lessons Learned: Buyer Persona Gone Wrong

Before a company can establish a solid marketing plan, it must be aware of the specific target markets or customer profiles it has the best chance to attract to its product or service. Creating a buyer persona is essential to effective attraction marketing. In order to perfect your approach in buyer persona launch, here are some common mistakes to avoid.

30 Ways to Boost Instagram Engagement & Following

Looking for ways to boost your social media brand presence? Knowing how to increase brand engagement on Instagram, the latest and hippest social media platform app, is a great start. People are online all day due to working from home. Virtual shopping has risen due to restrictions and pandemic fears. As we have geared toward a more online world, your brand’s presence on the web is more important now than ever. According to Forbes, 80% of Instagram users follow at least one business or brand, and 200 million users on Instagram visit business profiles daily. 70% of users turn to Instagram to look up a brand, and 60% learn about new products using Instagram. Now is the time to catch up with the competition that is already using these trends to their advantage.

Istanbul, Turkey – December 15, 2018: Person holding a brand new Apple iPhone X with Instagram profile on the screen. Instagram is an online mobile social networking service, launched in October 2010.

5 Ways to Improve Your B2B Marketing Strategy

B2B marketing can be a challenging endeavor, especially if you don’t have a clear cut marketing strategy in place. To have any hope of running a successful B2B marketing campaign, you’ll need to establish what your goals are. Once you’ve done so, you should implement marketing strategies that will support those goals and help you achieve them. The following are five B2B marketing tips that you should use to help improve your marketing efforts.

Free Digital Marketing Tools To Cope With COVID-19

Recent Marketing Reports, Updates, and Trends

No in-person events until 2nd half of 2021, marketers say

According to a recent Marketing Land survey of 300 people, 3 out of 10 people responded that they anticipate attending in-person events in the first half of 2021. In another survey, 70% of respondents plan to attend solely online events until a Covid-19 vaccine emerges.

U.S. Mobile Ad Spending Update

In March, E Marketer’s Mobile Ad Spending Report forecasted that the pandemic would cause a 20% increase in mobile ad spending, but they have now updated this expectancy and reduced it to 4.8% growth. Among mobile advertising results, location-based advertising has suffered, and gaming and streaming video apps have done well. This year’s lost growth in mobile ad spending will affect overall spending through at least 2024.

COVID-19 Is the Asteroid That Struck American Small Business

Positive news regarding the virus is 78% of small businesses report being able to survive 7 to 12 months or more with existing cash on hand, and 57% could last over a year. Restaurants suffered primarily, as there were over 133,000 business closures total and of the 26,000 Yelp restaurants that have been closed since March, 60% were now permanently closed. A majority of 92% of businesses report pivoting strategy in at least one way form the pandemic. The most common change was a creation of delivery channel, and 96% of businesses reported planning to keep some new services and channels post-pandemic, while 43% will maintain all changes. Find out more on Search Engine Land.

 

Free Marketing Consultation

 

social media strategies

Attract, Convert, and Close Prospects Using Social Media Strategies and Website Conversion Techniques

LOMBARD, ILL., July 12, 2017– This September, Stevens & Tate Marketing will be emphatically represented at the one of the most respected associations of providers serving Illinois older adults, LeadingAge Illinois. Internet Marketing Director Nicole Wagner will be sharing her extensive online marketing expertise. LeadingAge 2017 is being held from September 26th to the 27th at The Hilton Lisle/Naperville in Lisle, Illinois.

At the show, Nicole will carry out a 90-minute presentation on how to attract, convert, and close prospects using social media strategies and website conversion techniques. According to the agency, the Internet has become a cornerstone of our marketing efforts, and although it is now easier to reach our audience, it may be harder to stand out from the crowd. How do we get the most out of our online marketing efforts? How do we make sure our social media platforms are as effective as possible? The session will help attendees determine their top marketing strategies in order to hit their top 2017 business goals.

Wagner will present essential strategies that will teach how to use social media to communicate with an audience on a more personal level, as well as optimizing a website in order to make it easier to find. Her educational sessions continue to be well received by all types of organizations because she emphasizes providing relevant and actionable takeaways that are targeted to each audience.

From Wagner’s presentation, attendees should be able to determine what their key marketing tactics are to achieve overall business goals, be able to create buyer personas of future residents and prospects, and understand the stages of the buyer’s journey and how to communicate to prospects through each stage. In addition, attendees will walk away with defined steps to improve their website and social media platform to meet their objectives. Nicole’s presentation is a great opportunity for LeadingAge members to learn proven techniques to improve their marketing performance.

LeadingAge Illinois is one of the largest and most respected associations of providers serving Illinois older adults, and the state chapter of the significant national organization. LeadingAge Illinois serves 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.

Stevens & Tate Marketing is a full service advertising agency specializing in meeting the ever-changing demands of today’s consumer. As experts in all areas of Internet Marketing, we know how to navigate through evolving trends and technologies in the online space today – and have decades of experience delivering results for businesses nationwide. Through our unique combination of strategic thinking, creative execution and targeted communications, we Make Things Happen.™

Nicole Wagner, Internet Marketing Director at Stevens & Tate Marketing (stevens-tate.com), leads an enthusiastic team in strategic planning, web development, social media and search engine marketing as well as Internet and mobile marketing. She can be reached directly by calling (630) 627-5200 or via email at [email protected].

Learn more about Stevens & Tate’s speaking experience.

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SUMMARY: Stevens & Tate Marketing Internet Marketing Director Nicole Wagner has been selected as a featured speaker for the LeadingAge Illinois 2017 Conference in Lisle, Illinois. As a repeat speaker for this prominent national event, Nicole will provide key insight into proven strategies on how to attract, convert, and close prospects using social media strategies and website conversion techniques.