Small Business Marketing News Update - North Florida Manufacturers Use Breakfast Discussion Panel With The Business Journal To Publicize Industry's Issues

The First Coast Manufacturers Association (FCMA) partnered with the Jacksonville Business Journal to conduct a panel discussion breakfast in order to engage the city’s business community in talks about issues facing the manufacturing industry.

Approximately 150 business people attended the breakfast to hear a panel of industry leaders that included FCMA President and State Representative Lake Ray; Tim Giles, Director of the Division of Continuing Education at the University of North Florida (UNF); attorney Rich Maguire of Rogers Towers; Mike Del Rocco, Regional Vice President with TD Bank; and Brian Tuttle, Vice President with manufacturer Rulon International.

The forum provided the manufacturers with a vehicle in which major issues could be vetted in detail. The issues ranged from the impact of manufacturing on the local and state economy to the prime obstacles regarding growth and expansion of manufacturing companies.

UNF’s Giles expressed concern about being able to supply the skill levels needed for manufacturing as employees are facing retirement. He believes that not enough students in high school and college today are taking the math, science, engineering and technological curriculums needed to prepare them to replace the aging workforce.

Attorney Maguire outlined the problems currently facing the industry regarding the extensive permitting process, both on the local level and with state government. He advocated a “one list” permitting sheet to assist manufacturers through the process and to also hopefully shorten it.

Del Rocco with TD Bank expressed his bank’s effort to provide easier lending terms to manufacturing firms for capital improvement. He said financial institutions are more open to making loans involving collateral equipment that, in turn, helps generate revenue to pay for itself. 

Manufacturer Tuttle outlined how North Florida companies have a greater opportunity to do business around the world, especially with our port facilities. He said that not only does this help increase manufacturing jobs, but it also generates indirect support jobs, such as logistics, raw materials suppliers and utility services.

Lake Ray, who also served as the moderator of the panel, listed some of the pending state legislation designed to help area businesses like manufacturing. He also pointed out information that demonstrates the value of the industry in Jacksonville and throughout the state.

Partnering with the Business Journal on the breakfast event gave the manufacturers a unique opportunity to bring their major concerns to the Jacksonville business community in a way that allowed for an extensive discussion by experts and feedback from the business audience. It was a format that provided manufacturers a time and a place to tell their whole story to their targeted audience. It was a format that accomplished much more than what 60-second television commercial or even full-page newspaper ad could do.  

The photo shows Lake Ray and Tim Giles with the other panelists at the breakfast.


www.fcmaweb.com

Small Business Marketing News Update - 121 Financial Credit Union Reaches Out To Sports Fans By Launching Sharks VISA card

As a major sponsor of the Jacksonville Sharks of the Arena Football League, 121 Financial Credit Union has launched the official “Sharks” VISA credit card.

Since the credit union is a team sponsor, it was a logical marketing move for 121 Financial to offer a visible credit card tie-in, a popular financial tool, with support for a popular and successful sports franchise in Jacksonville.

The Sharks card, which is a standard VISA credit card, should be very attractive to the public since it has an introductory rate of 0% for six months for those who qualify.

Applications for the card, which features the Sharks logo and team colors, is being offered at each of the Shark’s home games, at all of the 121 branches and online. People receive a free Sharks/121 T-shirt just for applying for the card.

Cindy Breslin, vice president of marketing for 121 Financial said she wanted to show support for the home team. So as a credit union she thought a natural way to promote the franchise would be through an exclusive Sharks’ credit card. “Hopefully fans will get their card and use it throughout the community,” Breslin said. “That way when they pull out the card with the Sharks’ logo, other people will see it and think about supporting arena football in Jacksonville.”

www.121fcu.org

Small Business News Update - Jacksonville Businesses Use Promotional Products To Advance Their Marketing Strategies

Many companies will make an off-the-cuff decision to use promotional products or advertising specialty items to give to customers without really thinking about why they are buying and giving out these items. Someone in the company will come up with an idea for a note pad, a pen, or maybe now, a mouse pad. And with no real reasoning behind the use of the items, they end up in the back of a desk drawer or in the kids’ toy box.

When used correctly, promotional products can be a powerful marketing tool. Unfortunately, many businesses view ad specialty items only as a way to promotion name identification. But there are several Jacksonville companies that have taken a more strategic approach, using promotional items to help sell specific products or services.

Without violating the confidentiality of various companies’ marketing programs, here are some of the ideas used by unidentified Jacksonville companies:

Promotional Item: Key Chain (Featuring a Radio Frequency Chip)      

Company: Industrial Product Manufacturer

Situation: This company just introduced RFID Chips (Radio Frequency Identification) embedded in their industrial products so customers can easily monitor the history, features, maintenance schedule and repairs of the product.

Strategy: A key chain with an embedded RFID chip was produced and given to manufacturers’ reps and distributors so they would be aware of the new feature and they could even show their customers what the chip looks like.

Promotional Item: Protractor Wheel (Matching Surgery Microscopes With Sterile Covers)

Company: Surgical Supply Company

Situation: This company manufactures surgical drapes (coverings for microscopes used for microsurgery in hospital surgery rooms). They want operating room nurses to use their surgical drapes line.

Strategy: The protractors were mailed to operating room nurses all over the country. The feedback was tremendous because the tool made it easy for nurses to identify which drape matches with which microscope.

Promotional Item: Birdhouse (Painted With The Development’s Name In The Red/Black/White Design Like The Rock City Birdhouses)

Company: Residential Developer

Situation: This developer had some high-end lots in North Florida, located in an unusual Florida terrain of hills and valleys, similar to the Tennessee/North Carolina area.

Strategy: The birdhouses, containing sales materials explaining the unusual features of the lots, were distributed to local Realtors offices. In addition, some of the birdhouses were posted in the wooded lots like you would find with the Rock City houses. The lots were sold in a short time.

Promotional Item: Humorous Safety Posters (For Manufacturing Plant Facilities)

Company: Industrial Product Manufacturer

Situation: This manufacturer is constantly developing ways to promote product safety with the use of its product. So a series of humorous safety posters was created, printed and provided to distributors to give to their customers. The posters provided the distributors with a free give-away for their customers; they provided additional safety advice for use of the manufacturer’s product; and, with the manufacturer on the posters, factory workers were exposed to the manufacturer’s name. As a result, the manufacturer has difficulty keeping posters on hand for request.

Promotional Item: Acrylic Paperweights (Featuring Small Surgical Implants) 

Company: Medical Device Manufacturer

Situation: This company manufactures several small medical implants products for the ear, nose and throat field. In order to introduce their line to ENT Specialists, the company sent them a paperweight with their products inside. The physicians could use the paperweight to show their patients the actual implants and they could see how small the implants are. The company had a big demand by physicians for additional paperweights.  

These businesses experienced impressive results with their promotional product strategies. They knew exactly what they needed to promote and they found a unique way to do it. Specialty advertising can be effective once extensive thought and planning are put into the process.      

Small Business Marketing Blog Update - Digital Billboard Company Is Now User Friendly For Jacksonville's Small Businesses

In an earlier blog, I reported that Clear Channel Outdoor was missing an opportunity by not working with local small businesses so they could afford to advertise on Clear Channel’s new digital billboards.

The original advertising package I was given by a Clear Channel executive limited the advertising offer to running on four boards a month at a cost of $10,500, and $13,250 a month for five boards. I felt this charge put the billboards out of the reach of most small businesses.

However, I was recently contacted by a very sharp Clear Channel account executive, Amey Garrison, who informed me that the company did change their advertising offer that would accommodate various budgets and help address the marketing objectives of neighborhood businesses. 

Since my first contact with Clear Channel, the company has erected 28 digital boards, strategically placed around Jacksonville, all featuring high traffic counts. While most are doubled sided, just a few only offer one showing at its location.

Ms. Garrison pointed out that the company doesn’t restrict advertisers to a specific budget or to specific boards. She said they are open to working with small business budgets to help them achieve their marketing goals at dollar levels that can work for the advertiser. Their policies will let a company advertise for short periods of time, as little as one day, and to run messages on one or multiple boards a month.

The digital boards allow for much more creativity than the traditional boards. And other than the creation of the artwork, there are no production charges like there are for vinyl or paper. Clear Channel has an in-house art department that can create board layouts for small businesses that don’t have that resource.

After talking to Ms. Garrison, I am convinced that Clear Channel is now the advertising source I was hoping it would be for area small businesses. I recommend contacting Ms. Garrison if you would like to take advantage of this impressive new medium. In addition, Ms. Garrison has a multi-media background and can help with targeting your audience and create messages that are as big as all outdoors. You can reach her at AmeyGarrison@ClearChannel.com.