The Heinzeroth Blog

Are you feeling a bit defeated by all the technical jargon and constant barrage of new rules affecting how your website ranks in search engines? The reality may be that trying to stay on top of ever-changing search algorithms used and insider secrets is probably not going to yield better results than focusing on a few proven website basics.

Not to make too much of our recent milestone, but I am a bit reflective as we celebrate our agency’s 25^th anniversary this week.

There are many ways to build brand awareness through early adopters and others we might target to achieve positive product reviews and referrals as well as more frequent sharing of your product story. Content Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Videos and Influencer Marketing are some of the techniques considered to be effective in getting the conversations started. Within that spectrum of person-to-person initiatives, Advocacy Marketing is a tool specifically intended to harness the power of consumers who are already sold on your brand.

For any of us that have worked extensively over the years on packaging design, planograms, POP messaging and other in-store tactics, the dramatic shift toward online sales is a crystal-clear call for omni-channel thinking. It’s evident that we must present products in the best light for sales conversions “everywhere” while certainly not forgetting a continued strong focus on brick and mortar stores. To make the most of this new shopping landscape, there are some emerging best practices worth noting.  

After several years of subdued gray tones and whites dominating (or should we say “minimizing”) the design landscape, it’s nice to see that more vibrant colors may be back as inspiration for graphic design and marketing overall. This shift is trending in recently announced paint colors by major coatings brands as well as in the predictions of leading influencers such as Color Marketing Group, Pantone and others.

With generally lower prices and up to 8,000 20-second video plays on built-in batteries, small video players are finally getting there as a practical and versatile demo device for point-of-sale uses.   

While inbound marketing (content marketing) is becoming an ongoing initiative for many companies, its adoption in industrial OEM markets is growing at a somewhat slower, yet steady rate. Do inbound marketing methods apply to industrial OEM and component businesses that target engineers and other technical professionals? Even if those businesses sell to only a small number of companies? We would say Yes! Here’s why.

Today’s fast-paced, digital communications can create real challenges for B2B marketing professionals. One of the biggest hurdles is developing a plan to generate a continuous flow of fresh content to keep your customers and prospects engaged through social media channels, targeted eMarketing campaigns as well as regular updates of your website.

Developing and supporting a case study program is an extremely effective way to help relieve your content creation burden while establishing your company’s credibility and areas of expertise.

When it comes to retail trends, no single organization has done more to change the way that people shop in recent years than Amazon. This remarkable company is innovating at a faster pace than everyone by improving the shopping experience with rich, easily searchable content and by adding the immensely popular Prime. Sellers who ignore the impact of this marketing juggernaut run the risk of missing a huge opportunity to reach a constantly growing number of customers who shop online first.

If your company manufactures do-it-yourself products, chances are good that new product development is a key part of your strategic plan. New products often serve as the life-blood of DIY categories that have come to expect a continual flow of new choices. As you look at current revenue and profits, you might ask how much of that financial performance was due to products you've introduced in the past 5 years alone. In many categories that number can easily exceed 50%. To make sure your new product development process is doing all it can for company growth and your brand position at retail, here are some practices we have noted to be successful in the DIY channel.