The Heinzeroth Blog

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.

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.

Some websites just seem to “get” the best practices of inbound marketing, with plenty of interesting blog content, calls to action (CTA’s) throughout the site and landing pages that convert visitors to leads. In our use of the HubSpot platform for inbound marketing, we are able to take advantage of tactics that have been proven successful in studies of thousands of HubSpot campaigns. Here is a quick summary of a few ideas you can use to improve conversion rates in your marketing efforts.

View These Winning Designs Announced At The 2016 NRHA Awards Program

If you are considering an update to your packaging and in-store POP merchandising, there are some great idea starters represented in this year’s awards program sponsored by the North American Retail Hardware Association (NRHA). Full disclosure: because the top packaging honor went to Heinzeroth Marketing Group for a Rain Bird package, we have a special interest in this awards program. But despite that small qualifier, we do think all of the winning designs are worth sharing.

Preparing for a product line review (PLR) with a major retailer can be a challenging process. In the early stages of planning, it's normally best to follow the outline of topics your buyer has provided in advance of the meeting. Still, if that outline is rather sparse, or you suspect there will be other important issues discussed, it's always good practice to have your bases covered if the meeting takes off in a completely different direction. Perhaps these ideas will help you do a pre-flight check.

We often hear that our clients' retail buyers begin a product line review meeting with challenge statements, focusing on price and other issues that can cast a bit of gloom before you've had a chance to present your new products and merchandising. To steer the meeting your way and capture/hold the buyer's attention from the onset, it is important to frame your presentation with research.

With existing home sales continuing to rebound, marketing of products to “recent movers” is once again becoming a key focus for companies that sell in home improvement channels. In contrast to tactics that may have worked 5-6 years ago, before the bubble, a new and carefully crafted mix of in-store and out-of-store communications can help you engage these heavy spenders and convince them to choose your brand over others.

A recent study referenced in Advertising Ageis another indicator of how important it is to tailor message content and media touch points to the unique interests of customers at each stage of the relationship. The study is an effort of MEC Media and is derived from research involving more than 100,000 consumers worldwide.

Guitar Building

I’ve always admired Martin Guitar Company where products are still assembled on a bench top, not spit out by a line of robotic equipment. Truly handcrafted, each guitar has subtle touches that define it as uniquely Martin. The guitars are beautiful and only get better with age. And while I’ll never have the woodworking skills of the guitar makers (luthiers) that work at the Martin factory in Nazareth, PA, I have attempted in recent years to build a few acoustic guitars of my own in my weekend hours. It’s been a nice break from all the emails and continual distractions that are all too common in business today.