Starting a new business venture is always fraught with challenges and risks, even in the best of economic times. The process of performing a thorough evaluation of all things to do with strategy, planning, tactics; and the struggle to align the principles enthusiasm perfectly with the realities of the math, are critical for the success of any new start-up. Timing is one important factor but it is not everything when it comes to launching a new business, though deciding when to pull the trigger on a new venture is the one factor that often creates the most consternation and hesitation among new business entrants. The past half-decade has produced an increased level of uncertainty and caution for those who seek to bring their new idea, product or service to market. As we begin to inch forward towards an improved economy many “entrepreneurs in waiting” are asking: What is the climate and opportunities for new start-ups for 2015?

The economy is beginning to move forward with some predictable and deliberate pace after an extended period of complacency. The improving stock market and rising consumer confidence is leading many entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and industry experts to predict 2015 as a favorable time to identifying new, untapped market opportunities and launch a new business. Current small business owners are the most optimistic they’ve been since early 2008, with several surveys indicating they also plan to expand and hire more workers in 2015.  “Despite some recent hiccups in the stock market, the economy appears to be churning along at a positive pace, with GDP, the unemployment rate and access to capital all headed in the right direction,” says James Noe, an analyst with Sageworks, a financial information company.  “As a result, now may be as good of a time as any to take the plunge into entrepreneurship.”

Acquiring start-up financing and attracting investor capital is essential to any new businesses viability. Last year was a very good year for venture capital investors who concluded more deals of higher value since 2001 and the coming year appears to be on pace with 2014 levels with little signs of abatement in investor enthusiasm. The strong numbers have analysts predicting a “strong level of investing” to continue in 2015, primarily in the technical sectors. As a general prediction private equity lenders are expected to grow lending levels in the coming year but bigger banks will continue to focus on larger sized businesses rather than startups, opening the door of opportunity for institutional lenders like; credit funds, insurance companies, family funds, and other yield-hungry, non-bank financial institutions. Low interest rates will continue to encourage the formation of new businesses in 2015. “Historically low interest rates and its impact on small business owners should not be overlooked,” says Gene Marks, founder of The Marks Group. “The U.S. Small Business Administration is zeroing out fees on loans of $150,000 or less through fiscal year 2015.”

Technology continues to drive down operational costs, provide even the smallest business with access to world markets and make expert knowledge easily and readily available to rookie entrepreneurs. “The internet of things” is on its way to becoming a $14 trillion industry providing previously unequaled opportunities for new marketers of previously non-existent products and services. But not all of the best ideas involve high-tech. According to Inc. Magazine some of the best industries for starting a business in 2015 include; fantasy sports services, relaxation beverages, Gamification services, food e-commerce, public-sector technology, physical fitness, agriculture software and even the newly created legal marijuana industry.

The truth is that there is no one “best time” to start a business, and while prudence and good judgment are always harbingers to making the best decisions, overt and unreasonable caution will only result in inaction.  Now may be as good a time as ever to make it happen.

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

It is hard to imagine a time in history when the art and science of connecting producers with consumers has experienced as dramatic and disruptive period of change as it has in the past few years. The wave of intense technological discoveries and the age of digital communications will continue to alter the science and the art of forming relationships and behaviors between sellers and buyers in 2015.

Digital marketing will continue to be the predominate vehicle used to complete the communication process. Once dominate print and video media will continue to exist but its predominate role will be part and partial of the digital environment, having little or no sustainable independent role apart from the digital realm. Former tactics of utilizing individual digital channels will be replaced with the need to create a common brand experience across the full spectrum of the digital experience.  The introduction of advancements to existing technology like mobile, wearable technology and data analytics will require the refinement of the creative effort.  We are entering a period where basic targeting of the right message to the right person will also demand the message be delivered at the right time and in the right place across multiple channels to include mobile; video, and social sharing.  “The industry will begin to evolve beyond marketing automation aligned around personas and the buyer journey to create a connected cloud of technology designed to gain a deeper understanding of customers,” said Tom Stein, CEO of Stein IAS Americas. “Right now there are a lot of unconnected technologies, everything from data management to predictive analytics. The next big leap is for us to connect all the relevant technologies in the interest of the customer experience and the customer journey.”

Predictors of the trends in 2015 are in agreement on at least one factor: Content is, and will continue to be, king. Consumers can’t wait to devour and share a brand’s content.  With this upsurge in content marketing, organizations are realizing that the quickest way to motivate an audience is through valuable content. But the content will need to be more inspiring, personal and entertaining to be relevant in 2015 and beyond. Personalization is expected to become a widely adopted practice in 2015, leading to the growth of one-on-one marketing which will help build relationships and humanize a brand.  “The use of videos and visuals will be on the rise”, says Tom Malesic, president and CEO, EZSolution. “Consumers are more likely to purchase after seeing a video than if there was no video at all. In addition, it shows that you are personal with your customers and that you care about your products and services.”

Social media has gravitated to top of the “must have list’ for marketers in 2014.  “With the upturn in the economy, small businesses have more potential for success than ever. The most significant increases will go to businesses that have a flexible and effective online strategy, and who can rapidly respond to changing desires of customers. The growth of social media as a platform for connection is causing more and more people to get their recommendations from others online. Businesses that have a significant online presence will be in the forefront of the new referral and relationship marketing systems,” says Pamela Bruner, business coach with Make Your Success Real. Jason Parks, owner, The Media Captain says, “As Facebook’s organic reach continues to decrease, small business owners are taking notice. If they want to get in front of their customers for 2015, I believe it will be essential that they start looking more into social media advertising to expand their online marketing efforts. Gone will be the days where companies allow employees to post content without conducting a deep dive into their audience first. Executives are getting more sophisticated and realize that unless their corporate social media plan is formulaic with clear, set goals, metrics and tools to provide those metrics, they’re paying top dollar for employees to spend time on online efforts that have questionable value.”

The importance of mobile will grow in each and every aspect of business in the coming year with many predicting that the mobile web will become even bigger than desktop usage. With the growth in popularity of mobile devices like smartphones, tablets and wearable technology, the most effective campaigns will be built to be mobile-first. With 80 percent of users deleting emails that aren’t optimized for the mobile screen, reliable and functional mobile technology has never been more important to reaching an audience. Being able to pay for purchases from an iPhone or send currency on Snapchat, Venmo, Text To Give, PayPal or Bitcoin will become more common-place in 2015 as technical and security issues are resolved and enhanced. Marketers will need to adopt new ways their customers can pay for goods and services.

The rise in popularity of wearable devises will generate exponential opportunities for sellers to capture and utilize real-time data to create entirely new ways for users to interact with their favorite brands. Micro targeting strategies are expected to dynamically rise in 2015 as marketers take advantage of the increased opportunities for data collection and its utilization for the creation and dissemination of instantly relevant advertising.

“Marketing is changing fast, and business leaders will be wise to consider these changes as they plan for 2015. First, marketing teams will need to be increasingly staffed with more technical personnel rather than just creative types. The creative side of marketing is critically important to develop clever ads and copy. However, marketing increasingly involves things like online advertising, re-marketing and social media promotion. Therefore, marketing staff will require more technical skills. Ideal candidates will have a balance of creative and technical skills,” says Dave Scarola, Vice President, The Alternative Board.

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net 

If enthusiasm and visions of grand scale success were forms of legal tender funding that great business idea would be easy and efforts to launch it and grow its future would be assured. But an entrepreneur’s great idea and euphoric visions of success, while critical to virtually all businesses success at some juncture, does not go far when tending payment for the costs associated with starting and scaling any new business venture.  Before any new product or service meets the consumer’s review, capitalizing the new business is the first sale to be made.

Obtaining financing to launch a new business has never been easy.  The financial meltdown of nearly a decade ago fundamentally changed and complicated the process of new business capitalization. Small business financing, once a staple product of commercial banking, has shifted to lenders and investors who are more accepting of the often higher risks associated with emerging businesses. Launching that new venture requires funding sources significant enough to sustain the operations until revenues begin to flow. Determining what source and when it is best deployed in the new businesses life cycle requires due diligence to assure the most favorable impact on the operation. So what are some of the best sources of financing that new business?

Individual bootstrapping or self-financing is usually most commonly used in the very early stage of business creation. Derived from personal savings, equity secured financing or other personal cash reserves, self-funding is often used to finance the costs associated with developing a product or service prototype or the pre-launch expenses that are experienced in establishing a marketable business plan. And while self-funding may be the most advantageous of financing options when it comes to maintaining owner influence over operations, few individual seekers of marketing success have extra buckets of cash just sitting in the corner waiting to satisfy the staggering financial demands of a new start-up.

Angel investors are generally small organizations made up of individual investors who combine their research and resources to provide capital for a business start-up, usually in exchange for convertible debt or ownership equity. “The principal advantage of an angel investor is generally that you have a friendlier atmosphere and a quicker decision-making circumstance for a smaller amount of [money],” said Mark DiSalvo, CEO of private equity fund provider Semaphore. “You are likely to get an investor who has strategic experience, so they can provide tactical benefit to the company they are investing in.” Investments can range from $50,000 to $500,000 or more. Angels are serious investors who often have high expectations and who are looking for solid, timely returns on their investment.

Crowdfunding is a relatively new idea in business financing and is growing in popularity. Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet and is becoming an increasingly popular way for startup businesses and more mature firms to raise money. Online lending services such as OnDeck and Kabbage have become a popular alternative to traditional business loans. While crowdfunding may appear easy, it requires a sound strategy and solid execution to be effective.

The Small Business Administration offers several types of loans for start-ups and is a good source of funding for those with a proven business track record or positive personal credit history. The SBA also offers special business loan programs for military veterans and their spouses. Traditional SBA loans typically take 60 to 90 days for approval and are distributed in amounts of $150,000 or more but the loan process can be challenging to navigate and complete.

Later in the business life-cycle when some measure of operational success is achieved, traditional commercial bank lending and venture capitalists becomes reliable sources for business growth funding. For fast-growth businesses and those with an exit strategy, venture capital can be used to raise the millions of dollars needed to expedite a company’s growth and expansion. Venture capitalists focus on specific industries and can offer advice to the entrepreneur on whether the product or service is going to be viable and suggest ways to expand or bring it to market. Venture capitalists have significant oversight of operations and usually look to recover their investment within a three-to-five-year time window.

With the popularity of the internet on the rise, product presales are becoming a more common way to raise funds for small, product based companies. Selling products before they launch can be an effective source of financing. Priska Diaz, who was able to raise $50,000 for her company Bittylab, says “The biggest challenge was in coordinating the inventory delivery times from our supplier so that we could start fulfilling orders. Another challenge was forecasting the number of units we were going to presell, resulting in a shortage. We’ve now passed the presale stage and sold more than originally anticipated, resulting in back orders.”

Family and friends is a source many budding entrepreneurs consider using to bring their business some needed cash for start-up or expansion. Borrowing from friends and family presents an interesting alternative to traditional forms of financing and can have some advantages. It can however create some challenges on the personal relationship level. Communicating frequently on the progress of the business is essential to preserving the personal relationship.

Regardless of the source, advanced planning and a well understood strategy throughout the businesses life-cycle are essential for gaining and maintaining effective financing and will increase the odds for achieving business success.

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Developing a long-term plan to achieve an objective is not a ground breaking initiative by any stretch of imagination and any first year business student or budding entrepreneur will attest to being indoctrinated with the elevated importance of having a strategy for achieving their goals and objectives before starting out on the journey. After all, a strategy is nothing more than a long-term plan to achieve certain objectives. But in the process of developing and implementing an approach to marketing, many marketers are failing to fully consider the cost of their marking plan to the bottom line of their organization.

The ever broadening digital marketing environment requires a strategy that considers not only the total number of potential customers reached, but one that is based on attracting the best and most profitable customers. If it is costing a hundred dollars to land a fifty dollar sale, than the strategy is attracting customers that a company doesn’t want or cannot afford to serve; a concept that many volume driven marketers find difficult to adopt. But today, being effective is mostly about quality and less about quantity.

To the effort to avoid spending money randomly and acquiring low value customers begins with identifying who your high-value customers are and implementing a plan to target them by utilizing the most efficient marketing media and collateral. The effort requires collecting and analyzing real data to determine the most efficient way to reach high-value customer candidates. The process includes metrics that measure a strategies return on investment (ROI) and return on advertising spend (ROAS) to determine the real cost of customer acquisition. Calculating the “cost per acquisition” for all marketing spend, whether it is SEO, PPC, Email, Social Media or Display will pay big dividends and is essential to an organizations achievement of its overall goals and objectives.

The traditional assumption that throwing more money at the process of attracting customers will, by itself, lead to an organizations success and increased profitability fails to recognize the ever changing dynamics of today’s business environment.

 Image courtesy of ddpavumba at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Are you completely confident, when you use one or more of the online ecommerce or social media outlets, that your personal data is protected from malicious hackers seeking to gather the information for ill-gotten gain? The recent hacking of the Ashley Madison website demonstrates the impact and vulnerability that a scandal can impose on online users. The growing sense among internet users is that regardless of any meaningful security measures, hackers will prevail.  A recent Associated Press poll found that 58 percent of people have “deep worries” when spending or conducting personal business online. But is all the noise surrounding the infamous breaches in securing consumers personal information causing us to hesitate doing some very simple things to help stop the unwanted activity?

It only takes a few simple, basic actions to help reduce your exposure to risks. “The strongest defense is educated consumers who know what they can do to keep themselves secure,” says Alexander Popowycz, vice president of information security at Fidelity. Consumers must remain diligent and be smart about how they are interacting with unknown and unseen online acquaintances. Always verify the legitimacy of any Web site that asks you for personal information. If you would hesitate to reveal the information to some stranger you encounter on the street, than why make it easily known to some unfamiliar website? A recent national survey conducted by Consumers Reports revealed that the study’s 3110 respondents said they have done nothing to protect their privacy on the Internet.

The most effective defense against an army of hackers is a well-informed and vigilant individual who takes personal responsibility while engaging in internet transactions. Social media sites have become a prime target for those who are looking to relieve you from your private information. Last year, 42 million passwords were exposed when hackers hit Cupid Media dating sites. Posting personal information on Facebook, Google Plus, Instagram, LinkedIn, or Twitter, can open up a vast opportunity for the community of internet miscreants. The sharing of some personal information to the world may be best shared on a “need to know basis.”

While many of the techniques users can employ to protect themselves are well known and readily available, it appears that consumers need to be reminded of their role in securing the internet. Many responsible internet companies have rallied to install and maintain the latest anti hacking software and devices to protect their customer’s data, but there is so much more to do. Consumer organizations’ security efforts are about more than just keeping hackers at bay with firewalls and algorithms. A new perspective recently published in the Deloitte Press says, ”Consumer product executives should consider viewing data privacy and security not just as a risk management issue, but as a potential source of competitive advantage that may be a central component of brand-building and corporate reputation. The field appears wide open for consumer product companies to differentiate themselves through a reputation for strong data privacy and security practices.”

The advancement of technology has far outpaced the protocols and processes required to protect and secure data. While Deloitte Press debates risk management versus competitive advantage, it might be time for all companies to consider it the new standard for doing business in this age of digital innovation.

For those who longed for a breather, even the briefest of respite, from all the mega pieces of data that is pouring from the seemingly endless number of sensors, trackers and locators that mine the digital landscape of commerce the past few years, there appears to be no letting-up in the coming year. The New Year promises to birth even more volumes of “big data” from even more sensors, trackers and locators that monitor consumers purchasing motions and promise to predict their every want, desire and position as they move about their busy days. All the data, and what to do with it, is not a new dilemma for marketers. Gartner IT forecasts there will be 6.4 billion internet-connected things in 2016, up 30% from 2015.  In the coming year advanced algorithmic / programmatic approaches will need to expand and become even more common as consumers continue to expand their usage of smartphones, tablets, desktops, smart TVs, and game consoles. Merging consumer behavior data from an ever expanding array of devises presents a formidable challenge to marketers going forward

If ever there was a great example of too much of anything to be good, the bountiful fruits of data collection rise to the top of the list. But do not despair, new, more efficient data analytics is trending forward. According to Forbes, only 15% of Fortune 500 companies are currently using big data analytics but one trade group reports that businesses are beginning to invest a larger share of resources into data analysis. Spending on efforts to make better sense of the data is expected to grow by 23% each year until 2019 and privacy issues will become a value to which customers will respond. How well a business handles of all of their personal information is more critical than ever as consumers elevate privacy issues in their list of importance. Nearly 33% of all online adult consumers have canceled a transaction due to privacy concerns. Organizations are warned to keep data security as an important element in their overall digital marketing strategy.

Social selling is poised to go main stream in 2016 as social media sites like; LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter initiate plans to enable social selling through their platforms. But creative, brand specific content will evolve to replace much of the “boiler plate” messaging currently blanketing the landscape. Businesses will need to sharpen and expand their message in order to be heard above all the noise. Quality of message will dominate quantity of message and those with the most original and compelling content will dominate all others in the space.  With 65% of buyers reporting that vendor’s content had an impact on their final purchase decision, cultural, customer centric content is imperative in order to capture a lion’s share of the data driven, consumer market. Loyalty programs will continue to be an effective tool but will need to focus more on improving participation while strengthening the bond between the customer and the brand.

With the threat of a shrinking global economy, “lean and mean” is an operations strategy poised for a reprise in the coming year. Innovation and optimization will be in the forefront of an effective and efficient operational strategy. Despite a few rare successes of flamboyant start-ups in the past year like: Airbnb, Dropbox, and Square, it is predicted that the IPO market is slowing down and investors becoming more risk adverse. Successful star-ups, as well as established firms looking to expand in the coming years will need to become fixated on getting the most out of every investment dollar.

Unfortunately for those seeking a pause to the chaos and disruption caused by the proliferation of new technologies, the immediate future is likely to produce even more of the same. Organization that embrace the challenge and advance their efforts to reap the benefits of creative solutions are most likely to be the businesses that move forward in the list of those who dominate their market.

As businesses embark on another year of battling on the fields and in the trenches of competition, the plethora of new and nearly new methods of connecting with customers and the marketing tools used in competing in this technological era is not only altering the tactical plan but also the overall campaign strategy. Traditionally a typical strategy would call upon the organization’s sales team to be dispatched to a specific market segment where a firm’s sales force utilizes techniques like personal cold calls, knuckles to the door or old fashioned telephone surfing of prospective customers.

The challenge for traditional marketing approaches in 2016 is to adapt to the “age of the consumer”. In an era where the customer chooses how they will engage with marketing messages, a traditional market approach must give way to a customer approach where the marketing process is driven to serve the customer, guide them to a purchasing decision, educate them or demonstrate your brand’s value. A successful “customer obsessed” strategy utilizes multiple channels, relies on quality of content over quantity and a focus on a process that values the needs of the consumer and promotes a seamless relationship between marketing and sales.

Strategy core components include; a firm’s brand reputation; a value added, authoritative voice; a clearly defined audience and seamless execution, regardless of channel, device, or method of delivery. Consistency and constancy of process rules!

For marketers who long for a breather from the intensity of a hyper competitive environment, or a “magic bullet” solution, 2016 will fail to deliver the bullet or offer little respite from the intensity of the battle. As Fred Brooks said, “There is no single development, in either technology or management technique, which by itself promises even one order of magnitude [tenfold] improvement within a decade in productivity, in reliability, in simplicity.” For company’s who dedicate their every effort to establishing a consistent and controlled “customer obsessed” culture, the future holds much promise.

Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Winning an election, any election to public office, requires a candidate to capture at least 51 percent of the market. A bit daunting, to say the least particularly when even the most successful marketer has ever come close to capturing more than 50 percent of their market. With digital technology and social media platforms dominating the marketing landscape, effective branding is of paramount importance to selling anything, even a politician’s message. But even in the mostly analog times of the past, the ability to develop a winning brand strategy for a politician and their message ended up being the determining factor in who won or lost.

More than ever, candidates today must understand the social physics of what is most effective in motivating buyers or, in the case of public elections, voters into making a buying decision. While developing an intelligent, original and meaningful message that is distributed across the full spectrum of marketing collateral is fundamental to succeeding; the brands logo associated with a candidate may be the most important aspect of a successful political campaign. To be effective it must be representative of the candidate’s personality; be memorable and adaptable to all media platforms; and convey an immediate and impactful message. So how are the 2016 Presidential candidates doing with their branding strategies?

Hillary Clinton’s brand promotes experience and confidence and her 2016 campaign logo, a blue H with a red horizontal arrowhead, invokes a sense of forward movement and may represent an attempt to promote the message of moving forward to something better than what now exist. While the logo meets the memorable and architectural requirements of a good logo, some have been critical of the image for its simplicity. Others point out that her stated message of continuing the established policies of the current president and her previous experience as Secretary of State is contrary to the bold, forward looking promise of her brand. For voters who are looking for innovation and change in the next office holder, what hope is there for change and creativity with a candidate who espouses simple continuity?

Mike Huckabee’s sweeping, athletic, red, white and blue logo appeared to be a perfect fit for a bumper sticker but his “From Hope To Higher Ground” message, while effectively playing off President Obama’s successful message of 2008, fell short of defining his mission or the term “higher ground” for voters in the primary elections. Marco Rubio’s brand was youthful, trusting and experience and his logo was a fair representation of his message which attempted to brand him as the best choice for those seeking an experienced, inside outsider. The effort and his overly persistent messaging failed the persuasion factor.

To many voters, the Ted Cruz brand remains as much of a mystery coming down the primary stretch to the finish as he was when he sprung out of the gate at the beginning of the race. The candidate’s brand is most akin to the personality and behavior of every family’s eccentric uncle, who lives aside from the rest and takes seemingly immense joy in peppering the other members with pesky and critical zingers. Hoping to be the brand carrier for the Christian, evangelical and ultra conservative voter, his message has not yet translated into a substantial hit on its intended mark. The challenge for the Cruz campaign in the words of its manager Jeff Roe is, “Regardless of what you’ve got in the bank, you’d better determine the narrative of the campaign, and show that’s who we are, every day.’’ And many might add in response, NOW would be a good time to deliver a performing narrative. The Ted Cruz logo, a representation of the American Flag in the shape of a flame, successfully projects an aura of mystery instead of clarity of message. Its design has been compared to the logos of Aljazeera, the Onion and the Natural Gas industry, none of which can possibly hope to attract positive reaction among voters of any demographic looking for clarity of message. Artist Milton Glaser, the celebrated designer behind the “I Love NY” logo, expressed confusion at Cruz’s messaging in an interview with Business Insider recently. “This looks like another example of a flag burning to me. Is Mr. Cruz certain that is what he wants to say?” Be warned, in all things, perception is the most persistent form of truth.

And then there is Donald Trump. The consummate iconic egotist and entertainer, Mr. Trumps brand is that of the un-politician whose goal is to “Make America Great Again”. His out spoken and boastful personality and lack of filtering when speaking his mind is capturing votes among a large number of the electorate who are fed-up with career politicians and the current state of our nations representative marketplace. His message is overtly void of specifics on how he intends to make America great again, but his commitment to consistently conveying his brand to the market is resonating with voters to the amazement of all the political experts, political media pun dents and established marketing  mavens who have long predicted his early demise. His message is not so much defining the benefits of his policies but rather the negative and personal idiosyncrasies and capabilities of his opponents. Being different may be his most powerful enticement to capturing the masses.

In order to be successful, it has long been thought that a successful campaigner must identify itself with an appealing and accessible image that is compliant in every aspect to the brand. Usually simply creating a look and feel is not enough when making a logo, except if you’re Donald Trump. The modern font and common red, white and blue colors are a bit of a departure for the typical Trump business moniker but it is true to who he is and personifies his simply stated message.

For a Presidential candidate the task at hand is huge, no matter the message, the party or the brand, capturing 51 percent of sales on Election Day in a complex and diverse market is a tall order. A successful brand dictates a narrow focus but winning a national election demands a candidate who can connect with a wide and comprehensive electorate. The competing dynamics is about to play out, and the prize for the best brand is about to be awarded.

“Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted,” Philadelphia department store magnate John Wanamaker was famously quoted as saying. “The trouble is I don’t know which half.” And while the markets, methods, media and advertising choices have changed dramatically amidst the digital technology revolution, most of today’s marketers continue to struggle with measuring the effectiveness of advertising campaigns. Regardless of size, advertisers need to formulate a strategy that will focus advertising spend to specific customers and market segments, while also instituting measures to evaluate the effectiveness and return on investment. The benefit of modern digital technology is revolutionizing the art of connecting with customers, reaching out to consumers were they work, play, live or shop. John Wanamaker would certainly be impressed with all the bells, whistles and pop-ups but would he be any more certain as to how much his advertising resources were going to waste?

Recently the confidence level in the metrics utilized by advertising firms and digital media outlets to measure the effective reach of their ads is taking a credibility hit. Ad blocking or ad filtering, the removing or altering of advertising content in a webpage by the reader is becoming pervasive in the web advertising space. Ad blocker software is hitting publishers hard and just at a time when they thought they solved the problem of generating an income stream from free news. Adobe says that $21.8 billion in global ad revenue will be blocked this year by consumers using one or more ad blocking software programs. The problem is that internet users, particularly younger ones, have decided they hate online ads. As one woman said in a recent Reuters report, “Online ads are obtrusive, obnoxious and annoying.” For the marketer, it would be easy to overlook the consumer’s complaints and the publisher’s problem with their business model, but the cost issue of ineffective advertising runs downhill, to the advertiser. As well, the negative impact on an annoyed and frustrated consumer would most likely manifest itself with the brands reputation not the publisher or advertising agency.

One allusive aspect of advertising is the question of how much is enough? At what rate of frequency is an optimal level achieved and at what point is the economic law of diminishing return crossed? When does more advertising produce less positive results with consumers? With the popularity of ad blocking software on the rise, it is fair to say that advertisers have, at the very least, crossed that threshold. Chris Payne, public affairs manager and head of the digital advertising unit at the WFA, says, “Ultimately, how we measure success within the industry will affect behavioral change. The industry has struggled to come up with metrics that reflect the real value of advertising in the eyes of the consumer. Current indicators of success, such as pay-per-view, aren’t necessarily indicative of a happy consumer.”

Dr. Johnny Ryan, head of ecosystem for PageFair, one of five major providers of ad blocking software, commented, “Hundreds of millions of users have rebelled against the status quo in advertising. We are seeing the collapse of the mechanism that has supported the diversity of content on the open web since the 1990s. Blocking is an opportunity to undo the mistakes of the first 20 years of advertising on the web.”

Wanamaker’s dilemma remains intact for advertisers, even today. The size of the advertising budget doesn’t matter. The only difference between a small operation and a mega business is the size of the numbers. In an intensely competitive environment, neither can afford wasted resources. Due diligence is imperative and a strategy focused on specific goals and objectives and measured by credible metrics is essential for the success of any advertising campaign. How much are you wasting?

A company’s website is a living, breathing entity on the internet and, in today’s digital marketing world, your audience’s first impression of your business. Protecting a brand image and maintaining access to your company and its services is critical to the success of any business entity. Stale or aging websites often become technically obsolete, are less engaging to users over time, can often result in lower search rankings and deliver lower traffic rates. Just like a weathered sign hanging over a business, a fresh coat of paint is necessary to properly project the desired brand image. A worn and aging website can project an image of being irrelevant with nothing new to offer.

With digital marketing fast becoming the leading factor in an organizations success, updating a website to respond to new mobile technology with user friendly functions and improved access to customers through your social media outlets can be critical to connecting with today’s digital savvy consumers.

Junction Creative Solutions (Junction) has recently redesigned their website to reflect the company’s evolving service offerings. An award winning strategic agency committed to creating high impact solutions for SMBS and Fortune 500 companies, Junction’s approach is to combine the intellectual capital of a business consulting firm with the creative execution of an advertising agency; creating a hybrid model for today’s business environment.

Julie Gareleck, CEO and founder says,” As the marketing landscape changes and consumer expectations evolve, it’s critical for companies to stay ahead of the trend. Whether it’s a brand logo or a comprehensive set of website solutions designed to support sales and marketing or a social media strategy to grow your digital footprint, maintaining a fresh and relevant website is a key component in a successful strategy.”

To view Junctions new website and learn more about how their experienced team can become a catalyst for developing and implementing a successful marketing strategy for your company, visit our website: http://junction-creative.com/.

Ask any veteran in business and you’ll hear stories about the ongoing war between the marketing function and the sales department. Many relationships between the sales and the marketing departments often resemble an efficient and effective circular firing squad. As sales slump marketing blames sales for not executing on its plan and sales complains that marketing has failed to listen to the sales team or the customer and therefore put forth a failed plan.

This lack of a shared connection to the teams and the common process hurts organizational performance, ultimately raising the costs associated with launching the product to the consumer. Recent studies indicate that organizations with successfully aligned marketing and sales efforts experience significant sales growth over organizations who fail to achieve a strategic alignment of the departments.

In order to achieve effective alignment, effort must be taken to navigate personal conflicting emotions, egos and an inevitable competitive environment to establish a set of clear organizational objectives and goals for both functions. Marketing should never envision its purpose as one which operates within a vacuum, but rather one that reaches out to form partnerships with sales and client services to successfully deliver on its business value. Working strategically to combine both marketing and sales will produce business growth.

Establish Common Goals and Objectives – Goals and Objectives must be set and agreed to upfront for both teams. For marketing and sales to form a new unified relationship both players must focus their objective on improving performance. Your customers are a moving target, the relationship between marketing and sales must also evolve constantly in order to consistently hit their target.

Develop a Strategy – An effective strategy begins with defining the company’s vision, mission and business goals and sets forth specific benchmarks to achieving those goals. It should be planned and developed in consultation between marketing, sales and other stakeholders. Its purpose is to describe your business and its products and services; identify and position your products and services in the marketplace; formulate the tactics to be used and design a method to measure and monitor progress and effectiveness.

Monitor and Measure Results – It is still true that what gets measured gets accomplished. Design a set of performance parameters that are simple to understand by all stakeholders but comprehensive enough to be meaningful. Review them regularly and adapt your plan to respond to the dynamics of the marketplace.

Adapt – Today’s business environment is the most rapidly evolving and revolving in history. Truly nothing remains the same for long and the only true absolute is the act of change. Recognizing the dynamics of the marketplace and adapting to meet the consumers demands is critical to success.  You must be able to pivot, adapting your strategy as the business environment dictates.

In some instances long standing inter-department tension can make transitioning to a truly strategically aligned team effort a formidable task. Initiating a partnership with an experienced outside organization with specific skill-sets to successfully marry the two internal functional departments may produce the best results. Junction Creative Solutions (Junction) is experienced strategic experts to mid-size and growth stage companies that can customize a strategy for aligning sales and marketing functions for you.

“Many clients who first approach Junction for a marketing strategy, end up needing organizational alignment first,” comments Julie Gareleck, CEO & Managing Partner. “We are able to work with all stakeholders across an organization to develop a smart and purposeful strategy, designed to achieve the goals and objectives of the business, sales, and marketing. It’s incredibly effective and impactful.”

To learn more about Junction’s success bridging the gap between sales and marketing teams, contact Julie at julie@junction-creative.com.

Much has been written and said about the importance of remaining true to who you are and being consistent in acting synchronously with your core values. Consistency, whether applied to personal behavior or your business can be the most challenging of the fundamentals of behavior or business management. In the face of pressure to grow sales, increase market share over the competition or meet arbitrary next quarter sales goals; staying true to who you are and what brought you to success can be a formidable challenge. Combine that with the one absolute that says, “in business to stand still in one place invites irrelevance in the market” and staying true to your brands identity can become a herculean task at best. Ralph Waldo Emerson is credited with saying, “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” Emerson wasn’t referring to business but the thought could just as legitimately be applied.

An organization’s core value is relative to that which it does best or that which it is best known for in a market. A product or service that has value to consumers can often include intangibles and anything else that consumers can associate with your efforts.  A company’s brand image is the total of all the perceptions held by customers about your specific product offerings and is an important component of your brands value. Straying too far from a core identity in search of increased profit or market position can be damaging.

Surveys have found that increasing the number or complexity of products will result in consumer confusion, a fact that is contrary to established marketing theory that more choices are better for consumers and will naturally lead to additional sales. New product offerings must be relevant to the core brand to be successful.

After years of unsuccessful efforts to appeal to a broader consumer market with non-traditional health-conscious salads, snack wraps, smoothies and low-calorie, fries, Burger King is finally realizing that it is all about the hamburger, and maybe the relevant hot dog. McDonald’s, after years of declining sales, is still searching for its former self, the one that got it to the top of the fast-food spectrum. Steve Barr, PwC’s US retail and consumer leader, says, “There are brands that know exactly who they are and they never ever try to be anything more than they are. I think, from my perspective, it’s less about history and more about relevancy, and even the best of brands, if they don’t maintain their relevancy, will lose their way with the consumer. The great thing about the classic brands is there really is a tremendous amount of trust. So when those brands do change, even as they’re constantly reinventing themselves, they’re always staying true to their purpose.”

The evolving advancement in technology and changes in consumer behavior are pushing companies to embrace new strategies to remain relevant in a dynamically changing marketplace. Those that are successful in meeting the new demands of its customers are those that remain focused on its core purpose. Are you consistent in your efforts to reach your audience? What has worked for your business?

As we approach the year-end, tradition demands that business leaders begin to focus on the trends in the economy and set-forth economic predictions for the coming year and propose strategies to enable businesses to respond effectively to those proposed challenges. While many of the “the sky is falling” predictions may be overstated, the accepted consensus of thought among leading economists is gravitating toward a likely recession sometime in 2017.

Some more extreme predictions promote an impending economic downturn greater than that experienced in 2008. “I think the end of 2017 or the start of 2018 is quite possible for a recession,” says Brad McMillan, chief investment officer at Commonwealth Financial. “All the indicators seem to be lining up for that time frame.” Hopes that a change in presidential leadership will defer such a down turn hold little promise. “Our expectation is the economy will be relatively weak. The next president is going to need a plan right out of the gate,” says John Engler, president of the Business Roundtable, the group that has spoken with both Clinton’s and Trump’s campaigns about ideas to spur growth. Coming out of the “Great Recession” of 2008 many business leaders expected a recovery typical of past economic declines but was surprised to experience a persistent, lagging time span and the overall weakness of the recovery. “We’re kind of stuck in a funk,” says economist David Beckworth of Western Kentucky University. “This is the new normal.” Whether we are to believe these pessimistic forecasts or not, now is the time for organizational leaders to formulate a business strategy for survival and growth in 2017.

The process of formulating an effective strategy begins with evaluating the current state of your business, syncing with who your best customers are and what solutions are most vital to them.  Remember, a plan is the road map to a future reality. A projected journey to protect a position and hold the line against the competition is not a plan for sustainability or growth in the marketplace.

No matter the pedigree or the validity of an economic forecast, a legitimate strategic plan requires the ability to monitor measure and respond to changes in original assumptions. An ongoing focus on the metrics of the plans progress will permit you to evolve your tactics to address a dynamic environment that may threaten a plans original projected outcome.

A responsible allocation of resources to any endeavor is critical to the success of any outcome. The results of any process can be linked back to the amount of resources directed at the effort. “Pie-in-the-Sky” goals and objectives in any economy is a certain detriment to a successful outcome. Reasonable, realistic and responsible projections set the foundation for a sound strategy.

Not all organizations are structured to develop, execute and manage a comprehensive strategic process. Forming a partnership with an experienced and skilled provider who is in the position to focus the necessary skills on the process can be essential to success.

Founder and CEO of Junction Creative Solutions (Junction) says, “We have already started the strategic planning process with many of our clients before the end of the year. We are assisting our clients with developing strategies such that we can respond in real-time to this volatile political environment and rapidly changing marketplace. Our team is constantly monitoring market trends to better inform our clients of how it might impact a specific market segment or target consumer. ”

Now is the time to prioritize, identified and develop a phased strategically smart approach to weathering the coming economic storm whatever its intensity.

At the coming of the end of each calendar year there comes a practice that appears to be an unavoidable part of our culture. It is understandable that at the end of something there certainly must be a beginning of something else, a sort of evolutionary ideology that mandates a certain continuity of things both past and present. Predicting outcomes of the future, whether by flight of fancy or scientific “guessimation”, has always had a certain risk of accuracy when measured in the hind-sight but it appears that the level of success has had little impact on stemming the seemingly unavoidable practice of prognostication as each old year ending approaches. So what’s coming ahead in the business of marketing in the New Year? How will it propose to be better or worse than from where we have just come?

The digital era will continue to dominate marketing efforts across the spectrum of business sectors. Consumers are dictating to marketers how they want to consume information. Users are no longer using 1 or 2 devices so mobile expansions for marketers is critical. This trend is likely to strengthen in the coming year as the technology continues to improve in scope and ease of use. In 2017, if you haven’t already, embrace mobile!

Content and marketers focused on providing quality content to audiences will continue to dominate the mainstream marketing environment. We have come a long way from the early efforts to first imagine the potential impact of social media marketing and then to follow through on its promises by mastering effective and more conversational and interactive content messaging. The conversation will continue to project the brands promise to seemingly individualized consumers while finding that efficiency sweet spot. The keyword in content will become “personalization”, which doesn’t fit in 40 characters or less.

The Influencer factor will continue to motivate consumers’ as confidence and trust rise in those who will be viewed as thought leaders. Selecting the appropriate influencer will be critical in establishing brand credibility.

Purpose Driven Marketing continues to extend marketing efforts beyond the sale and promotes a feel-good impression with customers. Look to see more brands form charity partnerships with non-profits in 2017.

Social media channels will continue to grow in quality and selection as yet unproven technology like livestreaming, virtual and augmented reality arrive to satisfy the appetite of 2.5 billion active social media users worldwide. Marketers will be challenged to identify and utilize those channels that work best for achieving their goals. Messaging apps will begin to find their utilization. Chad Martin, North American Director, Social and Emerging Media at VML, states that, “The idea of being able to engage with a customer in a one on one way is huge. The hurdle will be figuring out how to develop relevant content to so many.”

Given the surprises in the geopolitical world in 2016, we cannot underestimate the likelihood of something unforeseen and unpredictable in 2017, whether it’s new technology or yet undetected swings in consumer tastes. The unexpected can certainly arise. Whatever the reality of marketing trend predictions, it promises to be a very interesting and challenging time ahead.

Comprehensive Cancer Center

Technology and connectivity continues to disrupt how we access information. Once limited to a one-or two line posting in the local telephone Yellow Pages (remember those?) medical practitioners of all disciplines felt little incentive to promote their services any way other than personal referrals from current patients and an occasional advertisement in the local papers.

As an aging population ignited an increased demand for specialty medical practitioners, the competition among medical services including hospital systems, urgent care networks, private practices, cancer treatment centers, telemedical service providers and others has intensified. Today there is a greater reliance on more sophisticated marketing strategies to bring patients to the medical providers. Choosing a doctor is no longer a random or arbitrary choice but one easily researched from among many providers from the comfort the patient’s home or mobile device. John Socratous, Wizmotions CEO, says, “One of the biggest consumer segments we see moving to aggressive advertising are doctors. Explainer videos, SEO and online reviews seemed secondary in the medical field for many years. Today, that is no longer the case.”

At the Gettysburg Cancer Center (GCC) in Historic Gettysburg PA, the doctors understand the importance of being accessible as patients embrace the technology in learning about their illness and the expanding science of treatment and care. Even with their all-encompassing oncology and hematology programs providing a complete range of diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up cancer care, Gettysburg Cancer Center has launched a new website that is designed to educate and inform its patients. Dedicated to providing insightful, compassionate care to all of their patients, GCC understands that every person is unique as they strive to ensure every patient the highest quality care and best possible outcome for their cancer treatment. Their new website and strategic marketing initiatives now reflect that elevated commitment to cancer care.

Junction Creative Solutions, an award winning strategic agency committed to creating high impact solutions, was uniquely qualified to design and execute a successful implementation of social and digital collateral to satisfy GCC’s commanding presence in the cancer treatment center marketplace. With many years of experience in the telemedical, pharmaceutical, hospital and consultative medical services sectors, Junction is perfectly positioned to answer the creative needs of GCC.

Julie Gareleck, Founder and CEO, said, “As the marketing landscape changes and consumer expectations evolve, it’s critical to remain ahead of the trend, particularly in the healthcare field where connecting patients with the best possible care providers can often have life or death implications. Junction believes that an effective content strategy adds significant value to a business, particularly in an era where patients have access to information – and a lot of it.  Healthcare companies must focus on communicating with patients where they are accessing information.”

For more than 25 years, Gettysburg Cancer Center has been committed to providing cancer care in a community-based setting close to their patient’s home. Their caring and educated staff is dedicated to providing a caring environment for patients and their families with individualized treatment, utilizing the best technical approach, and recognizing each patient’s psychological, emotional, and spiritual needs during their journey with their illness and healing.

To see more about how Junction’s creative team of marketing specialist is helping GCC successfully connect with their patients, visit www.gettysburgcancercenter.com.

2017 promises to be a time of real economic growth and expansion, yet riddled with a dynamically changing political environment. All of this during a time where technology is expected to advance five times as fast as it has in the last 2 decades.  All of this requires that businesses remain agile and open to adapting new strategies and processes to support a more sustainable approach to growth.

“Since 2009, Junction Creative Solutions (Junction) has worked with more than 240 brands, to include small to mid-size, growth stage, and Fortune 500 companies,” comments Julie Gareleck, CEO & Managing Partner, Junction.  “We’ve been on the front lines with our clients, redefining strategies that work in today’s changing environment.”

In 2016, Junction effectively grew its client base by nearly 30%, further expanding its reach and strengthening its competencies across a multitude of verticals.  As many companies turn to Junction, the conversation is not just a marketing discussion but rather a business growth discussion. Junction’s extensive experience working across verticals enables us to effectively meet the demands of our clients. While marketing is a significant component to sustainable growth, it’s just one part of the overall strategy for success in 2017.  Junction’s breadth of expertise in healthcare, financial, professional services, SaaS, eCommerce, technology, consumer packaged goods, retail, among others, brings a unique perspective to its clients.

“We are very excited about our growth results from 2016,” comments Julie Gareleck, CEO & Managing Partner of Junction Creative, “But we understand from our experiences that as the business environment ahead becomes more dynamic, it’s critical to remain ahead of the trends in order to develop the most effective and comprehensive set of solutions to support our client’s sales and marketing initiatives. We look forward to driving even more results for our clients in 2017.”

If you are looking for a firm who will not only provide strategic insights but also assist in the effective implementation, contact us at 676-686-1125 or Julie@junction-creative.com.