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Adding Marketing Bandwidth

September 28, 2021/in News /by Marketicity

At Marketicity, we know the importance that having a solid team plays in a good marketing strategy. As any marketing professional can tell you, sometimes you can get stuck looking at a problem from the same angle and it can be maddeningly difficult to break out of that. But when you are part of a team, you suddenly have other voices, other angles, and other ideas to attack that problem from.

Which is why one of our favorite zones of operation is when we get to bring our team to your team. Many companies, especially growing ones, can dedicate some time, some resources, and some horsepower to their marketing and advertising. But so often we find that they’re just missing that one extra thing, that one extra idea, that one marketing piece, that one advertising opportunity. And that’s where we come in.

If your business needs outside help, or someone to work through strategies and planning with you, if you have ideas but no one to design them, communication but no one to write it, social media hopes but no one who wants to navigate it, we are here for you.

Our aim is to make ourselves a natural extension of your team, while bringing along big-brand experience in a variety of industries. Over the years we have worked extensively in agriculture, manufacturing, banking, and telecommunications. Our broad experience has given us a big toolkit to work from and a number of ways to approach any given marketing need.

So if you’re looking for someone to come alongside you and help you figure out where to take your marketing strategy next, let Marketicity know.

Marketicity is a marketing services firm whose team members have delivered successful campaigns and have been Moving Brands Forward for some of the best-known brands in their categories – both locally, regionally and nationally. We’re proud of our work but even more proud that our clients are proud of the work produced for their brands. Want to learn more about how we can help you “move your brand forward”? Simply give us a call or visit our Contact Us page. We look forward to hearing from you.

The Dog Days of Summer

August 24, 2021/in News /by Marketicity

Here we are, halfway through 2021, in the dog days of summer. While many of us are still adjusting to the changes and realities of the past year and a half, there are some things that may have seemed strange a couple years ago, but are now so commonplace, we may not even stop to think about them anymore. And if there is a silver lining to this cloud, not all of those changes have been bad.

Virtual work, Zoom meetings, conference calls, and the hundred other ways we found to keep working, stay in touch, and move through pandemic life, introduced a new dynamic to a lot of work days. Morning meetings at the breakfast table, interviews in the guest room hoping the kids can stay quiet, and of course, the curious noses, whiskers, and snouts that love to peak their way into the corner of our screens.

Many of us had an opportunity to see into the everyday lives of our colleagues, clients, coworkers, and supervisors in ways we might not have before. We got to see children, spouses, and pets roaming through the backgrounds of our meetings and in some cases, suddenly appearing point blank in our webcams. ”Sorry about that,” and “Please excuse the noise,” became common refrains and often refreshing moments of humanity in an isolating time. So in honor of those moments, the crew here at Marketicity wanted to give a proper introduction to the pets that have made themselves a regular part of our workday.

Khaleesi and Apollo Antor love eating snacks, chasing squirrels, and taking naps. Khaleesi likes to be on standby for Zoom calls while Apollo likes to watch for squirrels. Calvin and Olive Antor are actually cats and may look sweet, but they run the house (and the dogs).

Macy Most is the official Head of Security for Marketicity, though to be honest, she isn’t great at her job. However, she loves sitting on laps and giving kisses.

Coco Jacobs is cute, but loose items and flies better beware, she will attack them both. Trixie Jacobs is the diva. She will only lay on the softest surfaces and is an escape artist in training.

Marketicity is a marketing services firm whose team members have delivered successful campaigns and have been Moving Brands Forward for some of the best-known brands in their categories – both locally, regionally and nationally. We’re proud of our work but even more proud that our clients are proud of the work produced for their brands. Want to learn more about how we can help you “move your brand forward”? Simply give us a call or visit our Contact Us page. We look forward to hearing from you.

Working as an Extension of your Team

July 27, 2021/in News /by Marketicity

Marketing can be many things: flashy, exciting, subtle, funny, moving, and on and on. Any of these approaches, used the right way, can make for a compelling, successful marketing campaign. One thing marketing can’t afford to be, however, is hollow. We all know businesses need to make money and marketing is an integral part of that, but a marketing campaign that misunderstands a product, or a company’s mission, or simply hasn’t taken the time to know why any of that matters, can end up doing more harm than good.

Which is why we get the temptation to keep marketing in-house, with people who will naturally understand those things best. But we also know that not every business has the resources needed to run and maintain a strong campaign. Maybe you have a designer, but not a writer, or an expert strategist, but not a social media manager. Sometimes, it’s just whoever is wearing the fewest hats at the moment who gets the marketing responsibilities offloaded onto their plate.

At Marketicity, we’re happy to be the extra hands, resources, and expertise needed, but we see that as the bare minimum. When you work with Marketicity, we make it our job to become an extension of your brand and your team. We want to make sure that any marketing campaign we work on feels authentic and true to who you are. So often, we work with people who have great ideas but lack the time or tools to see them through. We love the opportunity to come alongside and help realize the best possible marketing solution.

Marketicity is a marketing services firm whose team members have delivered successful campaigns and have been Moving Brands Forward for some of the best-known brands in their categories – both locally, regionally and nationally. We’re proud of our work but even more proud that our clients are proud of the work produced for their brands. Want to learn more about how we can help you “move your brand forward”? Simply give us a call or visit our Contact Us page. We look forward to hearing from you.

Is It Time to Refresh Your Brand?

June 29, 2021/in News /by Marketicity

When it comes to marketing, it can be tempting to completely reinvent the wheel every now and again to inject your brand with some extra energy or excitement. Honestly, it can be tempting simply because you get bored with looking at the same logo or the same font or the same pictures day in and day out. Sometimes, a total overhaul is what’s needed. However, we’ve found that much of the time, the best course of action is a smart, targeted evolution as opposed to an all-out revolution.

There’s a reason that your brand is important. Whether you see it as a promise to your clients, a sign of quality work, or a personality that people can identify with, your brand carries weight and value. But just like a haircut, or a wardrobe, or a paint job, sometimes it needs something new. Now again, there is a time and a place for a total reinvention of your brand, and when that happens, we have a bit of a different conversation. Most often though, we work with companies on providing a few tweaks that go a long way. When you get a haircut, it’s still the same you leaving the barbershop or salon, but hopefully you feel like a new person, refreshed and excited. We take the same approach when working with clients on their brand identity.

Maybe you don’t need a new logo, maybe you just need a new color template to play around in. Maybe your advertising graphics or fonts need to be updated. Maybe your social media persona needs a bit of an upgrade or your mission statement needs some adjusting or rewording. The list can go on and on, but it all goes a long way towards boosting your brand’s feel and attracting new customers.

When you work with us, we will help you figure out where your brand needs a tune-up and how best to make that happen. Our goal is that when we do job, you will then feel better about doing yours.

Marketicity is a marketing services firm whose team members have delivered successful campaigns and have been Moving Brands Forward for some of the best-known brands in their categories – both locally, regionally and nationally. We’re proud of our work but even more proud that our clients are proud of the work produced for their brands. Want to learn more about how we can help you “move your brand forward”? Simply give us a call or visit our Contact Us page. We look forward to hearing from you.

The Benefits of Our Diverse Portfolio

May 25, 2021/in News /by Marketicity

In the book Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, author David Epstein argues for the importance of a wide range of knowledge and experience as opposed to only specialized knowledge. In one example he writes, “The labs in which scientists had more diverse professional backgrounds were the ones where more and more varied analogies were offered, and where breakthroughs were more reliably produced when the unexpected arose.” Thus, the benefits of our diverse portfolio.

Now, we are admittedly marketing specialists, but we are specialists across a variety of disciplines and, one of the things we enjoy the most about our work, is that we get to work with a diverse range of brands and companies across all kinds of industries. Our clients include telecommunications companies, construction services, retirement communities, agricultural associations, spirits companies, and more. We believe that such a broad background has been an incredible asset to us over the years. We have had the opportunity to see that, no matter the industry, the fundamental truths of marketing hold up. And more than any specialized knowledge, we understand that our work ultimately relies on how successfully we can connect with people. Whether you’re selling internet service, steel buildings, or helping coffee brands develop new flavors, the underlying goal is to create a human connection with someone.

Many industries have their own standards and tendencies, and it seems natural that similar products from different brands would all start to blend together over time. Which is why we see the portfolio we’ve built as a distinct creative advantage. Being entrenched in the world of construction only to pivot to an executive search firm keeps us on our toes, it keeps our eyes open, and we can see how our work benefits from it. Perhaps something that worked well in one industry will work in a completely different industry. Perhaps one brand landed on a social media idea that will prove successful for another brand.

When developing a marketing strategy, it’s easy to get lost in the details. At Marketicity, we enjoy that detail work immensely. But we also like that the variety in our wonderful clients forces us to always step back to look at the bigger picture, and we believe that our work is all the better for it.

Marketicity is a marketing services firm whose team members have delivered successful campaigns and have been Moving Brands Forward for some of the best-known brands in their categories – both locally, regionally and nationally. We’re proud of our work but even more proud that our clients are proud of the work produced for their brands. Want to learn more about how we can help you “move your brand forward”? Simply give us a call or visit our Contact Us page. We look forward to hearing from you.

Finding Creative Solutions

April 20, 2021/in News /by Marketicity

One of the things that seems to be a given in the world of business is that there are going to be ongoing marketing challenges. And while we wish we could say we had a secret formula to make these challenges disappear, that simply isn’t the case. What we do have, however, is a dedicated team of professionals with a knack for untangling problems with effective, unique, and creative solutions.

At Marketicity, we want to know what problems you’re facing and we want to know what your goals are. So if you come to us with the problem of a particular product not meeting sales expectations or a goal of increasing brand awareness and engagement, then our team can begin to work through all the possible avenues we could take to get there. Maybe it’s increasing product awareness for potential consumers through a social media campaign. Maybe it’s email marketing directed towards possible business partners. Maybe it’s a lack of understanding of how the product works that could be addressed through iconography or written clarification. There is no shortage of challenges, but we also believe each challenge has a solution.

For instance, our work with the Sazerac Company, one of the largest spirits companies in the country, uncovered one of these challenges: they had too many promotional items lying around their warehouse and it was becoming a problem. The Sazerac Company has a portfolio of about 300 brands. Our solution was to create a sell sheet for select brands suggesting possible pairing options and then custom build displays to show how everything could be merchandised at retail. This strategy streamlined the process for the sales team, freeing up their time, and ultimately gave them some more breathing room in their warehouse.

Whether you’re just getting started or you’ve run into some new or unexpected challenge, Marketicity is here to help you solve your problems and move your brand forward.

Marketicity is a marketing services firm whose team members have delivered successful campaigns and have been Moving Brands Forward for some of the best-known brands in their categories – both locally, regionally and nationally. We’re proud of our work but even more proud that our clients are proud of the work produced for their brands. Want to learn more about how we can help you “move your brand forward”? Simply give us a call or visit our Contact Us page. We look forward to hearing from you.

Social Media Spotlight: Keeping a 40-Year Old Construction Company Fresh

March 16, 2021/in News /by Marketicity

At Marketicity we understand that marketing is far from a one-size-fits-all operation. It’s nuanced, specific, and often a bit of a moving target. Which is why we believe it’s so important to have a personal touch with our clients. Each client is different, each client base is different, and rarely do we find that one single approach works. The person who’s looking at the website may be different than the person who’s looking at social media or reading a company’s newsletter. Some content plays better on one platform than another, and so on.

Which is why we always take a measured and multi-faceted approach to our marketing strategies. This is perhaps most apparent with our work for FS Construction Services, a construction, equipment, and service provider in southern Illinois that focuses on agriculture. FS Construction Services has been in business for over 40 years, so they’ve lived through the seismic shift that the internet and social media caused in the marketing world. As they have adjusted to the ever-changing landscape of marketing in an increasingly digital age, we have been able to come alongside them and help develop a many-pronged approach to their outreach efforts.

With FS Construction Services, our plan has been to create effective, dependable means of communication through a variety of platforms including: monthly blog posts, a website redesign and ongoing site maintenance, a Facebook page, an end-of-month newsletter, as well as ongoing SEO work.

The FS Construction Services blog has been a good way to provide readers some insight into who they are and the kinds of work they do. However, we know that in order to find the blog, you’d most likely need to be on the website first, so rather than just sending that content out into the ether and hoping for the best, we also take those articles and add them to the rotation of regular Facebook posts, expanding their reach and potential client-base. Instead of simply pasting a link into a Facebook post and calling it good, we have instead optimized the posts to prioritize good pictures, short descriptions, and interesting titles, knowing that a social media post is a vastly different platform than a blog and you have a short time to actually capture someone’s attention.

Despite the allure of going viral, we know that there is no silver bullet in marketing. However, steady, fresh content, adapted specifically for each platform, can go a long way towards elevating a brand, even in the temperamental world of social media.

Marketicity is a marketing services firm whose team members have delivered successful campaigns and have been Moving Brands Forward for some of the best-known brands in their categories – both locally, regionally and nationally. We’re proud of our work but even more proud that our clients are proud of the work produced for their brands. Want to learn more about how we can help you “move your brand forward”? Simply give us a call or visit our Contact Us page. We look forward to hearing from you.

Proud of Our Regional and National Client Base

February 16, 2021/in News /by Marketicity

Marketicity is proudly located in Waterloo, Illinois, a suburb of St. Louis located just 20 minutes from the downtown landmarks of St. Louis Cardinals Busch Stadium and the Enterprise Center, home of the 2019 Stanley Cup Champion St. Louis Blues. Much like we love our hometown teams we love our “hometown” clients but our reach travels further. This blog focuses on our national client base located in our “backyard” or slightly further way. Here are some highlights from our many years’ worth of hard work helping Move Their Brands Forward!

National Corn Growers Association
The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), located in Chesterfield, Missouri represents the interests of more than 300,000 growers who contribute through corn checkoff programs in their states. NCGA and its 50 affiliated state organizations work together to create and increase opportunities for corn growers.

Marketicity provides coordination and public relations support for NCGA’s premier grower participation program – the National Corn Yield Contest. The NCYC annual contest sees grower involvement from nearly all 50 states and challenges farmers to produce the most bushels of corn per acre across nine different categories. Helping to promote the incredible successes and achievements of farmers from coast to coast by sharing their stories with hundreds of local and regional radio, TV and print publications is a highly detailed and immensely rewarding undertaking.

Sazerac
Our planning, branding, and strategic development skills in the spirits category extends back 20+ years. In that time we have worked on some of the biggest brands in their categories and helped launch or grow numerous others. Proving distance is never an inhibitor to helping clients solve their marketing challenges, we work closely with this client who is based out of Chicago while the company maintains locations across the globe.

The current portfolio of brands that Marketicity supports, through our relationship with Senior Brand lead, is for the Cordials, Liqueurs and Brandy category. There are so many facets and nuances to keep in mind that orchestrating and executing these programs is incredibly challenging but also allows for unique thinking and solution development. From traditional marketing elements to websites, social media, videos and sales materials, our team provides vast resources for this great client in so many areas.

National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center
The National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center, also known NCERC, has been a trusted partner for more than four years. Located in Edwardsville, Illinois, on the campus of Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville (SIUE), NCERC is a leading research center generating over $4B of commercialized results for private industry, startup companies, government entities and trade organizations. What was once a research center solely focused on the ethanol category, this industry leader’s capabilities now extend further than ever in the research, development and commercialization for feed agnostic research.

Originally brought together through the need to develop a single trade show presence, the partnership with NCERC has expanded to include research, branding, positioning, collateral materials, a new online presence, displays, video storytelling and more. Our team works hand-in-hand with key members of the client team including the executive director, business development director, nationally renowned research team members, project managers and plant personnel. All for the purpose of helping to position the center for growth in the burgeoning field of research and green energy commercialization.

Marketicity is proud of our deep roots supporting local clients but it does not stop there. Our aim is to provide marketing support, depth, and horsepower to any companies that may have an internal marketing department but require help in bringing strategic marketing programs to fruition. We help in “Moving Brands Forward” – no matter their location.

Marketicity is a marketing services firm whose team members have delivered successful campaigns and have been Moving Brands Forward for some of the best-known brands in their categories – both locally, regionally and nationally. We’re proud of our work but even more proud that our clients are proud of the work produced for their brands. Want to learn more about how we can help you “move your brand forward”? Simply give us a call or visit our Contact Us page. We look forward to hearing from you.

It’s Not Too Late to Plan for Year 2021!

January 19, 2021/in News /by Marketicity

The year is still young, so do not believe that it is too late to plan, to improve, or to reinvent yourself! 2020 is definitely going down in history, but not as a year that we want to remember. The only way to go from here is up, so take the time to reflect, rebuild, something in your life, or possibly start something anew.

So many promises are made at the beginning of the year, whether they are to ourselves or others, but rarely are they kept. An easy way to counter this is to write it down; commit it to memory, so it never escapes and serves as a constant motivation and reminder for growth. Monthly, weekly, and even daily check-ups can help you to reach those goals that you promised to reach.

Plans and promises for the new year do not just stop at the personal level but carry on into the business world, too. Last year may have been tough for your business, but even that can be ameliorated. Scan statements and papers from your business to find where it is lacking, look for the cracks, and then fill them in. This is easier said than done, but necessary for your plan!

Outline the next steps, plan for the unexpected. Worlds’ and years’ worth of information lay at your fingertips, all that it takes is the will to press them, to inquire, to learn, and, eventually, to grow.

Beginning or expanding your business can be tough, but Marketicity is here to help. After all, a push for your marketing may be all your business needs to expand and grow. Marketicity can help your business reach the place you have always wanted.

Marketicity is a marketing services firm whose team members have delivered successful campaigns and have been Moving Brands Forward for some of the best-known brands in their categories – both locally, regionally and nationally. We’re proud of our work but even more proud that our clients are proud of the work produced for their brands. Want to learn more about how we can help you “move your brand forward”? Simply give us a call or visit our Contact Us page. We look forward to hearing from you.

Happy Holidays from the Marketicity Team!

December 15, 2020/in Uncategorized /by Marketicity

Christmas is only ten days away! The team here, at Marketicity, wishes you all happy holidays. However or whatever you celebrate this month, relax and have a good time. Maybe this is the season you finally reconnect with that distant cousin, a friend whom you have not seen in a while, or a sibling you rarely talk to. Take advantage of the good cheer and time off to enjoy yourselves. If traveling somewhere are your plans, fly or drive safe.

Our team is spending their holidays with their families. Hot cocoa and warm blankets are in store for our employees, and maybe a heartwarming movie or two. If it does happen to snow, it is guarantied that at least one snowman will be built.

It is obvious that 2020 has not been the best year, but do not let that stop you. This tough year has made an impact on clients and companies alike, and now there is finally a time to forget this year’s hardships and just focus on laughing with family and friends. 2021 is right around the corner and it has the potential to be the amazing year that 2020 never was, so start the new year off right, surrounded by those you love most. We not only wish you all a safe travel and happy holidays, but your family as well.

Marketicity is a marketing services firm whose team members have delivered successful campaigns and have been Moving Brands Forward for some of the best-known brands in their categories – both locally, regionally and nationally. We’re proud of our work but even more proud that our clients are proud of the work produced for their brands. Want to learn more about how we can help you “move your brand forward”? Simply give us a call or visit our Contact Us page. We look forward to hearing from you.