Acura of Tempe

Acura of Tempe

Subaru Superstore of Chandler

Subaru Superstore of Chandler

MCKINNON DUNFORD Media was recently tasked with capturing images of  staff members from both Subaru Superstore of Chandler and Acura of Tempe- above is a sample of over 50 finished images.  These Personnel photos will be used to put faces behind the business on the company websites.

ARE YOU TALKING WITH THEM OR AT THEM?

How companies communicate with their audience is a key factor for successful marketing in today’s information abundant and technologically savvy society. The days of in your face’ marketing tactics, such as radio spots aggressively shoving so-called deals down our throats, are quickly losing their appeal!  Today’s audience are not only heavily informed, they essentially dictate how and when they want to be communicated with.

We are in an era of conspicuous consumption, where buyers spend time carefully researching products and gaining insight on other people’s experiences before making any decisions. Because first hand experiences with a company’s product or service are passed around so readily via social media and other online platforms, audience members no longer need to wait for or be interrupted by one-sided messages.

How do we as marketers get around this?  The first and most important step is to get directly involved with your audience- ask questions, create a platform for dialogue, and develop a willingness to really listen! Rather than force feeding your message, ask your customers for honest feedback and pay attention to the results. Address the bad with the good, communicate your willingness to improve when negative feedback arises, and treat your audience with the respect and intelligence they deserve. Let’s build trust and offer information about our products and services when and where it’s appropriate. Let’s use these new media tools and communicate with, not at.

-image [mckinnondunford]

Beams x Jamieson’s of Shetland – Sweater

UNDFTD x Spalding – Basketball

Super – Flat Top Havana

Solar Calculator (Seiichi Fujimoto, 2007)

Best Made Company – Axe

Bell & Ross - BR 01 Instrument Watch

Mickey Mouse x Neighborhood – Bandana

1988 BMW M3

If Google’s search algorithms weren’t tricky enough, the Mt. View based company will now take into account how fast your website loads.  Call it part of Google’s master plan to speed up the web with the company’s new Caffeine Update, or their new Chrome Operating System, coming soon.  Either way, we highly encourage company’s to get on board and make adjustments accordingly.

How well you show up on Google results is crucial for small businesses looking to gain exposure in a highly competitive marketplace.  So forgo the antiquated, fancy flash and look to create a lean running and clutter free online presence that effectively conveys your company’s message.

Your new web pages and linked assets should be no more than 100kb each, according to Google.  With that being said, you will need to make sure you look at key elements for any page, such as page code size, the size of the images per page and other files such as feeds.

-image [mckinnondunford]

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Anybody in retail will tell you that the holidays are the most important time of the year for sales. Consumer spending hits its peak in the months of November and December, and every business needs to maximize their exposure and promotional strategies to best capitalize on these spendy times. It has been proven that email marketing, if done correctly, is one of the most effective and profitable ways to reach out to your client base. MCKINNON DUNFORD has the experience and know-how to create an engaging, results-based campaign that can achieve outstanding results with a small investment of time and money. What better time to get started than the consumer crazy holidays?

70% of consumers are conducting product research and comparison shopping online in 2009. This has nearly doubled from last year, which was 38%. That behavior is already in progress. 30% have already begun shopping, most of them beginning this month (October).  -pricegrabber.com

Case Study: House of Copenhagen

MCKINNON DUNFORD client and online Danish furniture retailer House of Copenhagen regularly used email marketing to send out promotions at various times in the year, with great results. Last winter, we developed an email campaign to promote end-of-year sale prices on furniture by renowned Danish designer Hans Wegner. An initial email was sent out early in December 2008 informing their customer base of the sale prices and the products available. As the month progressed, reminders were sent out to create urgency for the December 31st deadline in conjunction with content promoting the sale on the homepage of the website. All in all, the email campaign contributed towards over $80,000 in sales for the month of December. Happy new year indeed!

View Newsletter Example No. 1

View Newsletter Example No. 2

Email marketing is one of the most powerful marketing tools available to businesses of all shapes and sizes. Unlike direct mail, there are virtually zero production, materials, or postage expenses. It saves on paper product waste, and is delivered instantly to the inboxes of your customers. Modern web technology allows us to format and style the newsletters in new and creative ways, with rich graphics, photography, and typography that shows your business in the best light possible. In addition to featuring the specific promotion or product that the newsletter highlights, the email format also allows your customers to connect with you on your other channels like your website, twitter feed, and blog. You are doing those things, aren’t you?

Commercial e-mail returned a whopping $43.62 for every dollar spent on it in 2009, according to the DMA’s just-released Power of Direct economic-impact study—an effort the trade organization publishes every year at its annual fall conference. Meanwhile, non-catalog direct mail returned $15.22 for every dollar spent in 2009 while catalogs returned $7.32, according to the study.  -directmag.com

Proactive Communication

Instead of waiting around for people to search you out or stumble across your website or storefront, email marketing is PROACTIVE COMMUNICATION! Your business is savvy, you have great deals, your sales team and customer service is top-notch, but people need to know about it. What better way than an attention grabbing, visually enhanced email newsletter that is specifically targeted, action oriented, and visually appealing to drive people to your store or website and increase your market dominance. In addition to sales now, email newsletter campaigns are an ongoing strategy to develop customer loyalty, drive traffic and sales, and build your brand visibility.

Let’s get it started

It’s less than a month until Christmas, and your products aren’t going to sell themselves! We are offering special promotions on email campaigns for the month of December, so contact us today with some details about your needs and we will get started immediately on a strategy.