• Prioritize your geography, in order to insure that you deliver effective frequency to at least a segment of your market.  While you may be doing this already via direct mail, make sure you bring that same discipline to your other media, when possible.  For example, consider zoned cable as part of your TV effort.

• Add more frequency building media to your campaign.  For example, a high traffic location billboard adds significant message frequency to a TV buy.

• With radio, consider buying fewer stations.  In addition, look for radio stations that have a significant amount of shared listenership.  Along that same line, focus your efforts in fewer time periods.

• Employ frequency building tactics to your TV buys, such as running multiple spots within the same show, adding more high repeat viewing programs such as local news and selecting a few key primetime shows vs. a broader approach..

• Establish share of voice minimums for your digital buys.  If you can’t afford at least a 20-30% share of voice on a given site, perhaps narrow the selected content, or shorten the length of the flight.

These are just a few examples of ways to add frequency to your campaign.  The key is to keep the frequency objective in the forefront when planning your media.  So when you think you have enough frequency, think again.  You probably need more.

Kochan & Company can bring more value and results to your business.  If you’d like to get more “bang for your marketing buck” call Bob Kochan at 314-621-4455.

Tap the underutilized resources inside your company

Sometimes the best ideas are sitting down the hall in a completely unrelated department, or even answering the phone.  Your support staff are often the people who have the most contact with your customers, and the best insights on your company.  Invite them to a brainstorming session and encourage participation.  You’ll reap the many benefits of a new perspective and — because they already work for your company — it won’t cost you anything but a little time!

Pick the brain of a random successful person

Not your mentor, not a trusted advisor, not someone in your industry.  Just a person who has achieved and prospered.  Find out what makes them tick, what works for them, how they approach common issues, what he or she does differently than you do.  Sometimes “outsider thinking” is the best way to remove the blinders and craft a more effective strategy.

Don’t give away your profits

Be strategic in building a loyal customer base.  Drastic discounts through Groupon, Living Social, etc. may get bargain hunters in your door, but you’re not attracting business, you’re BUYING it!  Instead, consider promotional programs that provide sustainable growth, at a discount that works for your customers AND for you.

Update your website

This may not be “different” but it is absolutely necessary.  If nothing has changed on your website in the past twelve months, you’re already eleven months behind.  Fresh content not only keeps your customers coming back, it also helps your site rank higher in searches.  It’s like getting your oil changed or replacing your furnace filter…regularly scheduled “updates” will keep your business financially healthy and running better.

Kick it “old school”

Those Mad Men guys knew what they were doing.  So while you’re exploring the latest Twitter craze, and adding QR codes to everything possible, take a page out of the Retro Marketing handbook and try some more traditional fare:  Radio, TV, Outdoor or Print.  Use the old media “standards” in conjunction with new opportunities (like using broadcast to drive traffic to the web) to get the best of both worlds and maximize your returns

If you’re not yet ready for the challenges of 2013, consider the advantages of a unified communications team. You’ll get a seamlessly integrated marketing plan, supported by strategic creative, media and web services designed for optimal success.

For the second year, Kochan & Company is named one of St. Louis’ Best Marketing Firms. The November issue of St. Louis Small Business Monthly features St. Louis area marketing companies that have been nominated by SBM readers as the “Best in Business”.

“At Kochan & Company, we’ve always believed that “Good is not good enough” and to be recognized two years in a row for that philosophy is quite an honor” stated Bob Kochan.

27 St. Louis marketing firms were saluted in the publication. The roster included design, digital and experiential marketing firms in addition to full service advertising and marketing companies like Kochan & Company.

Kochan & Company is also celebrating its Silver Anniversary in November. “I can’t think of a better way to celebrate our 25^th year in business than by being recognized for our work and our team” stated Kochan.

Promotions

Pimp My Game Room-Mystique Casino

Fantastic Plastic Payoff-Remington Park Racing Casino

Game On-Argosy Casino

Safecracker-Prairie Band Casino and Resort

Entertainment

Chuck Wickes and Gin Blossoms-Prairie Band Casino and Resort

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Richard Marx-Argosy Casino

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band-Argosy Casino 15sec

Survivor-Argosy Casino

Miscellaneous

Your Points Your Play-Dubuque Greyhound Park and Casino

Kentucky Derby-Remington Park Racing Casino

More than 90,000 people a day will encounter Kochan & Company’s latest creative effort promoting St. Louis’ Historic Carondelet neighborhood.

Our billboard design is now displayed on I-55 south of the Anheuser-Busch brewery.  The new outdoor advertising campaign, which also incorporates a new logo for the community (created by the Kochan team,) kicks off the introduction of a new marketing effort by the Carondelet Housing Corporation. The new outdoor advertising promotes the area’s new  CarondeletLiving.com website, as well as the neighborhood amenities.

Protect Your House - If your competition is local, you need to first compete locally.  Build your brand and your business by being better than the company across the street.    The worst strategy you can have is to take on distant competition while allowing “the enemy” nearby to fill the void you leave behind.

Support Your Local Sheriff  - You don’t have to actually support your sheriff, but you should support the local economy by spending your dollars where you can best reap the benefits. Concentrating your budget in your business’ immediate area not only strengthens your position financially, but it can also give you an image boost in your community to boot (see big fish/small pond below).

Use Your Homefield Advantage – Sometimes, it really is to good to be a big fish in a small pond. Being the “go to” business in any given category is a great position to own.  So be the “best pizza place in town”, or the “dry cleaner the mayor uses” or even the “hang out for the local hockey team.”    Then — and only then —  worry about testing the waters of the highly competitive ocean.

Because it really all boils down to this:
Let the ripple effect do the work for you
Drop a stone in a pond, and watch the water flow, and reach out further…and further…and further. By “thinking small” and focusing your energy (and spending), the subsequent ripples will spread your message into new markets, expand your area of influence, and grow your business.   All without busting your budget.

Kochan & Company creates recognition award 

Kevin Steen, senior art director, recently completed two logos for client Payne Family Homes; the graphics are used as part of a company-wide recognition program.

The Safety Excellence award is given to Payne employees who attain exemplary safety records on the job.

The Preferred Trade Partner logo is used to identify outstanding trade partners who provide services in the construction of Payne Family Homes projects.

Kochan & Company has been providing ongoing marketing services to Payne Family Homes since 2011, including branding, planning, and print and digital advertising.

Look at the numbers:  The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) reports that, for every dollar spent on direct marketing in 2011, the average ROI was $11.65.  The average ROI for non-DM marketing? $5.29.  On our calculator that makes direct mail more than twice as effective for the money.

Less restrictions = more creativity:  Sure you can mail a letter in a #10 envelope.  Or a small postcard.  But now shapes abound.  Oversize postcards practically pop out of mailboxes.  And you can imprint – and mail – on all sorts of substrates.  So your offer gets noticed.  And your customers act.  It’s that simple.

Follow the money:  Casinos, credit card companies, communication giants and other growing businesses all know the secret – direct marketing works.  So why let the big boys have all the success?  All you need is a great offer, a great list and a great DM piece.  (The right DM partner can make all the difference!)

If you’re serious about successfully marketing your company, it’s time to get serious about direct mail.

It’s only the fifth day of July, and it seems we’re on fire this month – with this heat, thankfully not literally.  We’ve been setting ideas in motion for 25 years, and want to share this milestone with you.  And it just so happens that Kochan & Company’s own Bob Kochan is featured as a “Top St. Louis Marketer” in July’s edition of St. Louis Small Business Monthly.  Be sure to grab your own copy, or just scroll below for the full interview.

Name:  Bob Kochan

Position:  President – Kochan & Company Advertising & Marketing

Company Description:  Full-service agency with one simple promise:  We Move People.  What’s that mean to our clients?  We get results. We build traffic.  We bring in customers.  We grow sales.  And we get more bang for your marketing dollar.

Years Involved In Marketing:  37+ years in St. Louis (25 years as an agency)

How has marketing changed over the past 5 years: Businesses are looking for more ways to generate a better return on their marketing investment than ever before. The economy has forced businesses to scrutinize every marketing dollar (something we have always advocated for our clients). The new “normal” is how to get more for less.

Past projects you are most proud of: We are proud of our many years as agency for Raging Rivers WaterPark, and the award-winning “It’s Cool When It’s Hot” theme that so many people remember.  And the campaigns we’ve created for the Missouri Valley Conference over the years, which have positively influenced the image and attendance at Arch Madness.

What are some of the mistakes businesses make when marketing their companies:  Too many businesses focus on fast/inexpensive execution instead of taking the time and making the investment in strategic planning and communication.  A long-term strategy shouldn’t be “what do I do in the short term”.

For businesses, what are some of the keys to successful marketing in the future: Small businesses need BIG ideas to compete.  Aligning your business with the right marketing resource provides immediate and ongoing access to smart thinking and industry experience above and beyond your company’s limitations.  Select a partner whose skills and knowledge base fill many needs (one-stop shopping!) for a more streamlined, efficient and effective use of your time and your marketing dollars.

What could be more American than a friendly competition amongst the best businesses in town, and just in time for the Fourth of July?  How about you getting to vote for the winner?

The St. Louis Small Business Monthly’s annual “Best In Business” contest is once again upon us, and voting only runs through Sunday, July 1^st (that’s only 3 days!).

We’re proud that Kochan & Company is once again nominated as one of the candidates for “Best Marketing Firm in St. Louis”.  In case you missed the last contest, we were actually selected as one of the best for 2011. We’d be honored to go for “two in a row”. Voting takes less than 2 minutes.  

Click here to vote.

A little background information on the competition:  Each month SBM asks their readers to help locate the top companies in 13 categories.  Winners and the top two finalists will be honored at a special luncheon October 16 at the St. Charles Convention Center.