SERVICES

Gone are the days of broadcasting a one-size-fits-all message. Today, marketing success requires a personal approach, sometimes even aimed at an audience of one. By combining time tested strategies and effective tools with the latest advances in microtargeting, and then adding a splash of personality and verve for good measure, we help you engage your prospects in conversation, build relationships, and inspire loyalty and trust.

» Strategic Planning

Today’s business environment moves fast and changes constantly. We make understanding change our business; we bring order to the chaos. Our marketing philosophy is practical, straightforward, and grounded in decades of experience. We hold this truth to be self-evident: “Never underestimate the importance of a solid, well developed strategy.” Embarking on any type of marketing initiative without a clearly defined strategy is like building a house without a foundation. It might look sturdy from the outside but the minute a storm blows through, you better find someplace to take cover.

Stephen and Keri, Catalyst’s principals, have been developing comprehensive strategic plans and executing on mission critical marketing initiatives for many years: everything from global product launches to strategic partner alliances. We know that this first step of planning is often the hardest, though also the most critical for delivering success.

» Web Development and Optimization

Whether we’re creating a micro-site for a high-profile campaign, a webinar, or a video you hope to go viral, we treat the web as a unique and dynamic medium. We take a strategic approach to web development that places as much emphasis on clean design as the site’s information architecture and usability, while always taking into account how to optimize for search engines. We’re not in the business of creating a web site just so you can list it on your business card; we develop a presence on the web that extends your brand, allows customers to easily find you, and ultimately generates prospects, leads, and loyal customers.

» eMarketing

Prospective online customers have the option of deleting, ignoring or filtering your messages. Isolated direct mail, email, and banner ad campaigns have all decreased in effectiveness.

Today, effective eMarketing requires the use of a comprehensive strategic plan and the knowledge to implement and monitor activities. e-Marketing does not simply entail building a website, nor does it mean placing a banner ad here and there. Companies need to employ the right strategic mix of traditional and new marketing tactics—search engine marketing, website optimization, pay per click advertising, blogging, and social networking—to engage customers in a diverse and integrated way.

» e-Tool Development

e-Tools are interactive, web-based tools such as webinars, how-to guides, videos, buying guides, etc. that educate or inform potential customers about your products and/or services in an interactive and compelling way. For every development project, we assemble a talented group of marketers who share a passion for innovation and problem solving. We’ll help you get attendees for your webinar, share your video on YouTube or come up with a guerilla plan to introduce your product or service to your desired audience. The sky’s the limit and our innovation defies gravity.

» Lead Generation

Honest-to-goodness lead generation is the stuff of gold. A lot of marketers will confuse customer responses with leads, but we’re more discerning. True lead generation requires an intimate understanding of how decision makers go through the buying process. We make it our business to understand your business and your customers. While we employ a number of tactics like SEO, pay-per-click (PPC), micro-sites, e-newsletters, and telemarketing to filter out sales leads, our approach always focuses strategically on how marketing functions will connect the sales team with qualified prospects and close the loop.

» Brand Identity

Bob thinks your coffee shop is a pet food store because of the parrot on the logo. And Shelley, the consummate coffee klatscher, won’t be sipping a latte on your big, comfy couches because the angry pirate on your sign makes her uncomfortable. Sounds like a branding problem.

How do consumers perceive your company and your products? How do you want them to feel about your company? Does your brand evoke those feelings? Do they understand what your company does? Are you memorable? When it comes to branding, we have as many questions as answers, but one thing is certain—whether you're selling software, coffee, or waste removal services, your business needs a brand.

Nailing the nuances of your brand, creating your company’s story, and bringing that story to life is just the beginning. We will also help you integrate that brand into your corporate culture so that management, employees, customers, and prospects are all hearing (and hopefully singing) the same song (in a matter of speaking—not everyone should have a jingle).

» Search Engine Optimization

Googling yourself (and by yourself, we mean your company) isn’t just an exercise in vanity; it’s key in assessing how easily others can find you through search engines. How likely is it that your company listing will show up at or near the top of a search query’s results? Does your company show up multiple times, linking to different pages within your site? It could, if done right. How many products like yours are out there? How do you ensure that when people key in “mouse traps, best ever,” your site rises to the top? We know what makes search engines tick and how they can be your company’s best friend. When done right, the people who are looking for products like yours will say “Oh, you gotta check out this site! They sell “killer” mouse traps.”

Understanding how to build and maintain a website that is optimized requires expertise and constant attention to ever-changing criteria. We keep up on the minutiae of search engine optimization so that you don’t have to.

» Paid Search

With traditional advertising, you can pay a flat fee for a billboard. Basically, you pay for everyone in the vicinity to see it regardless of whether they want to or not. Mass marketing has its place but limited budgets often require more focused efforts. that's where pay per click (PPC) comes in. In the world of Internet advertising, you can use pay per click to place your ads on sites according to keywords, domain names, topics or even geographic locations. What’s more, you don’t have to pay for the ad unless someone clicks on it. Now try negotiating that model with a billboard salesman. This is just one way we can help your marketing dollars go further and hit a more targeted audience.

» Social Media

Sure, tweeting can seem downright silly. And for some, Facebook is the ultimate time sink. But connecting with and engaging consumers in the market where you do business is critical to your success; social media allows you to do that. Providing value, information and resources to that market makes you a valuable participant and contributor. Social media opens the door to this type of communication. Social media technologies are as vast and as different as the groups who use them. What they all offer is an accessible, cost effective, personal means of reaching a select group of customers and receiving immediate and candid feedback from them. The challenge is finding the right technology to trigger the right conversation with the right group of people so that you can develop a genuine, two-way conversation.