When it comes to email marketing, there are three things you probably want to do more of: Segment, Simplify, and Send. • Segment: Separate your contacts into different lists based on their interests. • Simplify: Don’t try to say too much in your emails. Stay focused on one main action. • Send: Send a series of emails to remind subscribers to take action. Approaching email marketing this way means you’re not relying on one message to do all the heavy lifting. You’re focused on getting the right messages to the right people at the right times. We handle email marketing campaigns for a number of different clients, large and small from consumer to business to business. Need help crafting your email marketing strategy and its implementation? Contact us for a review of your goals and how we can help you reach them.

It was a huge honor to have our work featured as Campaign of the Year for the SPE 75th anniversary at the recent Plastics News Marketing Summit. We worked with SPE (Society of Plastics Engineers ~ www.4spe.org) to develop goals of their campaign and then created the theme and tactics. The goals included promoting their 75th anniversary milestone, increasing brand awareness and raising the membership base by promoting the many benefits of SPE membership. First we developed a new 75th logo and tagline and incorporated it within all of their current promotional activities: website, ads, cover of Plastics Engineering magazine, social media posts, etc. We wanted to use video as a platform to promote the various benefits of SPE membership. So we held a photo entry contest where current SPE members answered a short 3 question survey regarding their personal benefits of membership and submitted photos of themselves in their work environment. From that we developed a video with the theme “SPE is ME” using the photo & comment entries from a strong cross section of members. Click here or the video box below to view.  The video and the entries we received are now promoted through their multiple channels: website (home page and membership page), email, print ads and social media.   SPE has so far received record number of views to their SPE is ME video, has seen a marked improved social media impressions and response and an increase in their membership. It was a creative campaign that was so much fun to work on! Let’s collaborate on YOUR winning marketing campaign! Contact Andrea to learn more.

An excellent way to tell your company’s story is through marketing videos.   They support your sales staff presentations with compelling information.   They enhance Search Engine Optimization (SEO) by attracting new online followers.   They motivate your employees by sharing strategic plans. And they bring in new leads by providing current and potential customers with new reasons to do business with your company. YOU CAN BE YOUR OWN BEST VIDEOGRAPHER.   We all recall a short time ago when making a “corporate video“ meant engaging a specialized video writer to research and draft a script and then engaging an experienced video company with videographers, studios and millions of dollars in equipment to produce a competent video.   No longer. Today, with virtually every employee carrying a smart phone with HD quality video capability and GoPro cameras everywhere, getting access to raw video footage could not be easier.   The job now is to collaborate with your marketing company to help you to develop a strategic plan for shooting and producing your videos and then to edit and distribute them for you. QUALITY MATTERS.   Virtually all industries, probably including many of your competitors, are making videos to grow their business.   Studies have shown that the vast majority of marketers agree that video provides the best marketing tool.   And you don’t need to have a large marketing staff to do it. But you do need to do it right. Studies also have shown that a majority of consumers react negatively to poorly produced videos.   You have built your company on quality products and services, and you need a quality video that will make that point. A VIDEO IS WORTH MANY THOUSAND WORDS. Online, videos receive three times more clicks than articles not using video.   A picture is worth a thousand words and a video is worth many times more than that.   If you are looking for customer leads through your website and you only have words and still pictures on it, you are missing an opportunity.   Companies that place videos right on their landing page have reported a several-fold increase in direct contacts from potential customers. VIDEOS ARE CREDIBLE.   Videos greatly impact the way your audiences view your company’s integrity and credibility.   They educate your customers and prospects about what you do and how you do it.   They help to make you and your company appear to be experts or spokesmen for the industry that you represent. “How to” videos that show how one of your customers greatly improved their process by using your product or service are winners. Viewers always give the highest score to customer endorsements that also show how the customer benefitted by working with your company.  Three quarters of millennials look for videos to answer their questions. FREQUENCY AND CONSISTENCY.   One of the newest successful techniques for regular communications with your marketplace is “vlogs”: video blogs.   These are short video stories produced on a steady schedule, perhaps as often as weekly, for your website. They don’t have to be very complicated but they

It is such an honor to be highlighted in the Constant Contact Solutions Provider newsletter today… We take great pride in the results of the email marketing services we provide our clients. Want to learn more about the benefits of email marketing and tips to create/improve your campaigns? Join me in my upcoming presentation at the Newburyport Chamber of Commerce on November 16th, 2016 from 7:30 – 9:00 am. Click here for the details! Here’s what I’ll be chatting about: Creating a successful email marketing campaign Why do so many companies employ email marketing?  Email marketing is inexpensive. It is flexible, offering infinite variation. It provides excellent analytics. It has a proven track record to continuously reach audiences of any size and interest. In the business world, results are arguably all that matters. With this in mind, the main reason that most businesses invest in email marketing is the fantastic return on investment. For every $1 spent on email marketing, $44.25 is the average return on investment. A number of sources have suggested that this is better than any other platform. So with that said, I’ll be presenting some helpful information to help develop and refine your email marketing strategy. I’ll review:  – the many benefits of creating an effective email marketing campaign – specific tips on how you can create and improve your campaigns – examples of successful campaigns  Hope to see you there!

When reaching out to your markets, customers, potential or existing employees, your community, even the financial institutions, social media can give you direct contact with the people who make a difference to your business.   Usage of social media continues to grow and grow.   Not surprisingly over 90% of all 18-29 year olds are on social media daily but did you know that 77% of the age group 30-49 uses social media, as do 51% of 50-64 year olds*.   Even more than a third of 65 year olds and up are now on social media as well and all these numbers keep growing year after year. *Pew Research There are literally hundreds of social media outlets available today. But for the manufacturing/industrial industry the four that have the most positive influence on your business activity are Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and LinkedIn.   But which ones you choose depend on your industry. For instance, if you are in the retail industry you’ll want to utilize Instagram, Pinterest and SnapChat. To be competitive and contemporary with social media, you need a competent content manager with a sound strategy for your content. You can find these specialists within your Marketing Agency, among free-lancers, or by developing your own internal social media capability. When you connect your business to social media, you want to make the best first impression that you can. Make it simple to contact you. Include easy to find links to your website, email address, phone number and blog if you have one.   Use a strong cover photo or graphic to support your message. Tailor your URL (internet address) to reflect your business name. This will help people to find you and improve your Search Engine Optimization (direct internet contacts). Add “like” and “follow” buttons to your website and other marketing materials so readers can connect easily with your social media and follow your progress. Social Media is interactive. It changes every day. Every minute.   When you commit to a social media strategy, you also have to commit to keeping your content fresh and engaging for your audience. Learn about your social media followers by looking at analytic features such as Facebook Insights to understand who is liking you, when they are online with your pages, etc. Identify text, photos and videos that put your best foot forward with the people you are reaching, and include those materials in your social media messages. There are several tools available to measure your performance on social media.   www.google.com/alerts is a free, versatile tool that lets you know every time your brand or keywords appear on online forums, new sites and blogs.   www.hootsuite.com provides weekly social media analytics reports and also offers publishing and engagement features. If you have not yet brought your company into the world of social media, there is no time like the present to get started. Use the above tips to begin and let us know if you need a little help.

August, 2016 – SPE (Society of Plastics Engineers) has selected the agency S!Y Communications of Byfield, MA to assist them in the development of their 75th anniversary campaign. The RFP was sent out in June to 8 agencies with a request for a proposal to be accompanied by a 30 second video submission. “We received some excellent submissions but the creativity and passion that showed in the work submitted by S!Y Communications made them a clear choice to partner with,” said Russ Broome, Managing Director of the SPE. “We are excited about the direction and growth of our organization. Working with Andrea Siy and her team will help us achieve our goals for this momentous 75th anniversary year and beyond.” About SPE The objective of the Society is to promote the scientific and engineering knowledge relating to plastics. SPE is the largest, most well-known plastics professional society in the world. We are the professional “home” for nearly 20,000 plastics professionals around the globe. For more than 70 years, we’ve been the “go to” technical information, training, networking, and knowledge-sharing source for plastics professionals who want to advance in their knowledge and their careers. About S!Y Communications, Inc. The company was founded in 2003 by Andrea Siy, whose passion for her work is reflected in every project. Andrea has over 25 years experience in the marketing communications field, working in both agency and corporate environments. She has been a part of the plastics industry since the early 90’s working for injection molding and extrusion related companies. The agency specializes in clients within the plastics industry and includes a hands-on team of talented print and web designers. They combine strategic thinking and proven marketing techniques with a fresh, innovative and creative style. The agency offers a full range of marketing services that include: corporate branding and logos, brochures, websites, print and on-line advertising campaigns, video production, public relations campaigns, e-mail blast development, social media, trade shows and special events. The agency partners with their clients to develop integrated marketing solutions that set them apart in the competitive marketplace. She and her team are professional, reliable and consistently produce creative solutions that are on strategy, on time and on budget.

Latest News! August 3, 2016 Andrea Siy, Founder and President of S!Y Communications, said today that she has added Al Cotton to the agency’s growing team.   He will provide additional technical, promotional and speech writing capabilities to Siy’s business, commercial and non-profit clients.    “I look forward to providing our clients with Al’s many years of experience in all types of business writing,” she said. “His involvement and knowledge of the plastics industry will particularly be beneficial to our many clients within that industry.” Al recently retired after 20 years as Director of Communications for Nypro A Jabil Company.   Previously he had been Communications Director for Norton Company and owned a regional publishing company in Central Massachusetts.   He has written hundreds of speeches and thousands of business and technical articles, news releases and business presentations.   He holds a bachelors’ degree from Dartmouth College and a master’s from the Boston University School of Communications. Other members of the S!Y Communications team include two designers, two web developers, a videographer and the ever-loyal UPS greeter “Eddie – the yellow lab”.

You have news – share it! When you plan your Marketing Communications program, consider including a Public Relations (PR) component. The most common form of PR is press releases.   Press releases are easy to prepare and can gain you thousands of readers in magazines and newspapers and millions of viewers on online media.   The only cost is the time to write your story, identify the editors who would be interested in it and send it!  The press folks call this “earned media” – free coverage that you earn through the power of your information. It is not advertising that you pay for. Press releases can be written by your Marketing Agency, in-house or by free-lance writers.   If you have a new product, a new application, new people, an expansion plan or particularly a meaningful customer story, you have the makings of a press release. The media is looking for news. As you plan your press release, remember that your first reader will be the editor who receives your news.   So what you are writing is a news release that is aimed at the editor. You want the editor to find it interesting enough to print it or place it online.   Public Relations people know this as the “Two-Step Theory of Communications.” If the editor does not like your release, you never will reach your intended readers. To make your press release work harder, add to it materials that will help the editor to write the final story.   Photos and charts always are welcome. If you have a company website that explains your company, include a link to it in your press release. If your industry has trade websites or technical websites that explain your business, put those links in also.   The more complete the information that you send, the more likely that your press release will be picked up. There is no more economical way to create a dialogue with your audience than through PR.   Developing a relationship with editors in your industry or your community will help you to reach customers and other supporters who can help your business grow. If you need help developing and/or sending your press releases out please contact us!