March 2014 - Clarke, Inc.

Catalog sales, an important marketing channel to any
retail business, have been around a long time. According
to searsarchives.com, the first Sears, Roebuck and
Company catalog shipped out in 1893. Richard Sears,
regarded as the marketing genius of his time, saw a need
and filled it. A combination of the Homestead Act of 1862
and railroad expansion lead to a mass migration headed
for new opportunities out West. Those pioneers needed a
way to access merchandise not available in new frontier towns, and Sears needed a
way to reach them.
Now, creativity in online catalogs is limited only by one’s imagination. Today’s busy
shoppers’ schedules don’t permit time to travel from store to store trying to find products
and comparing prices. It’s like standing in line to deposit a paycheck at the bank, and
most people haven’t done that for years. Online shopping gives buyers the opportunity to
learn as much about the product as possible before making a purchasing decision. With
an iPad™ catalogue app, window shopping is done in a matter of minutes, from the
comfort of one’s home.
However, if an online catalog is nothing more than an electronic page turner, it won’t
hold visitors’ attention. Incorporating some key features in an online catalog app
creates a pleasurable shopping experience:
• Search tools are big on everyone’s list. Nothing is more frustrating to a shopper than
paging and scrolling through a catalogue app trying to find what he or she is looking for.
• A 360-degree product view provides a more detailed look at a product, its
features and is the next best thing to holding and touching it.
Read more of this article at http://goo.gl/aGrhba
Find this and more great posts like it on our Blog. Simply browse on over to
BeBetterDoMore.com/Blog
Other Clarke Inc. Blog Highlights:
• Top Uses of Variable Data for Direct Mail Marketing
• What Graphic Designers Need to Know about Production – And You Should Too
• 5 Reasons why a 3d Logo Maker is a Bad Idea
Still Not Enough?
We’re always adding new resources onto our website to help you Be Better, Do More. To get
these free resources head over to BeBetterDoMore.com and click on the Resources button.
Check out what we’ve added lately:
• Need a Website? What to Do First.
• How to Check a Proof
• How to Choose a Marketing Media
Services Provider
• How to Make a Logo Universally
Compatible
• How to Make Mobile Friendly
Marketing
PRSRT STD
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
LYNCHBURG, VA
PERMIT NO. 869
P r i n t | W e b | Ta b l e t
OFFICIAL
MARKETING
Clarke Inc.
PO Box 10936
Lynchburg, VA 24506
In Case You Missed It
Top Features to Consider
When Producing an Online Catalog App
Issue #314
Client Highlight
The Lynchburg VA franchise of the national automobile
dealer JD Byrider had a problem they wanted to turn into
an opportunity. The owner, Charles Crumpler, knew that
traditional marketing using newspapers, TV and radio worked, but he felt that he
was missing opportunities in the digital world of marketing. The local franchise had
a website, but it was linked to the corporate site. Charles did not think kindly about
paying to advertise a website that could send prospects to other JD Byrider franchises.
Charles asked Clarke, Inc. to create a solution by designing three custom websites,
including mobile capability, for each of his franchises. These new websites would
result in prospects going directly to his franchises’ sales staff. Best of all, Charles’
marketing funds expenditure would result in sales for him, not other franchise owners.
Clarke, Inc. created the custom websites using in house developed code. This
code allowed Clarke, Inc. to design mobile optimized sites, as opposed to mobile
compatible sites. The difference being mobile optimized sites will display properly on
any mobile screen size.
But this solved only part of the problem. Now Charles had three great mobile
websites directing prospects to his franchises, but how were these prospects going to
find these sites? Answer: search engine optimization (SEO).
Partnering with another vendor Clarke, Inc. developed a plan to improve each of
the site’s Google ranking using key words, as well as internal and external website
enhancements. Five keywords were researched and strategically placed in each
website’s text. More importantly, external links to social sites, and back links using
unique content creation on a regular basis from outside sources, help drive up the
Google rankings.
The result is increased web traffic visiting the franchises and monthly reports
measuring the ROI of each site. The local JD Byrider franchises now can track the
results of their website’s visits and the marketing funds are only spent to support
Charles’ franchises.
In This Issue:
•Client Highlight: JD Byrider
•In Case You Missed It
•Demystifying the Cloud
•Unwind Time
Victor’s Corner
Hello from the gang at Clarke, Inc.! Did you realize that in
just the past few years the sales and marketing world has
been turned on its head? No longer does the sales person
hold the power. The customer now holds all the cards. By
researching your company and its products on the web
the majority of your customers are 60% down the buying
path. They don’t need a visit from your sales person, they
need valuable and useful information. You need to market your marketing.
And that’s how we plan to help you with this newsletter.
But, it’s not all serious stuff. We have included some “unwind time” with links
to movies, sports and apps in a poster format. Take this newsletter and stick it
to us on your office wall or bulletin board. We would appreciate it.
To grab all of our great marketing ideas go to www.bebetterdomore.com and
sign up for our blog posts, freebies and eBooks. You’re welcome!
Victor Clarke
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Phone: 434-847-5561
P.O. Box 10936, Lynchburg, VA 24506
www.beBETTERdoMORE.com
Unwind Time!
Sports:
• March 18th
NCAA Men’s Division I
Basketball Tournament/March
Madness Starts
• March 31st
Major League Baseball’s
Opening Day
• April 7th
NCAA Men’s Division I
Basketball Championship
Movies:
The Amzing
Spiderman 2
May 2nd
Things will change when
a new villain emerges.
Rating: PG-13
Captain America:
The Winter Soldier
April 4th
When patriots become
heroes. Rating: PG-13
Apps:
Pushpic
iOS (Coming Soon
to Android)
Pushpic is a location
based photo and videosharing network that
revolutionizes the way
you communicate locally.
Free.
Happy Heart
Fill ‘Er Up!
iPad
Happy Heart: Fill’er
Up! is a unique story
that takes the young
reader on a quest to
find lasting joy and
peace. $2.99
• April 9th
The US Masters Begins
• April 15th
Jackie Robinson Day
• April 21st
Boston Marathon
• May 3rd
Kentucky Derby
Need for Speed
March 14th
The Rivalry Begins.
Rating: PG-13
Grace of Monaco
May 14th
As the newly minted
Princess of Monaco,
former actress Grace
Kelly (Nicole Kidman)
proves herself against
all odds by leading her
adopted country in its
struggle against France when it tries to take
over Monaco. Rating: PG-13
Fun Town for Kids
iOS and Android
Fun Town for Kids is an
app for young children
with a city theme. Explore
fourteen mini-games
found in store fronts and
other areas that line this
busy street. $1.99
Another Case Solved
iOS and Android
ecome a private
B
detective solving crimes
in a city that has
outlawed all sugary
sweets. Free.