(Jupiter/Miami Beach, FL) – The results are in! The Zoom IQ2 2011 Business Marketing Survey is complete! After surveying businesses in the South Florida region, Zoom IQ2 has published some of the findings and they are very telling about how and where small and large businesses are spending marketing dollars. Further data indicates a clear trend in migration of not only budget allocations, but also media used and satisfaction levels with campaign results. The campaign was executed via an online survey tool with 17 total questions.

Objective
To determine what methods of advertising, public relations and brand-building efforts are planned by South Florida businesses in 2011.

Goal
To uncover trends in migration from traditional marketing to new mediums for traffic generation, sales and general marketing (i.e. print/broadcast to social media/online advertising).

Pertinent findings

• 78% of businesses surveyed created marketing/advertising plans in 2010. However, 91% of the same businesses surveyed created a plan in 2011.
• 26% of respondents indicated budgets would increase by greater than 10% in 2011, while 41% indicated budgets would remain the same as 2010 and only 13% decreased by 25% or less.
• Not surprisingly, the largest percentage increases in planned media allocation were all online – banner ads/bulk placement, social media and email.
• Interestingly enough, though, it appears that print, broadcast, outdoor and direct mail remained steady.
• Most popular reasons for budget increases: 20% indicated business has improved and 28% believe migration to online marketing has greater benefit to the bottom line.
• 17% of respondents who decreased budgets believe better results can be achieved at a lower cost with online media vs. traditional media; 20% indicated the largest targeted decrease is print (newspapers, trade pubs, magazines).
• The top 3 vehicles expected to generate the best ROI in 2011 are social media (35%), email marketing (33%) and website (28%).
• 52% of respondents indicated the 2011 marketing/advertising plan was created in-house, but 52% also rated satisfaction levels less than satisfied.

While the findings suggest a clear trend of migration to new/online media, traditional media appears to have remained steady. In general, budgets have remained steady as well and confidence in the rapidly changing online media landscape continues to grow.

Zoom IQ2 wishes to thank the sponsors/partners of this survey – SRA Research Group, The Colony Hotel Palm Beach, Talay Thai on PGA, The South Florida Science Museum and The Museum of Discovery and Science.

For more information regarding this survey and results, please contact:

Jon Lappin
Vice President, Marketing & Client Services
Zoom IQ2 Advertising/PR/E-Commerce
1935 Commerce Lane, Suite 3, Jupiter, FL 33458
940 Lincoln Road, Ste. 204, Miami Beach, FL 33139
561-308-4834
305-604-0006
jon@zoomiq2.com
www.zoomiq2.com

Zoom IQ2 provides a variety of marketing and communications services including: strategic marketing and media plans; concept development, design and production of traditional and online advertising and collateral materials; media research and buying services; web site design and development; social media marketing; grant writing; photography and video production for the web; and public relations.

With offices in Jupiter and Miami Beach, Zoom IQ2 works with clients in a number of industries including: entertainment/sports/gaming, health care, real estate, banking, retail, and travel. Members of the firm have over 60 years combined experience in advertising and public relations.

Gary New Designs hired Zoom IQ2 to assist the commercial floral design business with a name change including consulting on a new name, development of a logo and branding campaign, web site redesign, and print advertising materials. The company, now Botanical Bliss, is located in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

Jupiter based healthcare diagnostics and products company NouJour, LLC (www.noujour.com) has hired Zoom IQ2 to provide public relations and other marketing services to introduce and market its groundbreaking stem cell products for use in dermatological and cosmetic procedures. NouJour will provide training to medical professionals who offer these products to their patients, and Zoom IQ2 will help market those training seminars as well.

Sleek Surgical & MedSpa (www.sleekmedspa.com) has seven locations including four in the Boston area, one in New York City and two in Florida.  Zoom IQ2 has been hired to redesign the company’s branding materials, consult on positioning, and provide a retail planogram for each of the retail stores.

Shauna Kranendonk, MD, (www.kranendonkderm.com) hired Zoom IQ2 to provide branding and advertising services for her growing Palm Beach Gardens practice that is now Coastal Dermatology Cosmetic, Laser & Surgery Center. Zoom IQ2 designed a new logo and provides ongoing creative advertising support.

Studio Imports (www.studioimports.com) designs and manufactures women’s handbags for distribution through TJ Maxx, Stein Mart and other discount stores.  The Hollywood, Florida firm has hired Zoom IQ2 to re-brand its Braciano label and introduce a second new brand targeting specialty retail stores.

“It seems as though the economy is strengthening,” said Zoom IQ2 Principal Nancy Sloane.  “We’ve suddenly seen an upswing in new business and feel very good about the renewed demand for our services just in the last few months.”

With offices in Miami Beach and Jupiter, Florida, Zoom IQ2 provides a variety of marketing services including: strategic marketing and media plans; concept development and production of traditional and online advertising; graphic design and copy writing for collateral and e-publishing materials; media research and buying services; web site design and development; and public relations services. Zoom IQ2 works with clients in a number of industries including: real estate and construction, banking, manufacturing, entertainment/sports/gaming, healthcare, retail, education, travel and hospitality.

Members of the firm have more than 50 years combined experience in advertising and public relations. Clients include Liberty Coach, Florida East Coast Realty, Tina Fanjul & Associates Real Estate, Komen South Florida Race for the Cure, and Lynn University.

For more information, go to www.zoomiq2.com, or call (561) 841-5212.

Principal Rick Tuckerman manages the Miami office. The agency has a second office in Jupiter, Florida in the northern part of Palm Beach County that is run by Principal Nancy Sloane.

For more information contact Rick Tuckerman, (305) 604-0006, or rick@zoomiq2.com.

“The possibilities are limitless,” said Principal Nancy Sloane. “Once we’ve designed and created the digital file for a collateral piece, we then take static pdf files and turn them into rich interactive digital content for the web,” she explained, and are very excited about the marketing potential of these new products.”

With the addition of this new service, Zoom IQ2 is fully capable of turning its creative content for brochures, newsletters, books, manuals, catalogs, menus, magazines, portfolios or any other print material into fully interactive digital publications.

“The clear advantage for our clients is that these publications are an exact replica of the original material along with interactivity, zoom, print, search, hot links to other web sites, and page flipping for traditional reading rather than scrolling,” said Ms. Sloane. “Additionally, pdf pages can be slow to download and too often do not give a true representation of the original work since formatting must be altered and fonts are often not supported.”

By plugging into Google analytics, with the upload of each digital publication, the firm can also provide a host of useful data including who is viewing the publication, which pages are of interest to them, how many times they view them, which links are clicked through, and much more, which helps evaluate content for future publications and also helps with search engine optimization.

The other clear advantage of digital publishing is its inherent eco-friendly nature and low cost. By eliminating the need for printing and postage, clients save thousands of dollars on each issue.

“Not only does it support today’s mindset for finding greener ways of conducting business, but it also makes good fiscal sense to go this route,” said Ms. Sloane. “We are thrilled to be able to offer this very cost-effective way of communicating beautiful content instantly to our clients’ customers.”

With its earliest roots in journalism and a 20-year award-winning creative history, Zoom IQ2 is well-equipped to provide the necessary content including conceptual design, layout, copy writing, illustration, photography and even the sale of advertising space for all digital publications. The firm also offers digital publishing to clients who may prefer to develop their own content in-house.

A 20+ year old full service advertising / marketing / public relations firm with offices in Miami Beach and Jupiter, Florida, Zoom IQ2 serves the marketing needs of clients in a variety of industries including: health care, real estate, travel and hospitality, sports / entertainment and more. For additional information about Zoom IQ2 go to http://zoomiq2.com/zoomIQ2-flipbook/, email nancy@zoomiq2.com, or call 561-841-5212.

The survey, created with the oversight of SRA Research Group (www.sra-researchgroup.com) of Jupiter, FL, seeks to uncover trends in migration from traditional strategic marketing plans to new mediums for traffic generation, sales and general marketing (i.e. print/broadcast to social media/online advertising).

“Given the trends we have seen in how businesses are spending their budgets over the past couple of years, we feel it is important to be able to provide insight into what new vehicles are working for businesses and what challenges marketing professionals are encountering with navigating the new media landscape. The results of the survey will not only provide valuable, actionable data for businesses, but will also enable agencies to meet the needs of clients with a clear understanding of how to best allocate resources”, said Lappin.

The survey will be disseminated to approximately 2500 South Florida business professionals via email and LinkedIn and executed using www.zoomerang.com, an online survey tool for tabulation. Subsequent to closing February 23rd, the results will be tabulated and reported via the Zoom IQ2 website (www.zoomiq2.com), LinkedIn, LinkedLocal Palm Beach and a formal press release.

Mark Sandler, VP of Sales/Client Services with SRA Research Group, says, “While we all believe we are on the cutting edge of social media, online advertising and new millennium marketing techniques, the truth is that the tools we are migrating to are evolving every day.” Given a better understanding of how businesses are utilizing the technology and new internet-oriented vehicles to grow, Zoom IQ2 believes we can all benefit from the experiences South Florida businesses can share.

As an incentive to respondents, those wishing to complete the survey and voluntarily provide their contact information will be automatically entered to win one of the following items, which have been generously provided by sponsor-partners:

· South Florida Science Museum – (4) passes
· The Colony Hotel Palm Beach – (2) pairs tickets to a performances at The Royal Room Cabaret
· Thalay Thai on PGA – (2) $25 gift cards
· Museum of Discovery and Science – (2) IMAX passes and (2) exhibit passes
· The Palm Beach Pops – (2) tickets to A Tribute to Billy Joel featuring Michael Cavanaugh
· Sunfest – (2) one day passes

With offices in both Palm Beach and Miami Beach, Zoom IQ2 provides integrated solutions for and assistance with mastering today’s business-building options in online and offline media, creative, PR and strategic planning.

SRA Research Group is a full-service market research firm representing clients in a wide variety of industries in North America, the Caribbean, and Latin America. Their tested, team approach and use of proven methodologies enable businesses to define their market, create practical solutions, and stay connected to their customers.

Contact: Jon Lappin, VP Marketing & Client Services
jon@zoomiq2.com

Mr. Lappin brings nearly two decades of experience as both an agency owner as well as an executive on the client side. The former owner of an 80-client full service advertising / design / e-commerce firm in New York and marketing executive with two multi-national companies, Mr. Lappin returned to South Florida seven years ago to become executive director of the Palm Beach Pops where he led a team of 11 managers and approximately 100 independent contractors. Mr. Lappin directed the marketing / branding and fundraising effort including strategic planning for the company’s advertising, programming, public relations, strategic alliances, event management and outreach programs, and was instrumental in securing the company’s largest grant in their history.

Mr. Lappin later joined the SPCA Wildlife Care Center in Ft. Lauderdale as CEO where he revived the existing brand, increased revenue exponentially, significantly reduced the operating deficit and formulated the now complete merger with The Humane Society of The United States.

“We are very excited to have Jon as part of our team,” said Nancy Sloane, a principal with Zoom IQ2. “Jon has a proven track record for delivering superior results locally and nationally. His bottom line driven approach to strategic planning, expertise on both the agency and client-sides and for profit and nonprofit experience will be valued assets to our clients as well as our own marketing effort.”

Zoom IQ2 provides a variety of marketing and communications services including: strategic marketing and media plans; concept development, design and production of traditional and online advertising and collateral materials; media research and buying services; web site design and development; social media marketing; grant writing; photography and video production for the web; and public relations.

With offices in Jupiter and Miami Beach, Zoom IQ2 works with clients in a number of industries including: entertainment/sports/gaming, health care, real estate, banking, retail, and travel. Members of the firm have over 60 years combined experience in advertising and public relations with such clients as Liberty Coach, Gulfstream Park Racing & Casino, Florida East Coast Realty, The Delray Beach International Tennis Championships, Tina Fanjul & Associates Real Estate, Komen South Florida Race for the Cure, and Lynn University.

For further information, please contact Nancy Sloane at (561) 841-5212 or pr@zoomiq2.com.

What is branding? It is the perception of who we are and what we offer. Notice I used the word “perception”. I use this because the truth is really only a matter of what we see and believe it to be. And it is different for each of us. We cannot control how someone else sees us because they see through the lens of their own experiences. But we can do our best to communicate our truth, our perception of how we see ourselves.

The establishment and development of a brand is as necessary to your business as it is to your personal identity. Professional appearance is not some standard packaging that wraps everyone in a coat and tie. To be competitive, we must stand out. Decide who you are and then communicate it clearly. You will not be for everyone, but you will be a perfect fit for some. And the goal is to help those who are, find you.

Without establishing and clarifying who you are, whether through words or pictures or both, it is difficult to identify exactly why you might be a good fit for a potential client or customer. These embellishments may seem superfluous, but they do convey a message and can create confidence in our ability to get the job done right for them. Sometimes all we have is a few seconds for someone to decide whether or not to buy from us.

Imagine going into a store to buy a pair of shoes and everything is strewn across the floor haphazardly. Would you be able to get past the disarray in order to spot the perfect pair? More likely, you would turn and walk out of the store before ever even looking through the inventory. Let’s face it, visual cues can make us feel good or uncomfortable. If we feel good, if we like what we see and there is a connection, we are more likely to investigate further and make a purchase.

This past weekend I had a visit from an old college boyfriend who I hadn’t seen in 30 years when I was an art student and liked long-haired hippie boys. When he showed up at my door I was glad to see him at first, but once we settled into a conversation, I felt a bit uncomfortable. I knew it was more than just the years. He was the same kind, fun, smart guy I knew before, but clearly his foo-man-chu mustache and stringy hair were getting in the way of a current connection. What was once interesting and attractive, now just felt shabby and out-of-date. As much as I wanted to believe that his appearance shouldn’t matter, it did. We were different and those differences made me uncomfortable. I couldn’t wait for him to leave.

Physical appearance is an instantaneous way of communicating whether positively or negatively, and we brand ourselves every day by the way we present ourselves. We move through the world unconsciously looking for connections, and in fact mirror each other looking for bits of ourselves in the people we meet. When we relate, when we share beliefs, we form a bond and beautiful things can occur. These connections are communicated in our personal brand and are a necessary part of the relationships we form, whether in business or in our personal lives.

So how do you determine the right communicators for you? Here are a few of the questions to ask when you are trying to come up with a logo and tag line:

1) Are you traditional or contemporary?
2) Casual or buttoned up?
3) What is your company’s mission statement?
4) What are your qualifications?
5) What is your USP (unique selling proposition)?
6) What colors resonate with you?
7) Do you prefer sans serif or serif fonts?
8) What do you want people to know about you that they might not?

So when you think about your marketing, be sure to include a logo and tag line in the development of your brand. Without it, you might leave people wondering, uncertain, confused about how you can meet their needs.

Posted by Nancy Sloane, principal with Zoom IQ2. For more information about branding contact her at nancy@zoomiq2.com.

As advertising, creative and communications innovators, we help people who may be confused by the changing media landscape create compelling campaigns that produce measurable results.  Lately, as we sift through the posts and questions on LinkedIn, blogs and other networking sites, we hear more and more conjecture about how can we increase traffic, drill down further in our target markets and increase revenue – all with smaller budgets.

Here are some things to look for.  Feel free to add yours, too.

• Try a new creative/marketing/online firm for a project.  Most will work on a small project pro bono to show you what they can do.  A lot of firms are hungry for new business and the ones that aren’t will be weeded out quickly.  Smaller firms with lower overhead still have powerhouse talent and great ideas.  Like a hugely successful campaign I created years ago for a small, yet very successful client, ‘big things come in small packages’.
• Want to jump on the social media bandwagon?  The onslaught of social media options flashing before your eyes can be overwhelming.  Just trying social media can be dangerous.  If you’re going to launch a fan page, YouTube channel or other social media strategy, you’ve got to commit.  Starting a fan page and driving traffic is an undertaking that requires consistent contact, meaningful content and the stamina to ensure your ‘followers’ are characterized by quality, not quantity.
• Online advertising can be a very efficient means of reaching the target.  Reaching the right demographic with appropriate frequency remains one of the most effective means of delivering your message and driving traffic.  Nearly every time I log on to my Facebook page, the same attorney’s ad appears for drunk driving charges in the county I live in.  Broadcast, outdoor, direct mail, etc. could never deliver such precise targets – and it could render immediate electronic contact (immediate gratification and CTR) while traditional media typically lags.  However, it is still important to have a full complement of media to ensure effective reach throughout the day (i.e. in the car on the way to work, online at work, online leisure, watching the news at night, reading the paper, etc.).
• Two of my favorite words – reach and frequency.  Try finding an account rep that will truly give you a reach and frequency report for the life of your campaign.  We have found that selling rarely incorporates these pillars of advertising success in today’s DMA’s.  I volunteered for a nonprofit recently to help with their ad buying.  We approached 3 broadcast reps and required the reach and frequency reports from each with their proposal.  None provided it.  One didn’t even know what it was.  In the end, we never received it from any of the three.  The magic number to truly reach your target and manage recall is a frequency of 3.  How many prospects did you reach at least 3 times in your last campaign?
• It’s your job (the client) to close.  As professionals, it is our job to deliver traffic.  But, it’s the client’s job to close the sale.  It’s their product, their store, their service, their expertise.  Check your sales.  Did your campaign deliver traffic, but not revenue?  You might have a training issue, operational deficiency, capacity constraint or other malfunction that may not have been the fault of your marketing plan.

In essence, it may be time for a change.  Look at your plan.  Look at diversifying your strategy across the changing landscape of media available today.  Evaluate how well you handled the traffic internally.  Did a couple of sales slip by?  Of course it depends upon your product/service and where and how you advertise or brand, but is your creative firm, consultant or in-house department really on top of it?  Or, is it just a job, what you’re used to doing or simply the account rep’s special of the week?

Posted by Jonathan Lappin, Vice President Marketing & Client Services for Zoom IQ2. For more information please contact him at jon@zoomiq2.com.

(Jupiter, FL) – Palm Beach County’s daily newspaper, The Palm Beach Post, featured Zoom IQ2 client Liberty Coach in the July 6, 2010 edition on page 4B of the Business section. The article is also available on the Post’s website at http://www.palmbeachpost.com/money/first-class-travel-in-coach-786876.html.

Full-service advertising and communications firm Zoom IQ2 had been submitting press releases and working with editors at The Palm Beach Post for several months when the magazine announced an interest in doing a full business feature story, said the agency’s principal, Nancy Sloane.

“Liberty Coach is a very unique family owned manufacturing company and clearly the Post understood this,” said Ms. Sloane who manages the agency’s Palm Beach County office in Jupiter. “They have a very loyal following of luxury motor coach enthusiasts who love the outdoor lifestyle and enjoy traveling. The company was started over 40 years ago when the family decided to refurbish a retired greyhound bus. They are passionate about what they do and that comes across in the end product as well as in their loyal following.”

With offices in Miami Beach and Jupiter, Florida, Zoom IQ2 provides a variety of marketing services including: strategic marketing and media plans; concept development and production of traditional and online advertising; graphic design and copy writing for collateral materials; media research and buying services; web site design and development; and public relations. Zoom IQ2 works with clients in a number of industries including: real estate and construction, banking, entertainment/sports/gaming, healthcare, retail, hospitality, and more.

Members of the firm have more than 40 years combined experience in advertising and public relations. In addition to Liberty Coach, the firm’s other clients have included Gulfstream Park Racing & Casino, Florida East Coast Realty, The Delray Beach International Tennis Championships, Tina Fanjul & Associates Real Estate, Komen South Florida Race for the Cure, MD Beauty Labs, and Lynn University.

For more information, please contact Nancy Sloane at (561) 841-5212 or nancy@zoomiq2.com.

(Miami Beach, FL) – South Florida creative marketing firm Zoom IQ2 has completed and launched web sites for Nexus Design Group (www.nexusdesigngroup.com), a Florida architectural firm with clients in Korea and throughout the state of Florida, and Chase A+EP (www.ChaseDisputeResolution.com), a Florida mediation / arbitration company that also offers expert witness testimony in construction claims and other legal matters.

The completely customized Nexus Design site includes Flash animation images from the company’s portfolio which showcases the diversity of projects they have produced. A separate portfolio slide show offers a number of photographs from each of these projects as well as many others. Nexus has designed everything from high-end contemporary residential structures to sophisticated multi-story commercial office complexes.

The Chase A+EP site was built in WordPress, an open source content management system, enabling the client to easily navigate and make content changes on their own. A former COO and president of the international architectural firm, Hillier Architects, David Chase heads Chase A+EP and has an extensive educational background and certifications in 19 states.

With offices in Miami Beach and Jupiter, Florida, Zoom IQ2 provides clients with strategic marketing plans; graphic design and copy writing for collateral materials; concept development and production of traditional and online advertising; media planning and buying services; web site design and development; community outreach and public relations services.

Principal and Creative Director Rick Tuckerman started the firm more than 20 years ago after serving as Vice President of Marketing for Flagler Federal Savings and Loan for eight years. The financial institution became his first client. Members of the firm have worked with a number of other financial institutions including: Northern Trust Bank, Cypress Trust Company, Bay Savings Bank, and J.I. Kislak, in addition to such clients as Gulfstream Park Racing & Casino, Florida East Coast Realty, The Delray Beach International Tennis Championships, Tina Fanjul & Associates Real Estate, Komen South Florida Race for the Cure, Lynn University, and Liberty Coach.

To inquire about Zoom IQ2’s advertising, marketing and communications services, please contact Nancy Sloane at (561) 841-5212 or go to www.zoomiq2.com.