Beyond Big Marketing» Small business advertising

Who says your business can’t compete with the big guys? This Chicago marketing agency says you can!

Mark Cramer — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 16:41:52 +0000

Beyond Big Marketing launched www.theartofeyes.com today. If you are considering cosmetic surgery, or surgery specific to your eyes, Dr. Cohen is one of the best eye surgeons you can find.

Dr. Cohen is also a surgeon with vision. Beyond Big Marketing met with Adam in August to discuss marketing and branding strategies. After creating a strategic brand and marketing plan and reviewing their website checklist, we created the logo, brochures, letterhead, business cards, a website and a mobile website.

Reach out and touch someone.

This is an example of a wonderful client with great focus and trust. This is also an example of an innovative business partnership that drives a fully integrated marketing and social media strategy to its fruition.

The added value to the customer was the entire cost of this marketing campaign was less than what you might expect for a simple logo design from one of those big marketing agencies.

Please visit the site. We’d love to get your feedback.

It is not illegal to have an entertaining website

Mark Cramer — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 14:42:39 +0000

As a marketing agency in Chicago, we work for all sorts of clients. The main goal is to make them profitable. But it’s OK to have some fun along the way.Bouse House is in the portable toilet business. There I said it. If you live in the Cape, Islands and Southern Massachusetts you already know of them. They are smart clients and are in a competitive area.

The products are not complicated to understand. You see, you go, you move on. What’s interesting about these are that they are usually at some of the most fun places you can imagine; Weddings, Concerts, Marathons, anywhere you want to go. So Beyond Big Marketing decided to brand “Portable Toilets in Massachusetts” As Bouse Houses. Kind of like the Klennex of Facial tissue.

Will there be Bus signage and billboards for Bouse Houses? Who Knows? But if you are in the cape and the urge strikes you. You might want to say. “Keep your eyes open for a Bouse House.”

If you are looking for a creative marketing agency in Chicago, You might want to say. “Keep your eyes open for Beyond Big Marketing.”

Old School social media works wonders today.

Mark Cramer — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 02:18:06 +0000

Social media isn’t new, we’ve just forgotten just how effective it can be. Here’s an example my Wife shared with me.

Grandma’s Direct Mail Program

Throughout the 1960′s and into the 70′s, my dear grandparents owned and operated a resort on a small, quiet lake in northern Minnesota. Grandma and Grampa were thirty-six miles from the nearest town, and only came into town once a week to stock up on groceries and resort supplies such as fishing bait and licenses, pop and candy bars.

The name of their rustic establishment in the middle of nowhere was the Frontier Resort, and they kept seven cabins full of guests from mid-May until Labor Day weekend every summer for nearly twenty years. Surprisingly enough, nearly one third of their returning guests were from the Chicago area, 616 miles from the Frontier.

How did people eleven hours away find this quaint wilderness sanctuary where walleyes would practically jump into your boat, and sunfish were plentiful for the kids?

Here’s Grandma’s secret to success: handwritten responses to the leads she got from the local Chamber of Commerce.

Every week she would receive in the mail a list of possible guests – people who had contacted the Chamber of Commerce and had specified what they were looking for in a vacation stay near Bemidji. She would sit down immediately and qualify her leads with either a big X over the lead or numbering down the side of the page all of the potentially good prospects.

Then together we would stuff envelopes with her brochure and a short note – a personal invitation to visit the Frontier Resort on beautiful Balm Lake. She could have typed the addresses on the envelopes – they had a really fine Underwood and that would have looked pretty slick and professional. But with her perfect old school handwriting, she would carefully address the envelopes. And I’d lick and stick the stamps.

It was a different time. A time for good penmanship, personal notes and invitations. Her weekly direct mailings would be approximately twenty letters to people who had never been to her resort, but who had simply expressed an interest in her geographic region.

I would say that her response rate was incredibly high – she’d answer her phone with “Good afternoon. Frontier Resort.” always assuming that if her phone rang (on a party line, by the way!), somebody must want to make a reservation. She was usually correct in that assumption!

Marketing success is still measured by reservations booked, sales closed, leads converted, or profits maximized with expenses minimized. But Grandma’s success was based on her passion to make a resort vacation a personal, one-of-a-kind experience for her guests. She always made it a memorable one, starting with the initial contact, the invitation to the Frontier.

What’s your marketing passion? Contact Beyond Big Marketing and find out how to build your brand, one customer at a time.

(All photos ripped from Google images. Thanks!)

Beyond Big Marketing launches a new website for Griffith Airport

Mark Cramer — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 17:19:15 +0000

This Indiana airport is keeping our Chicago-based marketing agency on our toes. This is the third website we’ve created for them in the last six months and it makes navigating around Griffith airport easier than ever. Based on strategies from Google’s wdyl beta site, everything you need to find is at your fingertips. Get directions to the airport, search airport weather, destination weather, flight status, airport news and additional airport services. It’s easy and fun to use. If you are into customer satisfaction 2.0 contact Beyond Big Marketing and let us make your customers happy too. What’s next … look for the first dual website launch from Beyond Big Marketing next week. We will be launching a traditional website plus a unique mobile website for one of our newest clients. If you only have one of these, who are you missing?

Spoiler Alert!!!!!!! Griffith Airport Now has a Mobile version of their web site. check out this …

What do you love?

This Chicago Marketing Agency launches a great new website for a Wisconsin Bike Rental Company.

Mark Cramer — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 19:18:02 +0000

Take a look at www.zuzupedals.com.

Can you Zu Zu?

ZuZu Pedals is a great website for a great new company in Port Washington. Ride along the lake front on a cool rented cruiser or stop in for a yoga class or a cool t-shirt. But make sure to stop in for sure!

This small business web site features eCommerce, scheduling and an easy to change content interface. And it didn’t break the bank. This website design has everything you need to start up a new business or grow an existing one. Brick and mortar or exclusively online, Beyond Big Marketing will help your business succeed in Chicago and beyond.

Chicago marketing agency is teaming up with Chicago Photographer to offer marketing packages to small and medium sized local businesses

Mark Cramer — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 15:01:27 +0000

Image is everything

Why is this Chicago marketing agency and Chicago photographer offering marketing packages to small and medium sized local businesses?

There is a greater need to promote a professional and quality image online now more than ever before.

Beyond Big Marketing and Bart Harris Photography have bundled a unique marketing package that is an ideal “Phase I” package. Our small business solution package handles your startup marketing, branding and photography needs.

Bart Harris Photography (773) 975- 0070

Beyond Big Marketing (312) 437-4332

This Chicago Marketing Company knows where your Phone Advertising dollars are going

Mark Cramer — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 13:42:55 +0000

Quick ... Where's your phone book ... It's your phone!

It breaks my heart when I see small and medium sized Chicago businesses using expensive outdated media to grow their business. Take a look at the innovative social media and online marketing options that Beyond Big Marketing has to offer. You don’t need to outspend your competition. You just need to outsmart them. Contact Mark Cramer at 312-437-4332 for a FREE marketing consultation.

BBP launches a social media blog for Onsite Sanitation

Mark Cramer — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 00:46:52 +0000

We launched an events blog for one of our customers, On Site Sanitation.

Looking for Fun Stuff in Minnesota?

The blog is designed to reach out customers looking for special events in Minnesota. The strategy is to drive traffic to our customer’s customers site. we are excited to help our customers help their customers. The events portal for On Site Sanitation gives them a decided edge when it comes to helping differentiate their services from their competitors. Plus this optimized site will help Minnesota residents stay on top of events in their area. It’s a win, win!”

Are you looking for creative social media strategies that don’t cost an arm and a leg?

Why don’t you try Big Black Pencil?

Famous Chicago Marketing Agency Quotes!

Mark Cramer — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 19:50:13 +0000

“Your project will be done ahead of schedule.” “We can put you on the first page on Google.” “We understand your target audience.” Promises are great but when you receive the price Quote,

Chicago Marketing Genius

you don’t want to be surprised and disappointed.

It is not always your marketing agency’s fault. Beyond Big Marketing is a Chicago marketing agency that will ask you the right questions before we develop a marketing plan for your small to medium Chicago-based business. We don’t want to waste your time or money.

For your marketing campaigns to be successful we need to understand your target audience and we need to know your budget, Once we have this information we will reach that target demographic with a compelling message, at the right price. You can quote us on that.

Use the 5 phases of listening to make your customers happy

Mark Cramer — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:07:01 +0000

Your customers are your lifeblood. A happy customer is a repeat customer. Are you taking the time to listen to what they say? Barriers to listening can be a lack of focus or as I like to call multitasking.

I am also sometimes guilty of reading emails while listening to phone messages or worse yet, during a phone conversation. This almost always results in a long pause in the conversation and then me apologizing for not listening and that is insulting.

Actual verbal communication is becoming so rare lately that I am going to make a vow to drop everything I am doing to listen and not just hear what my customers are saying. You should schedule a more appropriate time to meet if I don’t have time to properly execute the five phases of listening.
1.    Receiving
2.    Understanding
3.    Remembering
4.    Evaluating
5.    Responding

Finally sometimes I am guilty of premature judgment. I believe that I know what someone is going to say after the first few words and stop listening and try to prepare an appropriate answer. This is a habit that is difficult to break.

Communication breaks down when you don’t even take the time to listen to what others are saying. If I take the time to actually listen and summarize the information when responding everyone in the discussion will be able to see that I: understand the message, am keeping an open mind and that my questions reflect my understanding of the speaker’s meaning.

If you are looking for a marketing company that will listen and not just hear you … contact us.