Josh Sommers

If you’ve walked through any type of trade show, you know that if someone is going to get your attention, his booth must either dazzle your senses or really have something specific you need. Most of the time, companies are selling products or services that consumers don’t necessarily know they need. When preparing to promote … Continue reading “How to create an awesome trade-show presentation”

What are the boundaries of your business? Is your business limited by geographic boundaries? Do you direct your company’s sales efforts toward only a few industries or markets? Who would think a Middletown company known for professional garment cleaning would send a van every day to places as far north as Roscoe or some 50 … Continue reading “Look beyond boundaries”

When choosing one company over another to engage in some type of purchase or service, you will likely weigh the potential vendor’s substance, qualifications, reputation and ability to provide the right product at a fair value. But sometimes the best companies make the costly mistake of not creating compelling presentations and proposals to help their … Continue reading “Use professional pizazz to promote your business”

There’s no doubt about it. The days of a GM and Chrysler dealer in every major town are over. The elimination of 1,000 GM and 789 Chrysler dealerships over the past week is just the beginning, as many more cuts are expected. There are lots of good reasons why moving quickly to change the business … Continue reading “Auto-dealer group crafts instructive p.r. campaign”

Since starting this column in March, I’ve spent a lot of time promoting the virtues of third-party credentialing by attaining news-story placements in the media. But for most businesses, earned media alone is not enough. When developing paid advertising campaigns, the use of testimonials also brings desirable third-party credibility to your marketing messages. Any business … Continue reading “Customers’ testimonials good tool for credibility”

Last summer, I took my wife and two daughters to Disney World to celebrate the July Fourth holiday. Yes, I was crazy enough to brave the almost 100 degree weather with kids that were just 3 and 1 years old. It’s was a lot different since I last saw Mickey and Donald as a kid. … Continue reading “With training, staff can be your best marketers”

I receive almost a hundred event-sponsorship invitations a year from not-for-profit organizations asking my firm to sponsor everything from galas to golf tournaments. I’m sure this sounds familiar to most company heads and business owners. Sponsorship levels include placements like golf-course tee sponsorships, journal ads, special listings on invitations and even big-ticket opportunities costing up … Continue reading “Be smart with resources when sponsoring events”

There were merits to the New York Regional Interconnect project recently abandoned by its sponsors. It was the first serious project put forth since the blackout of 2003 to prevent one from happening again. It was a blackout that crippled New York City, the Hudson Valley, and the Northeast and left 55 million people without … Continue reading “Enlist grass-roots support early”

Focus Media, Inc., a prominent Hudson Valley-based public relations and marketing firm, has been named advertising and public relations agency of record of both Catskill Regional Medical Center (CRMC) and Catlin Gardens. Catskill Regional Medical Center, located in Harris, N.Y., contracted Focus Media to redesign its website late last year. The recently launched website contains … Continue reading “Catskill Regional Medical Center and Catlin Gardens Each Select Focus Media”

So if you’re selling popsicles in a snow storm, nobody is going to want to buy any. Right now, in the midst of a recession blizzard, consumers have turned a cold shoulder to buying new cars. It’s no big secret. American consumers are mostly afraid of taking on new car payments and then losing their … Continue reading “GM ads seek to soothe public’s fear of buying”

You are interested in doing business with a local company. So you check out their website. This company’s website design was clearly a creation from the late 1990’s, looks amateurish and is so generic you can’t tell what services the company actually provides or if the owner is in China. Game over. It is a … Continue reading “Give everyone reasons to return to your site”

Effective networking is a critical tool in a marketing program, particularly for companies focused on business-to-business sales. The most effective business people understand that if you don’t put yourself out into circulation to meet lots of people, your odds of connecting with opportunities are slim. Smart business promoters make it a point to shake plenty … Continue reading “To meet the right folks, choose the right groups”

In a world where consumers have almost unlimited options for products and services, leveraging the power of consistent communication with your customer database will strengthen your client relationships and drive revenue. Whether you have 100 or 100,000 past, present and prospective customers, managing their contact information with a database is a valuable tool. Moreover, consistently … Continue reading “Customer database key selling method”

When working with clients on message development and creating advertising that cuts through the clutter, I always advise that the message needs to be relevant. This ad for Goldstein, Lieberman and Company, a new client and prominent Mahwah, N.J.-based accounting firm, connects the dots between the decisions a business must make and the sound direction … Continue reading “Accounting firm ad relevant for times”

While marketing each unique industry requires a custom approach, a thoughtful marketing plan combining paid advertising elements and public relations is a powerful combination. While most companies deploy some type of paid advertising campaign, many organizations make the mistake of not working to attain earned media through third-party news media placements. A solid public relations … Continue reading “Third-party messages build trust, credibility”

As this recession brings big impacts to most sectors of the economy, business owners continue to hear the steady drum beat of marketers and salespeople telling them “this is the worst time to cut back on advertising.” While this advice is sound, businesses in today’s environment need to significantly sharpen their media buying process in … Continue reading “Make your media buys by the numbers, not gut”

I’m proud to announce starting Monday, March 9, my new weekly column “Focus On Marketing” will start in the Times Herald-Record (https://www.recordonline.com/), a top 10 newspaper in New York State serving the Mid-Hudson Valley and Catskills. Columns will also be published on this blog. I plan to share my ideas with businesses looking to market … Continue reading “New Times Herald-Record column starts Monday!”

I tell all my PR and marketing clients: double down on advertising in a bad economy to bring in new business and show the market place your confidence and relevance! Today 6,000 glossy, magazine-style Focus Media newsletters (In Focus) hit targeted businesses across the Hudson Valley. This sledgehammer ad is a page of the newsletter, … Continue reading “Taking my own advice”