Last month, I joined a sampling of the New Hampshire Tourism industry at the Annual Governor’s Conference on Tourism in anticipation as the new tourism brand for New Hampshire was released to the public.

As a former full-time tourism professional and brand manager, I am keenly aware of the process to rebrand and entire region, the factors to consider and the potential vulnerabilities if the brand doesn’t match how locals and visitors view the area.

Now over a year in the making, from research through strategy and creative, the new brand had potential for a big positive impact – or big flop – depending on the immediate industry reaction.

As the brand was being rolled out, it was very clear from concept thru creation, the *new* State of New Hampshire Brand, “Live Free and….” was a homerun.  Here are a few key factors that any business or brand can model after when going through a rebrand to achieve a homerun of their own.

1. Community Buy-in is apparent.

Buy-in from the key stakeholders, from small businesses through major corporations, is absolutely imperative.  Your stakeholders are the people who are going to sell the brand – it makes it much easier for them when it is something they believe in.  Involve them in the process early on, listen to opinions and continue to reach out to your stakeholders at each touch point within the branding process.

2. It is very clearly “New Hampshire.”

Your brand should be about you and exclusively you.  In research it was discovered that, New Hampshire’s former brand “You’re going to love it here” could be applied to almost anything.  By utilizing the State Motto “Live Free or Die” in an updated, fresh and innovative way, the State was able to make a brand that is clearly, 100% New Hampshire.

3.The brand can be used to promote every corner of the state.

Brands should be capable of promoting the whole package.  New Hampshire has the unique “issue” of promoting oceans, mountains, cities, quaint towns, vast wilderness and everything in between.  The new branded logo touches on everything and when combined with the appropriate treatment, effectively promotes every market.

4. The research is there to support it.

All brands should be backed by up-to-date research. Research was conducted on the New Hampshire brand for over a year.  Essentially, everything that New Hampshire could be known for, from skiing to tax-free shopping, was rated by stakeholders and multiple target markets.  Research also included other states, to identify competitive advantages.  The result was a thorough and all-inclusive picture of how vacationers view New Hampshire so that the State could not only build its new brand, but target its marketing plan and advertising strategies.

5. There is room for growth.

Brands should always be flexible and capable of adjusting to the movement within your company – otherwise, you’ll spend all your time going through a rebranding process.  The New Hampshire brand is timeless.  It is relatable to every sector within the industry from kayaking to tax-free shopping.

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“Improv Asylum is excited to be launching its new website with SilverTech.  Their team spent a lot of time working with us to hone in on our specific and unique needs.  Our home page is more engaging for our customers and the CMS enables us to set up department heads so they can work on their own pages.” -Stacey Princi, Director of Operations

Improv Asylum (http://www.improvasylum.com) is a unique comedy theater, located in the heart of Boston’s North End, that features improvisation and sketch comedy.  As an ‘asylum’ for main stage shows like “Siri, Can you Title Our Show for Us?” IA is a staple of Boston’s nightlife.

When IA first met SilverTech, its website was old and tired and did not showcase the wonderful shows and talent that are presented.  SilverTech worked with IA to determine the cool look and features and ensure that it is vibrant, informative and easy to use.  It was important to the team that the photos, videos and imagery truly help to portray the hilarity that ensues on Improv’s stage.

Besides improv shows, IA offers unique corporate training, hilarious customized corporate shows and a student training center.  The new website puts all of IA’s offerings ‘up front and center stage,’ including integration with social media.

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“We think our new site at ncic.org is outstanding.  It is attractive, functional and informative!  Everybody at SilverTech was attentive to our desires and got the job done.  Great job.”

-Jon Freeman, President NCIC

Northern Community Investment Corporation (NCIC) is a non-profit organization that works to address economic challenges in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont and Northern New Hampshire.  Its focus is to build partnerships throughout the region to develop creative and effective solutions for individuals, businesses and communities.  NCIC’s lending and economic development professionals work to ensure the region continues to recover and build a strong business climate.

SilverTech was the winner in a competitive-bid process for the NCIC website project.

NCIC had several goals in the creation of their new website:

• Updated look and feel with vibrant photos and bold imagery
• Showcase the numerous successful business and industry partnerships NCIC has been able to help through their programs
• Improve usability and navigation

SilverTech met and interviewed the employees at NCIC to understand the organization and how to effectively showcase all of the extensive projects and programs to their potential audiences.  SilverTech worked with NCIC to develop a contemporary design that spoke to all users, ensuring that homepage real estate was attributed to NCIC’s goals for program promotions.

The end result is a comprehensive, attractive and mobile-friendly website that will serve as a resource for individuals in the NCIC region to reference and utilize the organization’s innovative programs.

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So, it’s time to redo your website OR design a social strategy that builds in the social elements of your company — or both.  To ensure you get the best product at the best price, you pull in a selection of vendors to deliver their best presentation and “pitch.”  They’ll talk about their process, previous work and their awesome team – then almost always – about the use of best practices.  As the client, this is exactly the information you want to know to make an informed decision.

Or is it?

Truthishly? A best practice is only good until the moment the ‘best practice’ fails to perform and a new best practice is created.

The “best practices” for the battlefield of the late 1600’s when linear tactics were developed to spread soldiers out, replacing the best practice of square blocks in tight formations. Arsenic was once valued for its ability to give an attractive pale skin tone. Mercury was taken to prolong life.

At best, your industry’s best practices set you up to be a close follower. At worst, your industry’s best practices could ultimately prove to be self-destructive.

Best practices sneak up all the time in website development, design, SEO and the broader scope of digital marketing.  Remember when websites were a single page and optimized for Netscape?  Or when Yahoo! and AOL was the search engine of choice (aka “The World before Google”).

Technology gets better, but best practices often lag behind.

It’s true that in most cases, sticking to ‘best practices’ greatly reduces risk in the boardroom, but intelligently and creatively breaking the mold is what separates a safe success from the kind of success that truly builds a brand (and a career.) The most notable campaigns, from Blendtec’s ‘Will it Blend,’ series to Intel’s classic ‘Intel Inside’ launched their respective brands by intelligently saying goodbye to ‘the norm.’

Some move’s flop. Circuit City’s DIVX bucked the norm, but wasn’t the most well thought-out move for the technological limitations at the time. (Editorial Note:  I can’t help but see a little DIVX in broadband-based on-demand services from Netflix to Comcast. Sometimes, the technology, or adoption of the technology, isn’t there to back the big idea –yet.)

Infomercials, our own marketing history geek, Marc, would be quick to point out, may be one of the most successful examples of a brave company fighting best practices, only to become the new framework for successful sales ‘as seen on TV.’ (Learn a little more about his love of Infomercials and their lessons for marketing.)

Digital marketing allows for a phenomenal amount of creative license in the blending of technology and vision with the predominate nature of connected devices in the homes, hands and pockets of your customers. When your company is at that unique crossroads involving a website redesign or digital strategy, is that really the time to aim for “best practices?” Shouldn’t you always aim for bigger, better and more the potential to be much more profitable?

The best practices in your industry have been built on the hard-learned mistakes of those who jumped blindly, those who had the after-sight to see missed opportunities in action, and the success of those who made a measured next step. When you’re ready for your next step, we’re here to help.

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“When you visit silverstatecu.com, you see intuitive navigation, an updated look-and-feel with clean lines and bold colors! The design of the website maintains a professional image with a creative edge, portraying the friendly, personal touch that members enjoy at Silver State Schools Credit Union. We couldn’t be more thrilled!” - Blake Boyer, SSSCU Director of Marketing Read the rest of this entry »

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Born on the boardwalks and perfectly honed to help uncover your brand’s true value, the art of the ‘pitchman’ balances levity, information and clear invitations to become a customer in a method so strong that we all once felt like the Snuggie was a good idea. (It totally is). The secrets of great pitchmen like Ron Popeil, Jack Lalane and Billy Mays weren’t (just) spectacular product but powerful *new* thinking about marketing those products. Read the rest of this entry »

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Mom and Dad, Thank You

On a recent flight back to Boston, I began to think about what makes our agency, SilverTech, run. Sure, you can argue there are a number of things that make our agency tick – our talented team, our dedicated clients, our award winning work, our top-notch benefits and yes, even our historical landmark building.

But, is that truly what keeps us all going? Read the rest of this entry »

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I know what you’re thinking. Another social media website that I need to list my destination on so we can compete for likes, retweets, views and participants in hangouts. Well, yes. Pinterest is like that for tourism, except, so much better.

For those destinations that haven’t had a chance to delve into the inner workings of a Pinterest account, here is a quick introduction to how it works.

Each user has an account, which is can be signed into through Facebook or Twitter (convenient, I know). The account then can automatically populate your friends/followers from those applications that are already on Pinterest, and then, of course, send invitations to those that aren’t. The rest is very simple: search, create a board and pin. Read the rest of this entry »

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As a matter of creed, nearly everything we as digital marketers do is highly measurable with clear ties to return on investment. Because of this digital marketers have a reputation and expectation to track everything. But, could the best uses of new media be too traditional to track effectively? Read the rest of this entry »

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Great, another Pinterest blog post. Another post talking about how Pinterest is the new up and coming social platform du jour and how companies are heralding the simple visual brand extension to make their images ‘sticky’ like the instafilm sticker cameras of ‘yore.’

For the uninitiated, Pinterest users categorize your interests into boards populated with ‘pins’ of images found from around the internet. Others can vote it up and follow or like it boosting the board and growing the group of that interest. If you have an interest in ‘Ski Gear,’ and share your favorites from various online stores, others can re-pin and increase the position of the content by essentially ‘voting it up.’ Additionally, all of your Pinterest posts can be shared on to Facebook and Twitter. Read the rest of this entry »

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Here is the scenario: You’re part of a visitor destination as a Chamber of Commerce, business, Destination Marketing Organization or State office. You have a website that is designed to showcase your destination as the place to spend a vacation. It has “something for everyone,” “unique businesses,” and plenty of “outdoor recreation” to make even the most avid enthusiast satisfied.

Sounds familiar, right? Well, it should. With the latest economic downturn, cities and towns from all over the United States needed to diversify their local economies. The low-hanging fruit? Tourism. Visitors come, they spend and they leave – the perfect equation for stretched municipal budgets and small business owners’ pockets. Read the rest of this entry »

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Boston, MA (PRWEB) January 25, 2012 ’47 Brand is proud to announce it has selected SilverTech, Inc. to provide design, development and commerce solutions to the company’s on-line presence at 47brand.com.

“Our web presence is a major part of our brand strategy and our goal was to select a partner that understood and shared in our culture and goals. SilverTech proved to be the right match for our current and future needs,” said David D’Angelo, vice president and second generation company co-owner. “We will create a truly unique b to c and b to b experience. We are a boutique brand and we want our website to evoke that look and feel,” said D’Angelo. Read the rest of this entry »

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When Listing Online, It’s Tag It Right or Pay Up

When the Federal Trade Commission passed ‘The Textile and Wool Act,’ it was cause for most retailers to change how they display product online – and not everybody has updated yet. The act states that most textile and wool products display a label listing fiber content, manufacturer identity and country of origin. We know that you can look at your shirt, pants, jacket and even underwear to see where those tighty-whities were made, but brands also have to indicate country of origin online. Here is an excerpt from the act:

When a textile or wool product is advertised in a catalog or other mail order promotional material, either printed or disseminated on the Internet, the description must include a clear and conspicuous statement that the item was either “made in U.S.A.,” “imported,” or “made in U.S.A. and [or] imported.” Of course, catalog information about origin must be consistent with the information on the label. (See p.22 for more information about origin disclosures in catalogs.)

Read the rest of this entry »

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“Success is not built on success. It’s built on failure. It’s built on frustration.” – Sumner Redstone

How the heck did we get to the end of the year already?  It seems like just yesterday we were working on Q3 and Q4 plans.  But, here we are, with less than 15 days left of 2011.

It seems right to take a moment to reflect on some of the common frustrations we’ve heard from marketers in 2011, to direct you to some great tips from this past year’s most popular blog posts in hopes to help you overcome some of these challenges in 2012. Read the rest of this entry »

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Smart Phones and Connected Consumers

Jolly Old St. Nicholas, lean your ear this way.  Or, lend me your iPhone.  Either will do.

Holiday shopping can be the most stressful time of the year – for Santa’s “elves” (aka Macys, Target, Best Buy and Main Street) as well as the patrons desperately searching for the best deal on Let’s Rock Elmo.  However, the perception is that when consumers add smartphones into the mix, the scales tip in their favor, leaving the stores the task of merrily matching their competitors’ prices. Read the rest of this entry »

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Inbound links matter. A lot.

In a correlative study analyzing searches for over 10,000 keywords, it was found that inbound links account for over 40% of the weighting factor on search engine ranking. To put the gravity of inbound links into perspective, on-page and on-site keyword use barely accounts for 25%.

Now, before you jump on the careening ‘buy-links-bandwagon,’ remember this marketing geek’s search rule-of-thumb- The harder it is to get, the more it matters to great ranking. Read the rest of this entry »

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Search Engine Insights – Relevancy Edition

In this on-demand webinar, you’ll discover the on and off page signals essential for search engines to rank your website’s relevancy. Learn what it takes to earn better ranking without tricks, and the dangers and pitfalls of unsavory SEO tactics.

Though this is an on-demand presentation, we invite you to ask questions in the comments below, via SilverTech on Facebook or to SilverTech on Twitter.

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Google+ is counting on a surge of brands to bring our followers into their platform just as we did with Twitter and Facebook. A sort of amalgamation of Twitter’s brief public sharing and Facebook’s rich media, Google+ offers brands interesting sharing and listening opportunities.

In 15 minutes and only five steps, your brand can have a page on Google+. Read the rest of this entry »

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Digital marketing forensics just keeps on getting better. A recent addition to the Google Analytics tool kit that exemplifies this improvement is Multi-Channel Funnels. With Multi-Channel Funnels you can now measure the effectiveness of each digital channel (and even off-line channels to some extent) that you use to reach audiences and drive them to conversion.

Conversions are (obviously) a wonderful thing. Like the high scoring star player on a soccer team they tend to be the focus of attention, while the other players who helped move the ball down the field often go un-noticed. Just like in sports there are often other players, or sources, that assist in achieving that coveted moment of conversion in digital marketing. Read the rest of this entry »

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Manchester, NH – Digital marketing agency SilverTech announced new and recurring clients who have signed to begin or extend relationships with the agency over the summer season. These clients include major brand and organizations in utilities, finance, home improvement, higher education, medical and non-profit.

Among the agency’s new or continued client relationships are:

• The Jimmy Fund / Dana Farber Cancer Institute
• Pepco, A Utilities Company Serving Mid-Atlantic Region
• Silver State Schools Credit Union, Nevada
• Midland Memorial Hospital, Texas
• Harvard Affiliated Joslin Diabetes Center, Massachusetts
• Norfolk Hardware, New England Kitchen and Bath Sales, Designer and Installations
• Catholic Medical Center, New Hampshire
• Loon Mountain Resort, New Hampshire
• SkiNH.com and Cross Country SkiNH
• New Hampshire Grand
• New England College

“We are fortunate to have the ability to continually bring in respected brands while continuing to serve the clients you already have,” said SilverTech Founder, Nick Soggu, “especially where some of our clients have been with us for nearly a decade.”

SilverTech was recently listed among Inc. Magazine’s fastest growing companies for the fourth consecutive year.

The full-service digital marketing agency serves brands with services and consultation to include in marketing strategy, web design and development, social media, email marketing, search engine marketing and online branding.

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My decision to leave one of the largest, most prestigious agencies in the world was the hardest choice I’ve made in my career. The decision came with much anxiety and even some guilt. Like this article, it was based on my personal experiences with a big agency and the pleasing culture change of a smaller agency. Now settled into my new (smaller) agency home at SilverTech, I can honestly say that I feel it was worth the move -and here is why. Read the rest of this entry »

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For many marketers, ‘like’ and ‘fan’ are interchangeable, but when Facebook dropped the ‘Fan’ moniker for the more enigmatic ‘Like,’ connections between brands and fans likers (?) earned an “it’s complicated” relationship status.

With less than half (42%) of Facebook users interpreting ‘Like’ as fandom for brands and 58% expecting exclusive access to content and deals, the otherwise approving ‘thumbs-up’ reads more like a subscription than a cheer. Read the rest of this entry »

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Visit SilverTech at Booth #100 for Raffles, Roundtables and More.

On Tuesday, October 4^th, SilverTech strategists will be hosting roundtables on three critical and current digital marketing topics.  All are free and will provide attendees with tips, ideas and success stories that you can use in your own digital marketing plans.  Space is limited to 25 per roundtable so follow the instructions below to register right away to reserve your spot!

‘Like’ This Roundtable – Social Media for Direct Marketers

Tuesday October 4^th, Exhibit Hall (Meet at Booth #100)  11:30am – Noon

In this roundtable session we will discuss how, as highly targeted messaging platforms relying on relevance and audience size, social media and direct marketing have more in common than many would think.

• Can social media be used to augment direct marketing, or is it an unnecessary distraction?
• Can social media success be tracked in direct marketing terms?
• Can social media be more direct than traditional direct marketing?

To register for ‘Like’ This Roundtable – Social Media for Direct Marketers:

Go to http://dma1.eventbrite.com or email Erik Strout at erik.strout@silvertech.com

Small Changes for Big Results – Conversion Optimization

Tuesday October 4^th, Exhibit Hall (Meet at Booth #100)   3:00 – 4:00 p.m.

What can just a 1% improvement in conversion rate mean for the online landing page of your next marketing campaign? In this session, we will discuss the small changes in usability and design that can lead to big results.  Plus, we will discuss best ways to do online multivariate and a/b testing.
Attendees will walk away with a conversion guide that SilverTech digital strategists have put together.

To register for Small Changes for Big Results – Conversion Optimization:

Go to http://dma2.eventbrite.com or email Erik Strout at erik.strout@silvertech.com

Digital Marketing Trends – Are You Keeping Up?

Tuesday October 4^th, Exhibit Hall (Meet at Booth #100)   4:30 – 5:00 p.m.

Join us in this roundtable discussion to learn about current digital marketing trends and which ones:

• Should be watched or monitored closely for the future
• Should be part of your current marketing mix
• Won’t stick around for long so don’t spend too much time on them

We’ll discuss ideas and success stories that will help get you started on future digital marketing plans.

To register for Digital Marketing Trends – Are You Keeping Up?:

Go to http://dma3.eventbrite.com or email Erik Strout at erik.strout@silvertech.com

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MANCHESTER,  NH – 25 August 2011 – SilverTech, a national digital marketing agency, announced that the company was named to the 2011 Inc. 5000 list, ranking amongst the fastest growing companies in America for the fourth consecutive year.

“This award signifies the transformation and growth of our agency,” comments SilverTech Founder and President Nick Soggu, “our team has grown, our services more advanced and our clients more diverse.”

This year, SilverTech continued partnerships with clients such as Life is Good®, American Water, and Polartec®, while signing new clients such as Markem Imaje, Mimoco, Midland Memorial Hospital and the Joslin Diabetes Center.

The 2011 Inc. 5000 serves as a report card on the U.S. economy. SilverTech continues to rank among the fastest growing advertising and marketing companies.

About SilverTech Inc.

SilverTech, Inc. is a national digital marketing agency based in New England that expertly solves online marketing, technology, operations, commerce, and communication challenges for businesses by creating value-driven web, digital and data-powered solutions. Services such as online strategy, information architecture, website design & development, e-commerce, multimedia graphics & animation, search engine optimization, digital marketing, performance analysis, web application development and content management solutions are designed or customized to fit exact business requirements.

SilverTech clients include Life is Good®, American Water, Dr. Hauschka Skin Care, Le Gourmet Chef, Polartec®, Rita’s Ice,  and Pizza Fusion, among many others. For more information go to www.silvertech.com or contact SilverTech at pr@silvertech.com.

About Inc. Magazine

Founded in 1979 and acquired in 2005 by Mansueto Ventures LLC, Inc. (www.inc.com) is the only major business magazine dedicated exclusively to owners and managers of growing private companies that delivers real solutions for today’s innovative company builders. With a total paid circulation of 710,106, Inc. provides hands-on tools and market-tested strategies for managing people, finances, sales, marketing, and technology. Visit us online at www.inc.com

SilverTech Media Inquiries: Contact Marc Frechette, Marketing Communications Specialist, SilverTech, Inc. pr@silvertech.com 603-669-6600 x 28

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Discussing the return on investment, or ROI, from digital marketing efforts is an essential and challenging aspect of my role as a Business Development Executive. The ability to demonstrate ROI for most marketing activities can been a challenge. The advantage of digital marketing, unlike a radio spot or an ad in the Sunday paper, is that the tracking and measurement capability can be embedded in the digital media itself. Read the rest of this entry »

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