Compelling content marketing starts with a strong understanding of what your visitors are curious about AND how your organization can provide value through information. In other words, find out what our audiences are asking and find out who has the answer.
At first, it was just Search Engine Optimization (SEO) as we started to understand the factors needed to increase visibility on the Google search results pages, and if we were lucky, the first page at least. But now, we face another hurdle — App Store Optimization. (more…)
Starmark was honored with three WebAwards this year by the Web Marketing Association (WMA) for development of new websites for three clients. Operating under the guiding principle that excellence deserves recognition, the WMA awards organizations and individuals every year for development of various websites for organizations and the government.
Because of Starmark’s previous higher education marketing experience as well as its proven ability to penetrate the millennial generation, the agency was selected to assist Nova Southeastern University (NSU), based in Fort Lauderdale, in developing a new website from scratch that would not only be the single voice for the university’s newly launched MD college of allopathic medicine program but serve as a qualified lead-generating machine that would attract and distill enough applicants who would achieve success in their innovative new program.
The new program grants students the rare opportunity to experience a new model of teaching and practicing medicine that aligns more closely with today’s real-world health issues and tomorrow’s opportunities so Starmark facilitated in-depth target user experience testing to drive recommendations for site structure, organization and layout; a mobile-first, cutting-edge design to appeal to the target; and concise, yet compelling copy that differentiates the program.
In fall 2017, the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau (GFLCVB) wanted to transition from a printed Vacation Planner to a digital-only platform that would meet their business objectives through one dedicated resource. This enhanced version had to be the best-in-class representation that would not only serve as a planning tool but the in-market go-to source for a diverse target audience, including upscale millennials.
Starmark conducted vigorous in-market user-experience testing that resulted in many enhancements including customer-centric options for dining, shopping and entertainment with short and compelling copy that would ensure easy navigation and facilitate translation into six languages. To enhance the experience even more, in lieu of traditional ad placement, advertisers were solicited to share visually-striking imagery, engaging videos and editorial content that would appeal to visitors.
The results: significant website traffic increase and print cost savings; marketing flexibility to update guide year-round; new efficient and inviting mobile experience.
“View on mobile sites is very clean. Easy to navigate. Desktop view is very well laid out – Good use of visual for each main topic. Facebook and Instagram feed well done.”
Azul Beach Resorts, a family of four high-end Caribbean destinations under the Karisma Hotels & Resorts brand umbrella, struggled with lack of identity due to the fact that its only online presence was commingled with nine other Karisma luxury hotel families. Clearly differentiation was the key to the company’s success.
Once again, Starmark facilitated user testing throughout each stage of design and development offering up compelling imagery with engaging copy that highlighted the unique character of each location: Azul Beach Resorts Riviera Maya, The Fives Playa del Carmen, Sensatori Mexico and Sensatori Jamaica.
Of course, mobile-first design was deployed in an effort to drive conversion and finally, the team fine tuned SEO, social and email strategies.
The results: www.azulbeachresorts.com now tells the Azul story in a modern, engaging way, motivating consumers to browse and plan all in one place. Website visitors praised the exclusive, special feel; beauty of the imagery; and “focus on family fun” that everyone can enjoy together and separately.
And here’s what one WebAward judge had to say, “View on mobile sites is very clean. Easy to navigate. Desktop view is very well laid out – Good use of visual for each main topic. Facebook and Instagram feed well done.”
Reprinted from South Florida Business Journal. Updated 3/14/19.
At its annual developers conclave last June, Apple, in partnership with animation company Pixar, announced a new, standardized 3D file format called Universal Scene Description File (USDZ) — making it as easy to share 3D experiences across multiple channels as it is to share a JPEG today.
How Do You Distill Success Down To A Science? You Become Agile
Agile is much bigger than a single “process” or “approach”. It’s a holistic, science-based methodology that helps people problem-solve, work, manage projects and communicate more successfully. Agile has been around for many years in other industries, primarily software development. Recently other industries are beginning to leverage the benefits of Agile too, which means an all new audience is getting up to speed on this better methodology.
Starmark implemented Agile company-wide in 2015, and with that, introduced Agile to many of our clients too. We immediately saw the need to created some cheat sheets to “welcome” people to a new way of working.
Now discover the proven science behind it; why it’s so different from (and better than) traditional management styles and five core truths about how we all work that can dramatically accelerate your success. It’s all in our Welcome To Agile Marketing Overview Cheat Sheet.
But wait…there’s more!
This is just the first in a series of four sheets we ended up creating, to get a copy of the others, please contact us!
Welcome to Agile Marketing: Overview
Welcome to Agile Marketing: Roadmaps
Welcome to Agile Marketing: Sprints
Welcome to Agile Marketing: Weekly Status
Ever wonder how companies such as Amazon and Netflix predict what products and shows you’re likely to view or purchase next? The key to this magical mind-reading talent is the marketing science discipline called Predictive Analytics! (more…)
“The Benny Award is one of the most coveted in the printing industry,”
The Starmark team and Solo Printing recently earned two 2018 Premier Print Benny Awards from the Printing Industries of America (PIA). The Karisma Hotels & Resorts Connoisseur Collection brochure was ranked “Best of Category” in both the “Booklet or Brochure Series” and “Media Kits” groupings.
(more…)
SEO strategists are always on the hunt for the next new feature, tool or influential factor to increase organic search, which inherently drives higher SERP placements.
Since its infancy, SEO strategies have incorporated ways to “cheat the system” to leverage higher placements from hiding text behind the background of the website to keyword-stuffing, it has always been about finding loopholes. (more…)
The Starmark team earned a record eight 2018 Communicator Awards for work spanning Digital, Marketing Effectiveness; Video; Integrated Campaign; and Design & Print categories. (more…)
A worldwide leader in digital workspace, networking and security, and analytics technologies, Citrix is trusted by more than 100 million users across 400,000 organizations, including 98% of the Fortune 500. In this instance, Citrix put their trust in Starmark to help them relaunch their Citrix Workspace™ product and showcase its exciting new intelligence capability in a competitive market.
Citrix needed an entire suite of marketing materials for prospecting and follow-up, including digital banner ads, paid social ads, emails, an infographic, an ebook and a video.
We needed to effectively communicate Citrix Workplace’s interruption-minimizing capabilities to an audience of IT-savvy decision-makers. Our creative approach emphasized the key benefit of these features — an improved employee experience, which boosts engagement and productivity.
Our target audience consisted of the decision-makers in an organization’s IT department, from those who give the approvals to those in the trenches every day solving end users’ problems. To understand their pain points, we studied audience personas and conducted research to concept the big idea that would resonate with IT professionals:
Our clients at Citrix agreed that this theme captured that Citrix Workspace is enabling IT directors to provide a great employee experience. It is this digital transformation that will empower a workforce transformation.
Citrix Workspace with intelligence is a big solution with multifaceted features, so we needed to tell this complex story efficiently. To capture attention and get clicks with digital ads, the Starmark creative team piqued the target’s interest visually and verbally, encouraging prospects to click the ad and request the ebook or infographic.
We utilized images that would demonstrate the emotional payoff to working within a Citrix Workspace environment. Because Citrix Workspace is a cloud-based platform, we didn’t need to show workers at their desks. In fact, a benefit of Citrix’s solution is that it makes seamless remote working possible. We also made the concept accessible and concrete by showing satisfied people paired with graphic representations of the Citrix Workspace features that made this success possible.
An ebook is a slick tool for lead generation and for moving prospects deeper into the marketing funnel toward conversion. Starmark created an informative 10-page ebook — “The modern digital workspace is here for you: Citrix Workspace™” — which we loaded with evergreen information, third-party research and validation, as well as an explanation of the features and benefits of using this solution.
Featuring vibrant graphics and concise, data-driven copy, an infographic is a valuable marketing asset. And for prospects too busy to read the ebook, an infographic offers an easy alternative to the TL;DR (too long; didn’t read) ebook version.
In creating “How IT Can Empower Employees to Do Their Best Work,” we chose to use an eye-catching set of graphics from the Citrix brand toolkit. We knew our IT audience appreciates industry sources and quantitative data. So we prioritized third-party data about loss of productivity due to context switching, interruptions and complexity, as well as the flip side; how employee productivity improves when those sources of friction disappear. We then brought it home with an outline of the Citrix Workspace features that power a modern digital workspace.
To reinforce the ebook and infographic, Starmark created a two-minute video embodying the idea that the next big move toward better employee engagement and empowerment will come from the IT department. “Understanding How People Want to Work: Citrix Workspace” sets up the problem — these are challenging times for an IT leader — and delivers the solution — Citrix Workspace improves the employee experience by organizing, guiding and automating work.
We employed footage of the way people work today, onsite and offsite. The video brings in some of the proof points from the infographic and ebook. We also included a brief demo to engage viewers with a look at the interface and select features which are as familiar and user-friendly as the phone in their hand.
This was a great opportunity to create a B2B campaign based on a powerful customer insight. – Brett Circe, Chief Digital Officer
The turnaround time was short, but the outcome was huge. In just two months, the Starmark team was able to produce a multi-piece marketing toolkit that the Citrix sales team could use across the U.S. and translate for their international markets.
Starmark developed a new incentive package called “Hello Savings” for the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau. Since business-meeting bookings between August and December were typically slower, the package strategically offered U.S.-based meeting planners up to $10,000 in the form of cash-back rebates, along with extra hotel perks, when they booked eligible 2017-2018 dates. The campaign successfully resulted in 19 meeting bookings closed, adding $7 million in additional revenue impact.
The video promoted the area’s unique meeting venues, including its 300 miles of scenic waterways. The “Hello Savings” theme was a clever nod to the destination’s successful and well-established “Hello Sunny” brand positioning, while the overall campaign components effectively supported print, digital, social and trade show marketing channels.
The campaign directed users to a landing page that discussed the offers in more detail to seal the deal.
The Connoisseur Collection by Karisma Hotels & Resorts was designed to far surpass the sophisticated expectations of upscale travelers. It is comprised of their most luxurious accommodations, with an exceptional level of service to match.