Strategic Media’s Target Market
National advertisers seeking profitable direct response call-to-action radio campaigns. That’s a pretty narrow target, now the where to find and how to engage these companies and individuals was at the crux of the program.

Objective
Room 214’s objective was to use search visibility to effectively position Strategic Media as the de-facto industry expert in radio advertising. Room 214 worked with Strategic Media to implement a successful programs based on two main driving philosophies:

1. Search Engines are Media
2. Markets are Conversations

If there is not a true online destination for radio advertisers, it became apparent that we would need to look at markets and conversations that play on the periphery of radio advertising and engage the conversation from that angle. Increasing leads and sales was always a key factor, but tracking the lead conversion online was another issue. Because most leads come from the website, we set up a specific trackable 800 number on the website to monitor leads. In addition the sales cycle for this highly sophisticated service is lengthy. Typically, Strategic Media’s prospects have already dedicated an advertising budget for the current year and are researching alternatives for future ad expenditures. Because of this, tracking visits to the contact page as well as the number of articles downloaded.

Strategy/Approach
Our client agreed that by developing unique content and syndicating that content through blogs, article marketing and optimized press releases, we could effectively and dramatically improve organic rankings and showcase the company’s expertise. Starting with keyword research and site mapping, Room 214 built the strategy and the infrastructure for the new site, and implemented high-profile SEO strategies.These services were augmented with a pay per click campaign, custom blog development, an article marketing platform and optimized press releases. Strategic Media and their account team led by Brett Astor have been consistent contributors to the content-building effort. Each month, the team is producing an article, an associated press release and ongoing blog posts. A unique strategy employed was to cross-connect the blog and article marketing applications to provide the site visitor with unique and targeted content based on internal searching. This means that when a site visitor views a blog post, that post is tagged with keywords that will present relevant articles relevant to the post.

Results
As Room 214’s James Clark proclaims, “Let’s be honest, the actual search engine ranking position in Google is not a direct correlation to being a true expert, but being highly visible for a search term is a huge bonus!” Results of the campaign included13 top keyword positions with over 50 results on the first pages of the search engines. The articles, blog entries and search optimization efforts create visibility that catches the attention of the news media as well as potential clients. Recently, the company was one of the primary sources for an in-depth article in Response magazine, a top national direct response marketing publication. The volume of blog posts and articles on the Strategic Media site makes it fast and easy for interested reporters to find timely and relevant content upon which to build their stories. Perhaps the most impressive result has been a dramatic increase in leads. Total leads generated via the company’s web site in February 2007 were up 433% compared to the same month last year. Not too shabby. “Because of our articles and blog, prospects come to us with an understanding of our philosophy and approach to what we do, which makes the entire process of learning about each other and getting a campaign underway much more efficient,” Astor explains. Currently, the site draws nearly 2000 unique visits per month. The articles are viewed approximately 900 times per month and an average of 35 new blog subscribers are added on a monthly basis. The Contact page, which is used as an indicator of further interest, is one of the top five pages on the site, attracting over 200 visits per month. The pay per click (PPC) campaign has resulted in 26,106 visitors to the site since the campaign’s inception, earning a 0.37% click through rate (CTR). Summing it all up, Astor explains, “I rely on Room 214 to be the experts in what’s possible and optimal as it relates to web marketing and to help me determine the most important and relevant investments to proceed with. Beyond that, I have great respect for Room 214’s strategic thinking and really enjoy having those kinds of conversations with them. That makes the whole process more fun than work. We have a good time crafting ways to outsmart and win at tackling the challenges ahead of us.”

If you would like to increase your visibility and expert poisoning, Room 214 has a complete program with proven results. Call James Clark at 303-444-9214 x10 and ask about our Search Visibility Professional Program.

case study|strategic media

inc.|room 214|case studies

Alltel has been feeding this information frenzy through their weekly Alltel Racing Podcasts that began in February of 2006 with the help of Room 214 and Alan Taylor, Alltel’s marketing communications firm.

Alltel has been sponsoring NASCAR teams for the past four years, most recently with Ryan Newman and his #12 Alltel Dodge. The company’s growing appreciation and understanding of the NASCAR fan inspired it to create a series of podcasts featuring informal interviews with NASCAR crew members. Fans who listen to the podcasts get expert race analyses, track previews and interesting tidbits about the teams. Fans are also given an opportunity to subscribe to the podcasts and to submit questions to be answered in future broadcasts.

“We always try to give our customers and non-customers alike a unique experience that only Alltel can provide. We saw podcasting to be a natural fit in pursuit of that goal. Simultaneously, Alltel was launching Mobilecast, which allows our customers to download podcasts and listen to them on their phone,” explains Lucie Pathmann, Director of Marketing Publicity, Alltel Wireless.

James Clark, founding partner of Room 214, presented the benefits and opportunities of podcasting to Alan Taylor. He reviewed strategy points, such as who should host or moderate the podcasts, who the guests should include, how fan interaction could be encouraged, and how best to post the podcasts and properly promote them through iTunes and various directory submissions.

The Alan Taylor account team immediately recognized that the podcasting medium fit the information-ravaged target audience perfectly. “The NASCAR fan is hungry for consumption and is looking for everything NASCAR-related and there are fan bases that will buy and stay loyal to a product that supports their driver,” states Rob Bronfeld, Sr. Account Supervisor at Alan Taylor.

The benefits to Alltel were just as obvious and equally as important, giving the fifth-ranking wireless provider a means of breaking away from the pack and providing a new means for their customers and NASCAR fans to get the inside track on the races.

The Alltel Racing Podcast differentiated Alltel from their competitors right from the start. Alltel became the first to market with a NASCAR podcast, and since then, the idea has spread rampantly among other sponsored teams over the past year. A great idea can cut through the noise of media bombardment, and the podcasts captured Alltel’s target audience without diluting the message through traditional filtered media. Each podcast begins with a brief promotional message from Alltel that highlights new product or service offerings, other racing events and Alltel news outside of the sport. Best of all, it gives the listeners unique content that brings the NASCAR team to life. The audience savors insight that can’t be gleaned simply by watching the race, such as the bonding experiences team members enjoy during their days off.

Alltel provided their customers with information that they wanted and saw an increasing number of downloads each month. They also recognized that the same fans came back each week, solidifying their notion that NASCAR fans are incredibly loyal.

The company has enjoyed watching its Alltel Racing Podcast site visits increase in strides, beginning with 645 visits in February, reaching a high of 2,030 visits in October. Total page views came in at just slightly over 30,000. Downloads of the podcast reached 1,192 (for the February 21, 2006 Daytona 500 broadcast) and averaged 61 downloads per day.

In 2007, Alltel plans to charge ahead at full speed with the Alltel Racing podcasts. “We plan to involve more team members in the podcasts and include more interactive elements for our audience, just as we have done with the mailbag. We are working on features that will encourage consumers to come back each week during the season,” adds Pathmann.

For more information on how a podcasting strategy can benefit your business, increase your visibility in the online marketplace, and generate spirited conversations about your products or services, please contact James Clark of Room 214 at 303-444-9214 x10

case study|alltel racing podcast

Sound like an uphill climb? How are you going to convince customers, the media and reviewers that your chainless bike is ready for the mainstream, especially when you are selling online – where customers can't test ride?

Room 214 made the seemingly unattainable goal a reality for Patrick Perugini, president and founder of Dynamic Bicycles, Inc. of Holliston, Mass., when it implemented an integrated online and offline marketing strategy for the company. With a web presence, but no traffic, Dynamic Bicycles knew it had a challenge ahead of them when they set out to rise up the natural search rankings for the keyword “bicycles,” the most popular term in their category

Dynamic Bicycles didn't have the budget for a PPC campaign, especially given the very competitive nature of the category. The term bicycles is searched upon 50 million times per month. A year later, the company is appearing on page 2 (of the SERPs) for the term bicycles and business is moving along as swiftly as Lance Armstrong on his rally toward the finish line.

“We were competing for a search term with enormous popularity and a large number of major players in the industry, many of which have been in business for decades. For us to rank as high as we are, and continue to work our way up, is enormous. As an online business, our primary source of leads and sales comes from our online exposure.” explains Perugini.

The entirely integrated campaign, managed and implemented by Room 214, included the following:

• Custom e-commerce application
• Natural search optimization
• Traditional link building
• Pay-per-click advertising and optimization
• Customized landing pages
• Article marketing
• Public relations
• Trade show support
• E-mail marketing
• Website analytics
• Multimedia and blogging strategies

One finding, uncovered early in the process, was the popularity of the term chainless bicycles. This phrase was being searched upon often, indicating that there was a definite market for the product. Likewise, there was a great opportunity to optimize the site to this term in order to capture this qualified audience.

One true indication that SEO and SEM efforts were paying off -- orders keep churning in through the website, without any human interface. Customers are able to get what they need, including information and peace of mind, to make their purchase online with confidence, despite the lack of a test ride.

“When a person comes to our site from a PPC ad or a natural ranking or someone buys a bike and we have never talked to them… that to me, is a testament to the combination of the power and reach of our PPC ads, the strength of our web content and the simplicity of our commerce process. I give a lot of credit to Room 214 for the front and back end of this process. They do the front end in terms of lead generation and the back-end in terms of the commerce process. They are very involved in the orders that come through the website where we don't have any verbal or direct interaction with that prospect. If anyone calls us and says they saw us online, we give Room 214 all of the credit,” explains Perugini.

The public relations strategy that Room 214 implemented resulted in numerous articles in a diverse range of print publications including Forbes, Popular Mechanics and American Way, as well as an appearance on Fox network's morning variety news program FOX & Friends. Dynamic Bicycles subsequently added this video clip to their homepage, gaining additional mileage from the product's appearance.

Remaining on top of the SERPs is a long-term effort. It takes often a year to obtain rankings in the top pages for a term as popular as bicycles . When great rankings are eventually obtained, sites will require ongoing optimization to maintain its position. Room 214 continues to optimize Dynamic Bicycle's SEO campaign and plans to launch social media applications such as blogs, RSS feeds, live chat and video podcasts. With the help of Room 214, Dynamic Bicycles is gearing up for great ride in the online cycling industry.

Terms Used In This Case Study

PPC: Pay-Per-Click advertising is an advertising model used on websites, advertising networks, and search engines where the advertising costs apply only when the ad is clicked on.

SERPS: Search-Engine Results Pages are the results you see after entering a search in a search engine.

SEO: Search Engine Optimization refers to methods aimed at improving website rankings based on key search terms in search engine listings.

SEM: Similar to SEO, but broader, search engine marketing refers to methods that include search engine optimization, pay-per-click advertising, article marketing, link building and other search-engine related services aimed at increasing exposure and traffic to a website.

Room 214 offers podcast consulting and production, custom blog development, search engine optimization, reputation management, pay per click advertising, and web development services. For more information, call James Clark in Boulder, Colorado at 303-444-9214 x10.

dynamic bicycles|case study|case studies