Precast Inc. - March/April 2008 - (Page 22)

catalog on CD one-on-one meetings billboard noting that the work is being done with "green" concrete to publicize that we can provide these products,” says Long. Sign of the times For C.R. Barger and Sons, Harriman, Tenn., effective marketing involves a strategy that integrates the old with the new, the traditional with the innovative. However, some might agree that the use of one particular “old” marketing method that Barger uses is actually innovative: Barger has a billboard (old style) on the highway, which, among other things, prominently features the company’s Web site address (new style). The billboard is in place along Interstate 40 in Tennessee between Nashville and Knoxville. The idea came about when a survey indicated that, despite that the company was the second-oldest septic tank producer in the area, 75 percent of installers had never even heard of the company. The billboard announces the company’s name and Web address (www.BargerAndSons.com) to upwards of 50,000 vehicles a day. Eric Barger, president, designed the billboard on his computer. “It really got a lot of people talking, if for no other reason that it is unusual for someone to advertise septic tanks on a billboard,” he says. “The day the billboard went up, traffic increased on our Web site by 25 percent. “We have received quite a few inquiries based solely on the billboard.” Barger was actually an early adopter of Internet marketing. The company created its Web site in 1997. “We offer key content on the Web site,” he says. “Our main goal is to educate, not sell. We feel that if we educate people, they will end up purchasing from us anyway.” The Web site features drawings and specifications as PDF documents, so that engineers can quickly and easily download them and add them to their specs. The Web site also provides technical white papers, and the company works on getting these into the hands of decision makers. It doesn’t focus on trying to sell its products in these white papers, as they are strictly educational tools. “We make sure they are short and concise so they don’t take readers a long time (to read),” says Barger. “However, we also make sure they are very thorough and detailed. We spend an average of 30 hours on research before we even write these papers.” Until the company launched its radio advertising campaign, about 25 percent of its new business came from the Web site. 22 MARCH/APRIL 2008 | PRECAST INC. While some might consider radio advertising to be passe, it has been a bonanza for Barger. “TV didn’t pan out for us, but radio has been incredibly effective,” he says. “Our phones do not stop ringing.” In fact, according to Barger, business has increased about 300 percent in the past two years since advertising on the radio. The key to effective radio advertising, according to Barger, is to do enough spots each week and remain consistent with the program for a year or more. “One or two spots a week won’t cut it,” he says. And, he has found, it’s not that expensive. “Around here, a typical campaign might run $50,000 to $100,000 a year.” Growth-based marketing While virtually all precasters engage in some type of marketing, few could likely compare to the depth and breadth of Hy-Grade Precast Concrete, St. Catherines, Ontario. The company created a formal marketing budget in 2006. Gina Lathan, who is the company’s North America sales manager, has found that most precasters tend to focus on production and other operations but not so much on marketing. One reason is that most of them have a niche market, so most people already know what they do. Most of the precasters for whom she has worked over the years, though, have come out with new product lines, become diversified and/or wanted to expand their markets. As such, it was important for them to focus on marketing too. When Lathan came to Hy-Grade, she brought with her an understanding of the value of marketing. “We look at our sales each year, determine what we want our growth to be, then determine the appropriate marketing budget,” she explains. “We have a plan for every month of the year in terms of shows, presentations, tournaments, etc.” The company manages a number of effective marketing strategies: • Business development position. Lathan now has two salespeople and the new business development representative reporting to her. “One thing she does is find new leads and make cold calls, getting to a certain stage, and then the salespeople pick it up from there,” says Lathan. • The company’s Web site (www.hygradeprecast.com). “We revamp it every couple of years to keep it fresh,” she says. “We get ideas from customers on how to make it more useful and user-friendly.” “Our main goal is to educate, not sell. We feel that if we educate people, they will end up purchasing from us anyway.” http://www.BargerAndSons.com http://www.hygradeprecast.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Precast Inc. - March/April 2008

Precast Inc. - March/April 2008 Contents Technically Speaking Concrete Repairs Return-to-Work Programs Marketing in a New World Building Confidence Risk Management Culture Bloquea La Energia – Es Tu Vida! Lock It Out – It’s Your Life! Fiber Optics in Countertops MCPX Wrap-Up Product Profile People & Products Advertisers Index NPCA Calendar

Precast Inc. - March/April 2008

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