For the head of one of B.C.’s largest website developers, traditional media plays an important role in both marketing his company and the services he offers his clients.
“We try to be different in our marketing approaches; that allows us to stand out,” said Darrell Hadden, founder, president and CEO of Vancouver’s Graphically Speaking Services Inc.
“That has been very, very different for a web agency to do traditional advertising and it has been very successful.”
However, print work is secondary. Graphically Speaking’s primary focus for its business development and marketing is top positioning in Google.
“We do that through what’s called organic SEO (search engine optimization) and that means we don’t pay for it,” Hadden said. “It’s cost-effective, number 1; number 2, the click-through rate is far higher with organic results than on the paid advertising.”
He explained he uses keywords such as “web design Vancouver,” “SEO services Vancouver” or “e-commerce services Vancouver.”
“We have identified approximately 60 key phrases that are used by our target audiences within Google to find a company like us.”
A quick Google search of “web design Vancouver” brought up three paid-for listings on top, and below them, Graphically Speaking was the third one down.
Speaking of numbers, the company is number 4 on Business in Vancouver’s list of the 25 largest web developers in B.C. with 47 employees.
Hadden said many of his personnel come from traditional media backgrounds.
“It’s absolutely fantastic for them to keep those skills and hone them even further,” he said.
Graphically Speaking designs brochures marketing its services and inserts them into trade publications.
“We have experimented with Business in Vancouver, the Vancouver Board of Trade and B.C. Business. We’ve had great success with Business in Vancouver inserts.”
Hadden said all organizations should be experimenting, changing and fine-tuning their approach.
“The most controversial one we’re doing right now is we’re testing direct mail. No one in our industry would think about doing direct mail. We’re having some success with that. It’s still a work in progress.”
The company’s third major initiative is sponsorship of local associations to support its target audience of marketing and communications professionals.
In 2011, Hadden was president of the B.C. chapter of the American Marketing Association, and Graphically Speaking vice-president and web strategist John Almond was president of the B.C. chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators.
The company is redoing its email marketing and social media to emphasize education and not selling.
“Our whole focus on those initiatives, which will be rolled out late summer or early fall, is just to provide useful and relevant information to our target audience about building websites, how to do social media, how to market,” he said.
There is no mention of traditional media services on Graphically Speaking’s website. But the company does create brochures, reports, trade show displays, logo development and some branding.
“We have purposefully not put that in as it has not been our new client focus,” Hadden said. “We will not do traditional media for someone unless they are a client.”
One such client is Vancouver-based forest giant Canfor Corp. Christine Kennedy, vice-president of public affairs, said Graphically Speaking was hired last year to remake Canfor’s website.
“We’re really pleased with the outcome,” she said. “They work with us on an ongoing basis to keep it current and fresh.”
Kennedy said that because Canfor liked Graphically Speaking’s creative approach, the web agency was also used to design the 2011 annual report and sustainability report, keeping them consistent with the website formats.
“They’re a great company with a very creative base … a friendly, competent crew that focused on getting the job done and getting it done exceptionally well, so we would certainly look forward to working with them again in the future.”
Vancouver communications counsel Sheri Wisnowski said Graphically Speaking is effectively using a wide range of marketing.
“I think they’re right on the money. To discount any channels is really not doable in this day and age because attention is split in so many ways.”
She said the web developer is “quite brilliant” in expanding its services to focus on integrated communications and cover digital and print with the talent within the company.
Working only digitally can be limiting. “When you get too many silos in marketing and communications you run into all kinds of trouble.”
Wisnowski said she knows first-hand that Graphically Speaking’s direct-mail pieces are reaching their target audience because she receives them regularly.
“I haven’t done a website for myself. They are keen to do it. They have been sending the right material with the right information. So when I’m ready to make that decision, that’s a conversation I would want to have with them.” •
