The thing is, there isn’t really one big thing. And most of what I’ve seen has been either very broad for marketing in general, or heavily focused on business-to-consumer marketing.

So what’s a business-to-business marketer to do when it comes to planning ahead for 2016?

Well, I’ve been doing this a long time, and here are thoughts I have that are relevant to the clients I work with.

Content marketing: This has been a buzzword for a while, but now it’s a bona fide strategy. If you aren’t doing content marketing, you’re probably falling in search rankings and seeing analytics for web and email efforts dropping.

Everyone’s big problem, however, is getting content produced. Marketers must generate original, substantive content to keep the audience interested and to demonstrate knowledge and expertise.

Social: Speaking of social media, many b-t-b companies are still a little gun-shy, but I think they’ll step out more in the coming year. No longer just a trend, social platforms have become valuable and effective ways to connect with individuals and to push out information.

Lead generation vs. engagement: We all know the sales funnel; you can draw it in your sleep. But these days, what happens inside the funnel is of equal concern to marketers than simply feeding it. Refer back to above comments about content marketing and social media, and be sure you’re connecting on an individual level. Hmm – might direct mail be an option? I’ve been waiting for it to make a comeback…

Trade shows: This is the most polarizing topic of the year. Corporate marketing folks either love or hate trade shows. The expense is an issue, but you must consider if your absence would be noticed and misinterpreted. Companies are going 50/50 on trade shows for 2016, and overall are allocating a smaller budget toward this line item.

Advertising: Corporate marketers still can’t agree on advertising. Some love it and put budgets in place for both branding and service-line advertising. Others are skeptical of the ROI and grudgingly approve small budgets to keep their logo out there. And some shy away from it completely. My recommendation is to try some new things, mix it up a bit with a new medium, a new campaign, or a new outlet. Do your research to make smart choices, but don’t be afraid to put your company out there.

Planning: Finally, evaluate marketing goals and activities more often. The duration of a marketing plan has been shrinking each year. We used to plan out for 12-18 months. That dropped to 12 months, and then to six months. These days, quarterly action plans are popular. But don’t just look at your budgets quarterly, look at goals and activities to see if they’re moving you in the right direction.

Questions you might ask every three months include:

• How have things changed inside my sales funnel?
• Are my prospects engaging with me? How?
• What are my competitors doing better/differently than me?
• Am I meeting my short-term goals and also making steps toward my long- term goals?

The show hasn’t changed all that much over the years – lots of very smart people talking about cutting-edge drug development and manufacturing processes, students looking for a big career break, companies big and small talking about their capabilities, new equipment and building expansions.

I’m a true believer in integrated marketing – using a range of tactics to communicate with your audience and meet your goals. But I also acknowledge that tactics have a way of cycling through. Whether they are effective or not tends to change over time.

So what about the industry trade show? Where it is in that cycle?

This year at AAPS, we definitely saw a smaller representation of companies in the exhibit hall. Companies had a smaller presence – firms who previously had HUGE booths in the 40×40+ range had downsized to 20×20 or even 10×20. Companies had fewer giveaways and contests. And some firms who had a decent-sized presence in past years weren’t exhibiting at all.

But on the flip side, some firms with smaller booths added more value to their presence. They had special events at their booths, offered premium food and beverage during cocktail hour (which, FYI, begins at 3 p.m. in trade-show land) and some even hired entertainment (break dancers!)

Break dancers at AAPS!

A video posted by Sinclair & Co. (@sinclair_co) on Nov 11, 2015 at 1:08pm PST

Many people wondered aloud to me if it was worth it to come to the show and exhibit. Does spending all that money really result in a more prosperous bottom line? Do you get new clients? Close deals? The discussion was especially relevant because the number of attendees was down, as well. With fewer attendees and exhibitors, how could this be a good expenditure in a tight budget year?

But then something happened. The networking began. Hands started shaking, business cards were exchanged, the buzz of conversation took over the exhibit hall.

By my last day at the show, I’d talked to a LOT of folks. And we all agreed that even though the quantity seemed to be down – from the number of attendees to the number and size of the exhibitors – the quality of the show was still up where it needed to be. Yes, meetings were had, deals struck and connections made.

So, as an integrated marketing tactic, the industry trade show – at least this one – is still a viable option. While many hope that future years will see attendance climb back up, no one seemed willing to skip it entirely. And even if their presence will be on a smaller scale, everyone I talked to planned to return.

So if you’re in the contract pharmaceutical and manufacturing industry, I guess I’ll see you next year at AAPS!

I’m sure there are those of you who still use this stuff often, but I’ve managed to get mine down to once or twice a year.

Who still has a “box” sitting around to use with the Spray Mount? And special scissors, rulers and xacto knives that are already caked with sticky?

The digital world has made it easier to present concepts than ever before, but sometimes you still have to do a good old fashioned mock-up for the client. Brochures, mailers and other printed pieces need to be held and felt and worked with to be sure they’re right before production. What holds these mock-ups together? Spray Mount.

I had a coordinator once who learned the hard way not to use this stuff near her desk. All her pens, her calculator, stapler and papers were sticky for weeks.

And if you had to spray it more than once or twice (Lets do mock-ups of all four versions of the tri-fold pocket folder!) you were treated to a toxic cloud that would hang in the air for the rest of the day.

Also, sticky fingers.

This is a photo of an ad proof from 1998.

Magellan Laboratories was the client (now a part of Catalent). And this ad was most likely sent in to Pharmaceutical Technology or BioPharm – both pharma industry pubs that have been around for more than a few years.

Back then the art director would work up the files for the ad and send them in to a print house that would create a proof. Markups were marked on transparency taped over the proof, and we looked with painstaking detail at the colors, coverage and layout. Because exactly what was in the proof, was exactly what would be printed in the magazine.

After multiple proofing rounds, including client approvals and sign-offs, we would ship the final via FedEx to the publication for printing.

Each individual ad took weeks to get right, and that was AFTER the copy and layout direction were already planned out. We typically worked about three months out – meaning that since this ad proof is dated 4/29/98, it probably would run in the July or August issue.

It’s fun to go back and look through the archives some times. It’s also fun to remember how different things were only a few years ago. The advertising world has changed, but the basics of good strategy, design and writing will always be the constants.

Since we’ve been out of the blogging game for a little while, we thought we’d say hello again.

A couple of years back, we launched Sinclairity to offer our unique perspectives on marketing, branding and the day-to-day insights and experiences we have along the way.

Well, we’re still at it. Only today, things are more fast-paced than ever. Every minute of the day, people all over the world are busy creating things.

At Sinclair & Co. we’re working to help our clients gain attention for their products and services. And even though the delivery mechanisms have changed, the base that we build good marketing on is still the same: well thought-out strategy and engaging creative.

We look forward to sharing our insights with you!

At a recent tradeshow it was apparent that people are running out of ideas when it comes to giveaways. I didn’t see the quantity of stuff that’s normally out there, and what I did see lacked in creativity.

Over the years we’ve had a couple of clients who were firm believers in giveaways. And we agree! They’re more than just trinkets, they are concept builders and memory makers.

Here are two of our concepts that have stood out over the years:

Metrics Inc. used a baseball theme in 2009 to promote their team of scientists and their approach to client work. Each person at the booth had their own baseball card, complete with a picture on the front and stats on the back. We also gave out baseballs (stress balls), peanuts and popcorn in the exhibition hall

The concept was rounded out with:

• Ads in trade publications (printed front/back – very innovative!),
• A networking event where we gave out baseball-themed prizes and showed baseball movies and blooper reels on screens around the room, and
• A creative website implementation.

The concept was a hit and Metrics is still asked about it at shows.

Another good example is from Mulkey, a Raleigh-based engineering firm. Taking from their updated branding color palette, they gave out ice cold bottles of Orange Crush and Mulkey branded bottle openers at events, which reinforced their unique brand and connected them to a Southern favorite that folks were sure to remember.

I was pleased this year when Metrics told me that he’d been told that “Metrics had the best giveaway of the whole show.” Made my day!

Metrics trust message was communicated through a custom backscratcher imprinted with “We’ve got your back!”

Many people see a giveaway as just that, but it’s important to integrate a giveaway into a show or event and make it a memorable branding opportunity.

We’d love to hear how you’ve used giveaways at your shows and events. Tell us in the comments what your favorite was!

Recently at AAPS in Chicago (reference earlier post), Metrics personnel were manning their booth in the late afternoon. It had been a long day, but it wasn’t over yet. Still to come was a cocktail reception on the show floor, followed by a night of entertaining clients.

Everyone was tired and restless, and they were getting a little punchy.

It turns out everyone had also made the rounds and collected quite a few giveaways from some of the area booths. And the favorite item turned out to be a pair of neon green and black Ray-Ban style sunglasses. So we snapped some pics and shared our “gang” with the social folks at AAPS via twitter:

Turns out folks actually READ that stuff! Not much later, a visitor to the booth commented on the cool picture we posted.

The commonalities: They’re all there to get exposure, make connections, get new leads, catch up with key clients, etc. And of course, they all want to feel like the trip (and the expense) was worth it in the end.

But there are quite a few differences. Each one had a different booth size, different strategy and a very different outlook on the show.

The challenge for me is to support each one with the right amount of attention. And to be there when they need me and to get things done for them. Whether it’s helping with basic booth strategy, troubleshooting structure or booth layout problems, or executing a PR campaign during the show, I really enjoy working with each one and helping them get the most out of the show.

I also enjoy going around and looking at the companies who are new, who have rebranded, or who have invested in a new booth or campaign. And it seemed that 2012 was a year for added expense when it came to booth space and branding. Quite a few companies added to their space with more and bigger structures, or with new creative campaigns.

I look forward each year to assisting in the planning and strategy sessions for AAPS – and to seeing those plans being implemented.

We’re already thinking about next year and what we can do that’s new and different in San Antonio!

That was in 2001, and Metrics’ business has changed and grown substantially from a start-up analytical lab into one of the fastest-growing contract pharmaceutical development and manufacturing organizations in the United States.

Over the past ten years, we’ve seen Metrics change and evolve as their business and the market they serve has grown. When we had our first meeting, it was in a closet of an office in a small building in Greenville, NC. Now, Metrics has their own 96,000 square foot facility, built to exacting cGMP standards and equipped with state-of-the-art pharmaceutical drug development and manufacturing equipment. They even have a dedicated lab on-site for potent and cytotoxic testing that is the first of its kind in the US.

Haven’t heard of Metrics? We’re not sure why. They’ve been recognized by the Pitt County Economic Development Commission as “Business of the Year” and as a “Business Champion” by Business Leader Magazine and Wake Tech Community College. They have recruited some of the best minds in pharmaceutical development, expanded their services with a presence on the West coast, and one of their founders, Dr. Bray, was even Tarheel of the Week in the Raleigh News & Observer.

After all this time, we like to look back and see how we were able to help a great company like Metrics become a leader in their field. Sinclair & Co. is proud to say we’ve worked with Metrics 10 years, and we’re looking forward to many more!

In her new role, Rachel uses her experience to support account managers with research and special projects for the agency’s clients. She provides operational support for bookkeeping, human-resources programs and general office management. She also is responsible for organizing Sinclair & Co.’s volunteer initiatives and company events.

Rachel is a native of Virginia Beach, Va., and earned her bachelor’s degree in arts administration from George Mason University.  A devoted, season-ticket-holding Carolina Hurricanes fan, Rachel spends some of her free time taking ice skating lessons.