How Modern Systems Won the 2020 SAMMY Award for Best Overall Marketing Program (Small to Midsize Company)
Modern Systems celebrated its 40th anniversary across all promotional efforts by utilizing an updated logo that then became a central theme for an array of marketing items throughout the year.
A 40th Anniversary logo became a central theme for an array of marketing collateral throughout 2019.
In 2019, Modern Systems marked a momentous milestone — four decades in service to businesses and residential communities in Kentucky and surrounding states. Hitting the 40-year mark is no easy task for any company, as Marketing Director Crystal Cox notes, so the company chose to celebrate this special anniversary across all promotional efforts in 2019.
The 40th anniversary marketing started with developing a logo specifically to celebrate this unique occasion. Once the new logo was decided upon, it became a central theme for an array of items throughout the year.
Among them: magnetic badges; a home show booth backdrop; tabletop pop-up display; print collateral including folders, rack cards, brochures, flyers and print ads; new office stationary and quote cover sheets; business cards; social media profile/cover images; videos; and newsletters.
“The central theme of a 40th anniversary reinforces the reliability and trust associated with the Modern Systems name. We chose to keep the logo within our existing color scheme to reinforce with brand recognition, but also added a hint of gold to showcase the achievement and quality of our company,” Cox says.
Incorporating the anniversary theme proved to be simple and cost effective, since the company was able to easily add the new logo to marketing channels they were already utilizing. While the value of the 40th anniversary marketing may not be immediately measurable in ROI, Cox says it will have a positive ripple effect for the business going forward.
Technology Portfolio Drives Promotion
Cox brings more than 16 years of graphic design experience and more than eight years of marketing experience to Modern Systems. Her skillsets have allowed the company to create all of its materials in-house, and then use local and national companies for producing those materials.
The savings provides the company some additional budgeting for the distribution of the pieces, since they do not have to pay a design firm.
For security companies working on a limited marketing budget, Cox suggests finding your customers where they are as the most effective way to reach them. Social media is a valuable tool and she suggests exploring the deep pool of online learning opportunities to help companies better understand how to use them effectively. “
We have more than 7,300 followers on Facebook, so we’ve found that is our best marketing channel when we want something to be seen quickly,” Cox says.
Community involvement is another important aspect, she adds, especially if you have a strong Chamber of Commerce or other business networking organization.
Long Sales Cycles
Modern Systems, based in Lexington, prides itself staying on the leading edge of technology, so those technologies often are the drivers of their marketing, Cox explains. Upon joining the company at the beginning of 2019, one of her first projects was to rework the sales portfolio with updated pieces for all key services.
Collaterals are important for the sales team, but gauging whether a marketing initiative or materials are successful or not can be challenging with the services the company provides, she says.
“Many of our customers are businesses and industrial clients who make take six months or longer to finalize a system purchase because of budget planning, so we tend to measure success through the amount of engagement we can track,” she explains. “Those customers may see an ad or collateral piece and visit our website or social media, but we may not see that sale right away.”
Monitoring social media activity and website analytics does help the company to better understand how well its campaigns are working. They also use specific landing pages on key marketing campaigns to accurately track website visits from the campaign, Cox says.
If you enjoyed this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our FREE digital newsletters!
About the Author
Rodney Bosch, Senior Editor
Although Bosch’s name is quite familiar to those in the security industry, his previous experience has been in daily newspaper journalism. Prior to joining SECURITY SALES & INTEGRATION in 2006, he spent 15 years with the Los Angeles Times, where he performed a wide assortment of editorial responsibilities, including feature and metro department assignments as well as content producing for latimes.com. Bosch is a graduate of California State University, Fresno with a degree in Mass Communication & Journalism. In 2007, he successfully completed the National Burglar and Fire Alarm Association’s National Training School coursework to become a Certified Level I Alarm Technician.
Related Content
Security Is Our Business, Too
For professionals who recommend, buy and install all types of electronic security equipment, a free subscription to Commercial Integrator + Security Sales & Integration is like having a consultant on call. You’ll find an ideal balance of technology and business coverage, with installation tips and techniques for products and updates on how to add to your bottom line.
A FREE subscription to the top resource for security and integration industry will prove to be invaluable.
