Taking an Integrated Approach to Marketing This month's issue marks the one-year anniversary of March Forth. Thanks to those readers who have been with us since our first newsletter and to those who have joined us along the way. Taking an integrated approach to marketing requires clear, concise and creative messaging delivered consistently over time. Regardless of whether your business is small or large, new or established, here are some ways you can use an integrated approach to marketing to gain a competitive edge. • E-Newsletter - Become a knowledge source for your industry. Creating an e-newsletter , like March Forth, is a great way to share industry insights and news about your company. E-newsletters do not always need to be lengthy or full of original work; some are most effective when they act as an aggregator, linking readers to helpful resources and third-party experts. When regularly distributed, e-newsletters can validate your company as a credible and reliable source of information. • White Papers - Publish "issue papers" or "white papers" to your Web site.  Demonstrate mastery in issues of importance to your customers and potential customers.  Link to these issue papers in your e-newsletter.  We do this on our Web site.  We title them "INSIGHTS" and hope people find them to be helpful in understanding how strategic communications can help their business. •  Blogging - Blogging is another inexpensive and innovative way to increase company exposure. Although it can take time before a blog gains significant readership, committing time to write regularly about the work you love can deliver phenomenal returns. Programs like Blogger or Wordpress are free; the only thing you have to invest is your time.  Speaking of time, take a moment to check out the latest post on Vr3, our blog.   Web site as an online office ... Nine times out of ten, a prospect will pre-qualify you through your Web site. What does your Web site say about you? Does it engage the visitor and entice them to landing pages deeper within the site? Is it memorable? Is it interactive and easy to navigate?  Does it include video that reinforces your core messages (see our video below)? Think of your Web site as your online office - standards that you demand in the workplace should also be reflected on your site. Be sure to integrate your e-newsletter with your issue papers with your Web site.  Make them all accessible through your blog.  Enable a potential client or employee to learn as much about you and your company as they can, as easily as they can. An integrated marketing plan doesn't have to be expensive. In fact, using non-traditional channels of communication is an effective way to make your company stand out from the competition. Whatever the communications plan you decide to implement, remember to deliver clear, creative and concise messages consistently over time. If you need help implementing your plan, or if you're struggling to create an effective plan, feel free to contact Vehr Communications for assistance. And, thank you again for joining us in celebrating March Forth's first anniversary! Vehr Communications Adds Site, Sound, & Motion to Web Site                                                     Learn more about Vehr Communications by viewing our dynamic video on our homepage.  The video was produced and hosted by EMI Network's Digitorial Media. Click on the image (on the right) to view our video and learn more about our strategic communications offerings! Subscribe to "Vr3" Please visit our blog.  It's called Vr3 .  The "r3" stands for reputations, relationships and results.  That's PR.  That's what we do.  And, that's what we exchange ideas about on Vr3.   Good Reads on Integrated Marketing Amazon: 1. Integrated Advertising, Promotion and Marketing Communications by Kenneth Clow & Donald Baack 2. Integrated Marketing Communications: Creative Strategy from Idea to Implementation by Robyn Blakeman 3. Advertising & Promotion: An Integrated Marketing Communications Perspective by George Belch & Michael Belch  PR News, PR Insights This edition of March Forth provides links (on left) to some excellent blog discussions concerning this important topic. As practitioners, we use communications to manage reputations, build relationships and deliver results.  The Internet is changing how we do it, but how we have always done it is just as important. We hope the connections we provide here, and the various additional news outlets and blogs we connect to on the Vehr Communications' Web site, help you to understand this rapidly changing industry as much as they help us.