Prepared for Mrs. Fannie Rooks and Center Stage Homes, Essay Example

Chapter 1. Introduction

After close analysis, it has been determined that the marketing efforts made by Center Stage Homes in Huntsville, Alabama are not conducive to garnering efficient wages or communicating to an appropriate number of clients.  In essence, the company is not currently achieving its full potential under the current marketing plan.  Center Stage Homes does not have a plan to increase clientele and provide additional sources of revenue through increased marketing efforts.  In order to address these issues, the current report has been established to effectively communicate the costs and benefits of several marketing options that should be utilized by the company to address the lack of growth.

Three major marketing suggestions have been developed and appropriately analyzed to suggest an increase in growth for the organization.  These suggestions include developing a website, utilizing print advertising, and the inclusion of flyers and brochures to help market the multitude of services provided by the organization.  The costs and benefits of each suggestion are described throughout each of the following sections.  In summary, it is believed that this report will properly show a cost-benefit analysis of potential marketing suggestions for Center Stage Homes to increase the clientele and overall profits of the organization.

Chapter 2. Costs and Benefits of Website

In this day and age of technology, a website is relatively the most cost efficient method of advertising and marketing the name and available services of any organization.  Center Stage Homes currently does not have any website that can provide such information to a highly technologically-savvy consumer base.  The ease of access and length of accessibility provide many benefits for the potential customer as he or she is looking to research information on the services and costs available through Center Stage Homes.  “The Internet is extremely different from print advertising in that space is cheap, your advertisement is accessible for a longer period of time, the content can be changed without having to ask someone to do it for you, and you can potentially reach a wider audience” (Simms par. 1).

Websites are typically the most cost-efficient form of marketing revenue that can be invested by the organization.  “Hosting and upkeep can cost as little as $50 a month with vendors like BCentral, Yahoo Stores and eBay Stores” (AllBusiness.com).  Costs can be limitless when organizations decide to purchase the services of a professional website design company that has a proven track record.  These costs can be upwards of $10,000 for one project, and this does not include costs for updating information.  However, other more reasonable projects can be purchase through beginning companies or even recent college graduates that have shown much potential through a quality portfolio or previous work experience.  These costs can range from $100–$500 on average and usually are able to be updated by the owner of the company or through the intimate relationship that has been built through purchasing a relatively unknown individual or company’s services.  Furthermore, on average websites can cost around $30 per year to purchase a specific domain name that is directly associated with the organization.

These costs are well worth the potential benefits of the marketing revenue that can be garnered by the use of a website.  As previously mentioned, the website is available to provide information for customers anytime, day or night.  In fact, many websites can even be designed to provide a direct order form to purchase services and schedule meetings, place individuals on an information mailing list, and much more.  The organizational benefits are difficult to quantify, but it is clear that by purchasing a website that is designed specifically for the needs of Center Stage Homes, the company will be able to increase the amount of information that is provided to potential customers over a longer period of time, and through a relatively inexpensive method for the owner.

Chapter 3. Costs and Benefits of Print Advertising

A viable marketing opportunity for Center Stage Homes would be to invest in print advertising efforts that will help promote the products and services being provided by the organization.  Local newspapers and classified sections usually are the most easily accessible and potentially profitable methods for in-print advertising.  Newspaper companies will charge different amounts based on the number of words in each advertisement for the classified section, or will charge based on the amount of space that the advertisement takes up on a regular page of the publication if it is not in the classified section.  Each company has its own pricing options, but the classified ads usually cost around $40 for three days of advertising as long as the advertisement is under four printed lines (“Classified Newspaper”).  This is not an unreasonable amount to pay.  However, many of the local print sources such as The Huntsville Times, Decatur Daily, and also the Thrifty Nickel will vary their costs depending on the length of the advertisement and the time period it will run in the publication.

The overall costs are very low, overall, for in-print advertising options.  The Center Stage Homes organization would receive many strong benefits financially from having such local exposure through in-print publications.  In addition to these benefits, unlike websites newspaper and in-print advertising does not usually require the services of a graphic designer or professional writer.  Many publications have general formats for advertisements that include excellent verbiage and send the appropriate information necessary for potential customers to understand the services that are offered.  Finally, many publications have their own websites as well; whereby, classified advertisements can be made available to all internet viewers for the publication.  Similar to websites, these advertisements are available all day and all night long for viewers to peruse at their leisure.

Chapter 4. Costs and Benefits of Flyers or Brochures

An effective marketing campaign strategy can be found from investing in resources to print flyers or brochures on the services within the company.  Center Stage Homes provides many various services, including blinds and custom window treatments in the surrounding areas.  Brochures can be a valuable source of information to be provided to potential customers for the specifications of available services and possibly cost estimates.  In many cases, brochures are easily handed out and distributed within the local community and can be viewed in many of the local businesses or public bulletin boards.  Average costs of brochures is roughly $20 for a purchase of 100 brochures (“Next Day Flyers”).  Different companies may charge for coloring availability or dual-side printing options, but overall many websites and printing companies are willing to negotiate to provide the customer with an affordable package.

Similar to websites, brochures and flyers can be easily accessible anytime day or night, so long as the potential customer has the brochure physically in his or her possession.  It is relatively impossible to give every potential customer a brochure; however, carefully planned marketing efforts can be utilized to post brochures in high-traffic areas to reach the largest number of customers in the local geographic area.  Also similar to websites, many graphic designers can provide excellent layout designs and professional products that will give the brochures or flyers an excellent look.  However, these services can also be highly expensive if purchasing from a large, proven company.  Cost estimates can often range from upwards of $1,000 for a typical layout, and often these do not include printing costs (“Next Day Flyers”).  A similar method should be chosen for the brochures as was suggested for the websites.  Brochures can be highly cost-efficient if the organization chooses to find a designer that will perform the tasks for a reasonable amount of money.  Such costs are very similar to website design ranging from around $100–$500 for hiring an individual to create the layout and information that is to be printed on the flyer or brochure.

Chapter 5. Conclusion

For the short term, it appears as though in-print advertising can be the cheapest marketing option for Center Stage Homes.  Not only will in-print marketing reach a decent amount of potential customers over a short period of time, especially if posted on the publication’s website, but they are the cheapest viable option for marketing the organization’s available services.  Websites and Brochures or Flyers can be very costly if purchased from a well-known, highly reputable design or printing company.  Such resources should be purchased sparingly and only from individuals that can do strong work, but not charge thousands of dollars to perform the requested services.

Nevertheless, it is highly suggested that Center Stage Homes engages in a marketing plan to purchase all three of the proposed options.  Each has clearly shown strong benefits in financial increase and organizational growth opportunity.  By properly including these methods into the marketing plan of Center Stage Homes, the organization will realize its full potential over time and should see immediate increase in business and profits over the short term exponentially.

Bibliography

“Classified Newspaper Advertising — Home Business Secret Weapon.” Reuters. 9 Oct. 2009. Web. 17 Nov. 2009. <http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS181383+09-Oct-2009+MW20091009>.

“Next Day Flyers: Printing, mailing & marketing.” Next Day Promotional Offset Printing Services | NextDayFlyers.com | NextDayFlyers.com. Web. 17 Nov. 2009. <http://www.nextdayflyers.com/ndf/sites/ndf/promo/lp_new/flyers/?gclid=CJfjl-qCk54CFc5L5QodNh-LpA>.

AllBusiness.com. “The Cost of Building a Web Site.” Business Resources, Advice and Forms for Large and Small Businesses. Web. 17 Nov. 2009. <http://www.allbusiness.com/technology/internet-web-development/479-1.html>.

Cohen, Alan N. “Benefits Websites: Controlling Costs While Enhancing Communication.” Journal of Compensation & Benefits 14.3 (1998), 11-18.

Simms, John. “12 Benefits of Having a Website.” Web World Index. 2005. Web. 17 Nov. 2009. <http://www.webworldindex.com/articles/12-Benefits-Of-Having-A-Website.html>.