“Our annual advertising budget is nearly $1.0 million dollars plus the dollars we set aside for special events such as customer trips to factory or proving grounds, customer seminars or educational venues and facility open houses and equipment expos.
For example, the Aggregate Expo this year was separate from the advertising budget and represented about a $250,000 investment.
General Equipment & Supplies, Inc. has two full time marketing employees; a Marketing Manager and a Designer. The majority of their time is spent doing the day-to-day activities we have in promoting our company.
Amanda McKinnon with MSPIRE helps with some of the day-to-day, but has been integral in building a visual brand we are proud of and messaging that aligns with our services and culture. She designs, writes, helps plan and execute events, teams up on our social media, handles our Public Relations and coordinates and negotiates our media buys. She truly gets it and has worked hard to teach our team the importance of keeping our brand consistent at every turn—both internally and externally. Amanda has also developed a brand guide that keeps evolving as we grow. She takes on projects, big and small. “
AMANDA’S DAY TO DAY ACTIVITIES INCLUDE:
- Annual advertising placements in trade and industry publications, including coop
- Production of an in-house magazine and internal newsletter
- Direct mailers to customers
- Print pieces like rental rate cards and promotional flyers
- Selection and purchase of customer point-of-sale giveaway items and special event gifts. In our industry, giving hats, jackets and promotional items represents nearly 1/2 of the advertising budget
- Vehicle branding for Service trucks and the like
- Interior and exterior signage at our six U.S. and two Canadian locations
- Website management, including daily populating of equipment lists
- “About 1/2 to 2/3 of the budget is spent on the day-to-day activities, with approximately 1/3 devoted to special events like open houses and new machine and technology launches.
When we heard Amanda had updated her title to Bodacious Brander/CEO, we laughed and then thought, that fits perfectly. There is nothing she won’t take on and that title is spot on with her personality. When someone cares about your business that much, you know it’s in good hands. We trust her with our customers and our brand, which is ultimately our business. We think that says a lot. “
– JON SHILLING, President & CEO
