Connecticut Orthopaedic Specialists Announced New “Hospital Within a Hospital” Through GCAi DPR

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Digital Public Relations (DPR), a GCAi technique of generating both media coverage and audience engagement, was the bullhorn of choice for Connecticut Orthopaedic Specialists (COS). The largest independent orthopaedic practice in Connecticut and GCAi client announced their new “hospital within a hospital” collaboration with Hartford HealthCare. The GCAi production crew of Darcy Fortune, Digital PR Analyst, and guest Cinematographer Hunter Lyon (who recently had his work for BMW featured at Coachella) utilized a RED Dragon 5K camera to shoot interviews with Glenn Elia, CEO of COS, Patrick Ruwe, President of COS and John McCallum, Medical Director of the new Connecticut Orthopaedic Institute. Darcy also employed a Digital Media Kit to gain media coverage and James Garvey, GCAi Digital Marketing Analyst, put an extensive Social Media Marketing campaign into market to blast out the good news.

Well, we don’t have to tell you the whole story, you can read about it here: http://bit.ly/ortho-inst

Or hear it from Glenn and the COS physicians in the video we produced below:

From Founder to Functionary: Life can be great after your startup fails

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Cold chills? Sweaty palms? Fear of saying the wrong thing? We have all been there. That moment when you cross the threshold of a networking event and set out to – well, network. It’s not easy, and thank goodness Andrew Grochal and his team at Mixer Events solved the problem for us.

Andrew Grochal, Director of Project Management, CarGurus

Andrew Grochal, Director of Project Management, CarGurus

To fully appreciate just how great Andrew’s Mixer app was, we all have to harken back to 2012. The setting is a Tech.Co demo day at the Microsoft Nerd Center in Cambridge, and these were the heady days of early innovation economy in the Boston area. The GCAi team was making the rounds when I stopped at the Mixer Events table and loaded the app. Seconds, seriously, seconds later I had my first “Mixer moment.” See, this useful app would load the LinkedIn profiles of all those who chose to use it at the event and allow us to contact each other at the event. An individual at the event read my profile and decided that he and I needed to talk. It was the start of a great relationship.

I was sure Mixer was going to take off and I’d be reading about Andrew and his company on the West Coast, launching new functionality and struggling to find room for all the VC money that was pouring in. Indeed, I wasn’t the only Mixer fan out there, as indicated by this favorable Tech.Co article from the time. But not all good ideas make great companies, and soon Mixer came to the end of the startup road.

“It was a great experience,” suggested Andrew in a recent interview with Darcy Fortune, a reporter with GCAiPlanet. “I was doing everything. I learned how to recruit, work with engineers and event planners, take customer feedback and pitch investors. I enjoyed it but it was stressful – exciting but terrifying. I also learned a lot – the importance of celebrating small wins and setting milestones in order to complete tasks by a specific date.”

Soon after, Andrew was living in a cardboard box on the banks of the Charles River, dreaming about all the snacks offered at those networking events. Wait, that didn’t happen at all. Instead, he took all the skills he developed as a founder and began to help other startups. His first stop was a small cybersecurity startup that he helped get off the ground, and then soon after he found himself at the amazing CarGurus.com, where today he serves as director of project management.

“A good friend was at CarGurus and mentioned that they were looking to hire someone for business development,” Andrew recalled. “I like cars but am not a car fanatic” – guitars are his passion. “However, CarGurus is more of a technology company and I liked their business model. For me, it’s the best of both worlds – a later-stage company, with a strong senior team and a startup culture. We are always testing new ideas, constantly innovating, and rolling new things out all the time.

CarGurus also has a classic startup feel – pingpong table, beer on tap, but also a great group of passionate people, hungry and fired up. The people who work here believe what they are doing will take over the world. I feel like I have hopped aboard a rocket ship!”

With his days living in the cardboard box far behind him (that still never happened), Andrew now has time to recall some of the other lessons learned from his days of a startup founder. “Starting your own company might appear to be glamorous, but it’s actually very hard to do. Boston is very supportive of entrepreneurship, but the competition here is also pretty steep. In terms of advice, I would say prioritize working with people who inspire you and whom you think you can learn a lot from. That continues to be important to me well after my days as a startup founder have passed.”

– John Garvey

4 Truths About Video: The King of Marketing 2017

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We know what you may be thinking: “not another 2017 marketing predictions article!” Don’t worry, here on #GCAiPlanet, we won’t be predicting anything about 2017 in this article — we’re going to let the facts speak for themselves. We’ll show why video was crowned king of marketing in 2016 and why it will continue to reign throughout 2017. Darcy Fortune, SEO Public Relations Analyst and GCAi In-House Video Expert, shares four truths about what happened with video this year:

1.) Social media platforms evolved for video.

In 2016, almost every social media marketing platform from Facebook to Twitter improved their functionality to be able to host more video. In particular, Facebook and Instagram evolved their video advertising formats to be able to deliver more optimized video to highly targeted audiences. Platforms made it easier for us marketers to appeal to consumers by adding options to optimize videos with captioning, titles, URLs, and more.

2.) Video views became a valuable KPI.

Through analytics, we were able to learn more about consumer behavior related to our video content and how it performs on specific platforms. Data told us who viewed our content, how long they viewed it, what device they used, and exactly when they stopped viewing. Armed with this information, we were able to produce more relevant video content and serve it to our audiences.

3.) We created video for the media — and they published it.

With newsrooms still consolidating in 2016 and reporters responsible for covering more and more stories in a day, we decided to help. Along with our pitch, we asked the media if they would be interested in customized videos to accompany stories. Meaning we would get reporters’ questions, conduct interviews, and shoot and edit the videos to their liking. It was a win-win; we were able to add more value to our clients’ coverage, and they were able to include an asset with their stories — a highly engaging visual asset.

4.) iPhones produced videos for us.

Videos became easier to create in 2016. Even iPhones started producing videos for us — taking all the time spent on editing away. Have you looked at the Photos app on your iPhone recently? Open it up and see that videos are available and ready to upload with a tap of your finger. Essentially all the editing is done for you — add the music and length you prefer, and it’s finished. Aside from this, so many more platforms and apps were created to make video production easier and more cost-effective.

So what do you think is the best way to be deemed relevant by your audience in 2017? Give them what they want: video.

Here are 4 more reasons why you should incorporate video into your digital marketing strategy:

Mastering the Interview: Hands-on Training for Executives

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A GCAi/Massachusetts Bankers Association Training Program
Mastering the Interview: Hands-on Interview Training for Executives

Presented by: John Garvey and Darcy Fortune, GCAi Public Relations and Digital Marketing

It used to be that the only time the C-Suite had to worry about video interviews was if something was going good or something was going very, very bad. Times have changed and video is now ubiquitous. Unfortunately, the strategy and approach to effective video interviewing is not. Today’s self-educating consumer is always searching for information and they want to watch not read. Your next customers want to know what you are going to deliver to them and they often want to hear it from someone at the top. Video is the most effective strategy for anything related to digital marketing or public relations. df-at-media-day

“Mastering The Interview” is focused on C-Level executives who need to communicate with the public: CEOs, CFOs, CIOs. It is also appropriate for Marketing, Public Relations, Commercial and Retail banking managers who are customer facing and looking for more effective ways to communicate.

For more information and to register visit: http://gcai.co/TrainingSignUP

What’s on the mind of bank marketing leaders in 2017?

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Data – they are awash in it and, while they want to harness its potential, they also don’t want to drown in it either. That was one of the key takeaways from the recent Media Buying Innovation Summit hosted by the Massachusetts Bankers Association and GCAi. The Summit kicked off with a panel discussion facilitated by Mass Bankers Magazine Editor Bruce Spitzer that focused on the question “What do I need to succeed?”.

Panel members were: Joan Leahy, Vice President of Marketing, PeoplesBank; Kevin Howard, Chief Marketing and Community Engagement Officer, Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank; Michael Allard, Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer, Avidia Bank; and Jerry Lavoie, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Dedham Institution for Savings.

Panelists generally agreed that the shift was on, with traditional media losing out (print advertising taking the biggest hit) to a variety of digital marketing strategies. Yet, they also agreed that investment in new media was not being made without considerable thought. The targeting options offered by <a href=”https://www.gcaionline.com/digital-marketing/”>digital marketing</a>, along with its affordability and effectiveness, is what has been driving investment. “Experiment” and even “fail fast” were remarks made by panelists suggesting a new wave of testing and retesting the multitude of new marketing options.

But hold on. This group of experts also agreed on which demographic really butters a bank’s bread and it was not the millennials who were spreading that wealth. Bank marketers felt that traditional was not going away anytime soon but they would be asking for some extra digital value to augment that four-color print ad in the Sunday paper. So while the traditional traveling ice cream truck proved popular for one bank this summer, a good part of that enthusiasm was driven by social media posts announcing where the truck would be on a given day. Traditional and digital combine for a sweet treat.

The bank marketing professionals, representing financial institutions from the hills of the Berkshires to the shores of Cape Cod, were also able to hear from experts at leading media companies including Comcast Spotlight, iHeartMedia, Entercom and, of course, the GCAi Digital Media and SEO PR team who presented on <a href=”https://www.gcaionline.com/online-advertising/”>Pay Per Click</a> opportunities and <a href=”https://www.gcaionline.com/social-media-marketing/”>Social Media Marketing</a>. Interestingly, the day ended with a presentation by GCAi’s own <a href=”https://www.gcaionline.com/company/darcy-fortune/”>Darcy Fortune</a> who encouraged bank marketers to not only buy media but also to be media through creating and disseminating video.

Still it was the targeting yardstick that won the day. Bank marketers want to finally address the problem retailer John Wannamaker suggested so long ago:

“<em>Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is, I don’t know which half.”</em>

To get there, these marketers were going to not only dig into the data, but also the customer journey. Key life indicators, behavioral, and even hyper-targeting where key components of early planning for 2017.  Digital is here to stay and even the media giants present at the summit spent time describing their new e-arsenal. Oh, and the ice cream truck will be back in 2017 as well.

GCAi, Business Leaders, Local Media to Take Over the Taps to Support Greater Springfield YMCA

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Tap-takeover-1200x628-v2

September 15th fundraiser at the Student Price will raise money to support various Y programs.

For many of us at GCAi, the YMCA of Greater Springfield is that third place. There is home, there is work, and there is the Y which serves as the in-between place that makes us so much better at the other two.

Yet, for others, the YMCA plays an even more critical role. Some visit the Y to recover from cancer or a heart operation. Others place their children in Y programs in the summer or throughout the year. And, for families, the Y is the place to go to teach kids to swim, have a birthday party and so much more.

Dues, fees, and other means of generating income do not cover all of what is needed to run a healthy YMCA. Donations are frequently the difference between making repairs or opening up free program slots to the needy – or not.

That’s why GCAi, local business leaders, WEEi, iHeartMedia, Rock 102, 94.7 WMAS, and reporters from Western Mass News are all teaming together to take over the taps at the Student Prince on September 15th, from 5 – 8 PM.

Here are the details:
Our role: Serve you drinks. Make sure you have fun!
Your role: Buy drinks and tip heavily!
The result: The Greater Springfield YMCA continues to provide critical programs and support to all those in need (including all of us)!

Date: Thursday, September 15
Time: 5-8 PM
Location: Student Prince, 8 Fort Street, Springfield

Guests of Honor:
Scott Berg, President & CEO,
Greater Springfield YMCA
Jeff Poindexter, Board Chair,
Greater Springfield YMCA

Celebrity bartenders:
John O’Brien, co-host of the Bax & O’Brien Show on WAQY/Rock102
Chris Zito and Kera Burke, hosts of the Zito & Kera Show on WHYN-FM/Mix 93.1
Jim Polito, host of the The Jim Polito Show on WHYN-AM 560
Lindsay Iadeluca, Morning Anchor/Reporter – Western Mass News
Mary Cate Mannion, Weekend Anchor/Reporter – Western Mass News
Maura McCaffrey, CEO, Health New England
Seth Stratton, Vice President & General Counsel,  MGM Springfield
Bob Perry, Volunteer Donor Relations Manager, Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity
Chris Kellogg, host of the Kellogg Krew on 94.7 WMAS

If you cannot attend, please consider making a donation: http://www.springfieldy.org/

Hosted by:
Sam Hanmer, Greater Springfield YMCA Board of Directors
John Garvey & David Oldread, Scantic Valley YMCA Advisory Board
Andy Yee, Co-Owner, Student Prince

GCAi Digital Marketing Experts Present at Media Buying Innovation Summit For Banks

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Mary Shea, Vice President Digital Strategy and James Garvey, Social Media Marketing Analyst to present at The Media Summit for Bankers on September 7 in Marlborough, MA.

Mary Shea, James Garvey, and Darcy Fortune join experts from Comcast Spotlight, iHeartMedia, and Entercom to discuss how to address marketing challenges and what will be new in 2017

It’s never too early to gain a competitive advantage. That is why the Massachusetts Bankers Association and GCAi are hosting the first-ever Media Buying Innovation Summit on September 7, 2016.

The Summit is an educational opportunity for banks and credit unions to identify key media strategy challenges and the innovation media and digital marketing strategies available in 2017.

Summit Agenda:

10:10 – 10:50:  Opening Panel: “What I need to succeed” – a panel of marketing experts from area banks discuss the challenges that they face and what media buy information and options they require to succeed.
Panelist:
·         Michael Allard, Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer, Avidia Bank
·         Kevin Howard, Chief Marketing and Community Engagement Officer, Cape Cod                                       Five Cents Savings Bank
·         Jerry Lavoie, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Dedham Institution for Savings.
·         Joan Leahy, Vice President of Marketing, PeoplesBank
Moderator:
Bruce Spitzer, Mass Bankers

10:50 – 11:30: Expert Presentation: GCAi
Title: “New Opportunities In Pay Per Click and Social Media Marketing”
Presenters: Mary Shea, Vice President Digital Strategy and Google AdWords Qualified Planner; James Garvey, Social Media Marketing Analyst
11:30 – 12:10:  Expert Presentation: WEEi
Presenter: Phil Zachary, Vice President/Market Manager, Entercom
12:10 – 12:45: Lunch break
12:45 – 1:25: Expert Presentation: iHeartMedia
Title: “The Power of Sound”
Presenter: Matt Tilden, Director of Digital Sales, Northeast Division
1:25 – 2:05: Expert Presentation: The Evolution of Video Advertising
Presenter: Mark Kroninger, Regional Director of Field Marketing, Comcast Spotlight
2:05 – 2:45: Expert Presentation: GCAi
Title: They’re Watching! Are You Delivering? Motivate Your Audience Through Video
Darcy Fortune, SEO PR Analyst, GCAi
2:45 – Closing remarks, Questions (TBD)

Date: September 7, 2016

Time: 10 AM  – 3 PM, box lunch served

Location: Courtyard Marriott, Marlborough

More Information/Sign Up: http://www.massbankers.org/mapdfs/MediaSummit2016.pdf

GCAi Named Best Marketing – Advertising Agency In Reader’s Choice Poll

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SPRINGFIELD, MA (July 29, 2016) – Readers of the Daily Hampshire Gazette voted Garvey Communication Associates, Inc. (GCAi) “Best Marketing – Advertising Agency” in the 2016 Reader’s Choice poll. GCAi is an innovative digital marketing agency and independent Google Certified Partner agency which recently celebrated it’s 25 year anniversary.

“The award certainly comes as a surprise and is a nice 25th anniversary present,” noted Mary Shea, Vice President of Digital Strategy at GCAi. “We have worked hard for years to introduce new digital marketing strategies to the market and our volunteer work with startups, here and around the world is unparalleled. We see the award as validation of both.”

For several years, GCAi was the pro-bono agency of record for local startup accelerator Valley Venture Mentors and the GCAi Digital Marketing Team regularly presents and mentors entrepreneurs from around the world through the global accelerator MassChallenge.

About:

GCAi is an innovative digital marketing agency and Google Partner. Founded in 1991, GCAi uses Search Engine Optimized Public Relations , targeted Online Advertising, customized Email Marketing,  Social Media Marketing, and Online Reputation Management to generate measurable results for clients around the country.

Media Contact
Darcy Fortune, 413.736.2245
dfortune@GCAiOnline.com

 

Darcy Fortune James Garvey, GCAi

Free Seminar: The Power Of Social Media Marketing And Online Video

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GCAi to present on the tools and tactics necessary for Digital Marketing success at June 22 Chamber Round Table morning meeting.

Darcy Fortune James Garvey, GCAi

EVENT INFORMATION: Date: Wednesday, June 22   Time: 8 a.m. – 9 a.m. Location: Bulkley, Richardson, and Gelinas, LLP 1500 Main St Suite 2700 Register by email: Attorney David Parke dparke@bulkley.com

SPRINGFIELD, MA (June 1, 2016) – For years, small businesses have been told “you have to be on social media.”  The unanswered and unasked question is, “Why?”

James Garvey, Social Media Marketing Analyst, and Darcy Fortune, SEO Public Relations Analyst at GCAi, will answer that question and much more. Fresh off their appearance at the Digital Marketing Innovation Summit (DMiS16) where they presented along with companies like Google, Brandwatch and Carbonite, Garvey and Fortune will reveal how top brands are increasing their ROI through objective-driven digital marketing campaigns that incorporate video.

“For many years, social media has escaped the sharp eye of ROI,” notes Garvey. “Not any longer. Objective-driven campaigns are designed to have measurable impact on brand and sales.”

“Digital marketing campaigns must not only be targeted to be effective,” explains Fortune, “They also have to be relevant to the customer. That’s where video comes in. People want to view content online; they don’t necessarily want to read.”

“The Power of Social Media Marketing and Online Video” presentation will take place at Bulkley Richardson and Gelinas, LLP, 1500 Main Street, Springfield, MA from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. The presentation is free, open to non-chamber members, but attendance is limited. To register, please email Attorney David Parke dparke@bulkley.com.

How Google Uses Your Information For Ad Targeting

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GCAi’s AdWords expert explains how Google uses behavior and search history to target you with advertisements.

Google knows everything about you.Mary Shea

The behemoth search engine uses web browser data, including behavior and search history, to store away an unfathomable amount of information about each of its users. As a result, Google is one of the most powerful tools available to digital marketers.

At the recent Digital Marketing Innovation Summit in Hyannis, MA, Google’s Head of Retail, Courtney MacConnell, shared with more than 300 marketing professionals in attendance how Google uses that immense amount of data to target users with advertisements.

GCAi is no stranger to online advertising with Google. GCAi is a Google Partner agency and has three Google AdWords Qualified Planners, all of whom are proficient in building and running online advertising campaigns using Google’s Search and Display Networks.

Our #GCAiPlanet team wanted to learn more about how advertisers use Google’s data to effectively serve up targeted ads, so we sat down with Mary K. Shea, Vice President Digital Strategy and GCAi’s most experienced Google AdWords Qualified Planner for some expert insight.

What is interest-based advertising? How does Google use it?

Through AdWords, Google allows advertisers to reach users based on their inferred interests and demographics. Google uses behavior and search history to categorize users as pet lovers, running enthusiasts, foodies, beach bound travelers, political junkies and more.

For users, this means that they are more likely to be served ads that are relevant to them.

What is the difference between interest-based advertising and placement-targeted advertising?

Interest-based advertising reaches users based on the sites they’ve browsed and the interest/demographic categories they’re placed into.

Placement targeted ads reach users visiting specific sites regardless of their interests or demographics.

How does Google infer interest and demographic categories?

While users browse Google Partner sites, like JCPenney or Porter Airlines, Google stores an advertising cookie on the user’s browser to understand the types of pages that user is visiting. For example, if a user views a lot of recipe pages or watches cooking videos, Google may put them in the foodie category and show them more food related ads.

How can people see what interest or demographic categories Google has inferred about them?

When signed into Google (an account is free), users can view their interest and demographics categories on the Control your Google ads page.

How can people opt out of interest based advertising?

There are three opt-out opportunities users can take advantage of:

To opt-out of Google Search and other Google Products like Maps and Gmail (Google.com):

  1. Once signed into their Google account, users can visit Ad Settings, scroll down the page, and change the “Ads based on your interests” switch to off.

To-opt out of sites across the web that are part of the Google Display network (beyond Google.com):

  1. Visit anonymous Ad Settings and change the “Ads based on you interests on websites beyond Google.com” switch to off.
  2. On the same page, scroll down and change the “Google Search Ads based on your interests” switch to off.

It’s important to remember that opting out doesn’t stop ads altogether. You’ll still see Google ads, they just won’t be based on interests or demographics.