DELIA ASSOCIATES REPORTS SURGE IN ONLINE BRANDING

Whitehouse, NJ – Delia Associates, entering its 45th year of servicing the marketing needs of New Jersey companies, has reported a surge in demand for online branding methodologies and tactics across all business categories. According to Ed Delia, president of the firm, "More and more of our small- and mid-sized clients are asking us to draw from our online tool box to help them build brand leadership and take a dominate position within their market areas."

"We're not just building engaging, interactive Web sites for these clients," says Delia, "we're also helping them build communities around their brands."

The Internet-based tools marketing firms like Delia Associates now have to work with include: webinars, podcasts, blogs, live chats, online PR, streaming video, pay-per-click advertising, search engine optimization, link strategies, viral marketing, email marketing, mobile marketing, banner advertising and behavioral marketing.

"Of course, our clients still see the value of balancing their online presence with traditional print collateral and media," says Delia, "however, the online tools we now have at our disposal add an element of immediacy and customer intimacy that can't be achieved off line."

Delia has been asked to tell the story of the growing shift toward online brand building before business groups and at seminars on an increasing basis over the last two years. Delia's presentation refers to the trend toward online services as 'marketing in the age of e.' In his presentations, Delia explains "In the age of e it's not just about giving your customer a reason to buy. It's about getting your customer to contribute toward your brand's success. You want them engaged, helping you to become a more important part of their lives. But it's still a process," cautions Delia, "not a media event. It doesn't happen the day you go live with a new Web site."

In each of his presentations, Delia advises against depending entirely on online marketing tactics. "Sophisticated marketers know that it's still important to be able to hand a prospect the story of your company and its offerings in the form of a hard copy brochure, and to target a specific audience with a well placed ad in a must-read industry publication. However, by shifting a good portion their budgets into online media, marketers in every sector are achieving amazing results in very short time frames."

Delia's client base includes companies of almost every size, representing business categories across a broad spectrum, from pharmaceutical firms to regional service contractors. "You don't have to be a large company to take a brand leadership position," says Delia. "You just have to get your customers and prospects involved in your self improvement process. You have to ask for their help in making you a better company, and before you know it they have a vested interested in your success."

So far, it appears to be working for the clients of Delia Associates. Many of them are reporting increased sales and increased brand awareness, even though some are working on more modest budgets than in years past.

Says Delia, "It's never been about how much you spend. But with the advent of Internet marketing, we've been able to attract and build a community around each brand we represent, a community of only our clients' most valuable customers. Now that's efficient marketing."

In addition to his presentation on online branding, Delia is regularly called on by organizations and business groups to give talks on a number of topics critical to the success of small- to mid-sized companies.

Delia's firm provides full-service marketing and branding services to small to mid-sized companies. It has positioned itself as the "Brand Leadership Company," and specializes in identifying and creating a distinctive brand identity for its clients through a blend of online and offline media.

For more information about Delia Associates, including upcoming speaking engagements, visit www.delianet.com.