Contact:
Jennifer Schwegman
KC Associates, LLC
651.247.6640
jennifer@kc-associates.com
Minneapolis, Feb. 20, 2008—Independent B2B marketing and public relations group KC Associates (KCA) retains its status as the only firm focused exclusively on the IT industry on The Business Journal‘s annual list of the top 25 Twin Cities public relations firms for the fifth consecutive year. The rankings, published in January, include only billings from public relations services and do not recognize KCA's marketing services revenues.
In 2007, 14 new clients chose KCA to help develop and execute their marketing and PR plans. “What’s particularly interesting about the last year is the increasing demand for outsourced marketing and PR services,” said KC Associates Principal Kirsten Chapman. “A greater share of our clients now uses us as their sole marketing team, rather than hiring inside talent.”
“KCA stands apart not only because of its IT focus and ability to provide outsourced marketing, but we’re also the only firm that integrates PR with both marketing and sales strategies,” continued Chapman. “This is critical for clients who are concerned about revenue growth, not just awareness.”
Using KCA’s unique four-hour Strategy Whiteboard process as a starting point, the group’s executives quickly identify a client’s competitive positioning, elevator pitch and messages, as well as gain an understanding of their selling process. Next, a go-to-market strategy (sales and marketing) and plan is developed with the client.
KCA’s experienced team of PR and marketing professionals offers clients an array of integrated services—including strategy, lead generation; branding, interactive marketing and public relations, collateral and white papers, and much more. Unlike conventional agencies, KCA is a virtual organization, providing top talent and results without the overhead costs associated with traditional PR and marketing firms.
About KC Associates, LLC
Since 1988, KC Associates (KCA) has provided marketing and PR consulting
and communications services for IT companies, including applications and
systems software, IT services, storage, networking, communications and
hardware devices. Unlike traditional firms and agencies, KCA is a virtual
organization comprised of seasoned information technology-specific marketing
and PR professionals, each with 10 or more years’ experience in the IT
industry. KCA’s services span the entire market development spectrum—from
go-to-market planning and product marketing consulting to reasonably priced
marketing communications, PR and lead generation.
Clients have included service organizations such as Apex IT, Analysts International, Magenic Technologies, and industry research firm IDC (Framingham, Mass.); software firms, including (Wolters Kluwer Bankers Systems), SoftBrands (Fourth Shift), Lawson, and ShowCase; and hardware companies such as CNT, Ciprico, NetEx and Lucent Technologies (Hyannis, Mass.). For more information about KC Associates, visit www.kc-associates.com.