BMA Kicks Off 2009-2010 Program Year with Best Buy's Micro-Business Marketing Strategy

Contact:
Bethany Treichel
414-438-7067
bethany_treichel@bradycorp.com

MILWAUKEE, Wis. - The Business Marketing Association - Milwaukee Chapter is kicking off another year of strong programming with its first meeting of the season on Thursday, September 10, 2009. An educational seminar on how to market successfully in a tough economy is followed by a feature presentation on micro business marketing from Best Buy - a Fortune 500 company and the largest specialty retailer of consumer electronics in the country. The meeting begins at 4:30p.m. at the Italian Community Center, located at 631 E. Chicago Street in Milwaukee.

Feature Presentation: (7:00 p.m.)

Micro-Business Marketing: Best Buy's Outreach to the Smallest of Small Business Owners

Presented by Chris Patka, Small Business Customer Team Director, Best Buy - Minneapolis, Minn.

The feature presentation for the evening will highlight Best Buy's recent marketing strategy to successfully leverage brand recognition in the relatively underserved small-business sector.  Patka and his team have reached out to micro and very small businesses - companies with one to 20 employees - through calls-to-action, list building, prospect identification and an integrated advertising campaign. Patka will share the tactics used to coordinate marketing, merchandising (both digital and physical), and online experiences targeting the micro-business customer, and how this work led to annual broad media advertising to small business customers, the inception of the "Professional Series" moniker, and the Small Business Center on BestBuy.com (www.bestbuy.com/business).

Patka has over a decade of experience in the retail sector, including multiple roles within the Customer Centricity initiative at Best Buy, as well as the original Asian international marketing strategy for the company. Prior to Best Buy, Patka worked at Accenture providing business development expertise to a variety of clients. Patka's expertise is focused on advertising effectiveness and advertising spend frameworks.

Success Seminar: (4:30 p.m.)

How to Market Successfully in a Tough Economy

Presented by Ian Heller, Senior Partner, Real Results Marketing - Boulder, Colo.

The success seminar jumpstarts the evening with a presentation from marketing consultant Ian Heller discussing how companies can successfully market in tough economic times.  Heller will share the results from a recent online survey of nearly 200 marketing leaders from around the country that share insights, experiences and specific tactics that these leading marketers are using to grow market share during this recession - and what they're doing to position their companies to grow when the economy improves.

In addition to the survey results, Heller will share experiences from his own past, having served as the top marketing or e-commerce executive for W.W. Grainger, Inc., Corporate Express, GE Capital Rail and Newark Electronics.  Heller is the founder of Real Results Marketing, Inc. and the author of the upcoming book Eat What You Kill Marketing, which outlines how to make the marketing function a profit center of an organization.

Heller's success seminar will be followed by a networking reception at 5:30 p.m., dinner at 6:15 p.m. and the feature presentation at 7:00 p.m.

How to Register

BMA members and nonmembers are encouraged to attend. Cost for members is $55 for the full evening, $20 to attend the seminar only, and $40 for dinner program only. Cost for non-members is $75 for the full evening, $30 for the seminar only, and $55 for dinner program only. The cost for full-time educators is $20 and $10 for full-time students (student spots are limited). Non-profit members are invited to attend the Success Seminar at member rates.  All attendees must register on www.bma-milwaukee.org. For more information, contact Ilka Hoffins, executive administrator, at 262-746-9686.  Prices subject to increase after September 7^th.

About the Business Marketing Association:

The Business Marketing Association (BMA) is the leading professional resource for business-to-business marketers and communicators. The organization offers services, information, skill enhancement and networking opportunities that help its members grow, develop and succeed throughout their marketing careers. For more information on BMA, visit www.bma-milwaukee.org.