Q: Has anyone figured out the best return on investment in doing local/regional advertising for systems integrators?

A: This question hasn’t been asked for years as most contractors and integrators have given up trying to figure it out. They know yellow pages don’t seem to provide a measurable return as there are too many categories for most companies. Local business journals have worked wonders for some of our members who can get a technology-based story written about them. NSCA’s own Members on the Map™ online member directory program has been effective in getting the architects/engineers to find you. I am also very intrigued by advertising via social media. I know of several very successful integrators focusing on social media now for their advertising investments. Driving traffic to their website is the goal. Some are using marketing interns and other entry-level employees to go as deep as they can into customer organizations and establish groups to stay in constant contact. Pushing out new solutions and applications via these new tools may be the next big thing in advertising. But, I caution you to keep your website updated if this is your strategy. — CW