When people think marketing and advertising, many things might come to mind, but Baby Boomers and seniors probably are not in the mix.
That’s precisely what makes Creating Results so special. With verticals in senior living, real estate, hospitality, education, retail, healthcare and 55+ housing, Creating Results is crashing through the traditional walls of marketing and advertising and reinventing the industry to motivate one of the largest demographics with discretionary income.
And they are doing it primarily from their offices in Prince William County.
It’s About Location
Co-owner Todd Harff said they chose Prince William County because “Prince William County offers a unique mix of ease of doing business as well as the best quality of life in the D.C. Metro area. There is access to cultural activities, good schools, outdoor activities [and] less traffic.”
Harff also said their Woodbridge location is convenient for their team members, who commute from Fairfax, Stafford and Front Royal. And Though they are based in Prince William County, they have customers all across the country, as well as in Mexico and Canada.
Their work knows no geographic bounds. With easy access to three major airports, Harff, who is located in the New England office, has no problem coming to the main office in Woodbridge, nor does anyone on the team have major challenges arranging flights to the other states and countries where Creating Results does business.
Prince William County also has the demographics and verticals that match Harff’s market. About 32,000 seniors live in the county. There are more than 70 senior living communities, including independent living, assisted living, continuing care and more in Prince William, and the residential real estate market is strong.
With state of the art hospitals and healthcare centers like Sentara and Novant UVA Health, Prince William County was the perfect place to set up shop. Prince William County, being a travel destination, has a superb hospitality industry catering to visitors from within the states and overseas.
This all adds up to success for the company seeking to work with these industries. Locally, Creating Results has provided services for the Potomac Health Foundation, Westminster of Lake Ridge, Discover Prince William and Manassas and more.
It’s About Niche and Growth
It all began with an idea. Creating Results carefully chose their niche in the marketing and advertising world. Many agencies focus on advertising to young people, but Harff wanted to something other than what run-of-the-mill agencies offered.
The Pew Research Center reports there are 74.9 million Boomers (ages 51 to 69) in the U.S., and 50 percent of the U.S. population will be over the age of 50 by 2017. Yet, this is a largely ignored segment of the population, at least in the advertising world. This is Creating Results’ market, the niche they chose.
“That has proven to be the most important decision in our business,” Harff said.
Harff’s wife, Judy, ran a successful boutique design agency. In 2003, the couple combined forces and began working out of the home with only the two of them and what he called “zero revenue.” Now their revenue is about 4 million per year. They have 12 full-time team members and a variety of freelancers.
In the next five years, they expect to see growth as demand for advertising that caters to Boomers increases. Harff said they plan to grow in a way that makes sense for the requirements of the clients and the team. They feel their niche will give them tremendous opportunity for some time, as younger Baby Boomers are still in the workforce and have different needs from those who just retired.
It’s About the Tools
Creating Results’ continued growth also relies on data they collect through studies. One study is called “Social Silver Surfers,” which looks at Boomers’ online website and social media preferences.
“We ask, what are they doing and what is working well? What frustrates them? How do they want to interact with companies online and in social media?” said Harff.
Results of these studies are guiding Creating Results into the future.
Another tool the company uses is big data, which they have access to as a Google Partner. Creating Results has the ability to pinpoint people who are likely prospects and find others who are like them through social media and online behaviors. They can produce customized search results based on past behaviors of users.
They have the ability to know what people are doing online. They know what people search for, who their friends are. They can serve up different information on sites based on previous visits. Remarketing, sponsored content, native content – these are all ways to get in front of targeted audiences.
“We like to think of it as being close to prospects, but not creepy,” Harff said.
It’s About Teamwork
For Creating Results, it has been a major challenge, but also a triumph, finding just the right people to help achieve their mission.
“I always recognize it’s good to be lucky, and picking a niche was critical, but so was finding the right people. Lots of people want jobs, but we sort through applicants to find who is aligned with our culture,” Harff said.
“In this regard, our Prince William County location serves us especially well as it affords us immediate access to a highly-educated, highly-skilled, dynamic and innovative workforce,” said Harff.
The average tenure for employees with the company is over eight years.
“People come to work with us and are excited to be part of that team and grow with us,” Harff said.
Creating Results is looking to evolve over the next 10 years and is seeking team members who are excited about helping them do just that. Currently, Creating Results is hiring a Media Marketing Associate and Client Services Director. For more information, visit their website www.creatingresults.com
