The Denton Parks Foundation will hold its first Denton Duck Derby at 10 a.m. Saturday, offering an opportunity for residents to win cash and other prizes while helping a good cause.

Supporters who “adopt” rubber ducks in either the adult derby or a separate derby for children will help raise money to support park improvements, recreation programs and youth scholarships, said Tim Crouch, president of the foundation.

“The whole thing is about raising money for the Denton Parks Foundation,” he said. “Sometimes, a family can’t afford the fees. The foundation makes sure every kid has an opportunity to participate.”

For more information and to read the rest of the article Click Here .

- Published in the Denton Record Chronicle -

Many people confuse marketing with advertising or vice versa. While both components are important they are very different. Knowing the difference and doing your market research can put your company on the path to substantial growth.

Let’s start off by reviewing the formal definitions of each:

Advertising: The paid, public, non-personal announcement of a persuasive message by an identified sponsor; the non-personal presentation or promotion by a firm of its products to its existing and potential customers.

Marketing: The systematic planning, implementation and control of a mix of business activities intended to bring together buyers and sellers for the mutually advantageous exchange or transfer of products.

After reading both of the definitions it is easy to understand how the difference can be confusing to the point that people think of them as one-in-the same, so lets break it down a bit.

Advertising is a single component of the marketing process. It’s the part that involves getting the word out concerning your business, product, or the services you are offering. It involves the process of developing strategies such as ad placement, frequency, etc. Advertising includes the placement of an ad in such mediums as newspapers, direct mail, billboards, television, radio, and of course the Internet. Advertising is the largest expense of most marketing plans, with public relations following in a close second and market research not falling far behind.

The best way to distinguish between advertising and marketing is to think of marketing as a pie, inside that pie you have slices of advertising, market research, media planning, public relations, product pricing, distribution, customer support, sales strategy, and community involvement. Advertising only equals one piece of the pie in the strategy. All of these elements must not only work independently but they also must work together towards the bigger goal. Marketing is a process that takes time and can involve hours of research for a marketing plan to be effective. Think of marketing as everything that an organization does to facilitate an exchange between company and consumer.

http://marketing.about.com/cs/advertising/a/marketvsad.htm

The Crouch Group is a full service marketing and advertising agency with offices in Denton and Springfield, Missouri. The company works with clients of all sizes and budgets. Their focus is growing our client’s business with an intense concentration on results. For additional information visit www.thecrouchgroup.com or call 940-383-1990.

Along with thousands of other volunteers in United Methodist churches across the country, Ms. Randall is continuing a tradition this summer that’s more than 100 years old. Churches host Vacation Bible School as a way to teach Christian faith, keep kids involved, and engage children and families in their neighborhoods who don’t otherwise attend church. They would like their senior pastors to make the most of the Sunday worship service immediately following VBS, when many of those unchurched families will visit.

“We’re encouraging pastors to treat that Sunday as an opportunity to reach out to the unchurched that is as significant as Easter or Christmas,” said Tim Crouch, owner and partner of The Crouch Group, which created the materials. “You want to make sure you’re putting on your best. It can’t be the Sunday when the pastor takes vacation.”

The Crouch Group is a full service marketing and advertising agency with offices in Denton and Springfield, Missouri. The company works with clients of all sizes and budgets. Their focus is growing our client’s business with an intense concentration on results. For additional information visit www.thecrouchgroup.com or call 940-383-1990.

Companies are always looking for the next biggest way to deliver their brands message. Today there is so much clutter that the best way to set your company apart is by doing something different.

One way to go about standing out is advertising on digital LED (Light emitting diode) billboards that rotate ads every few seconds.

Advertising on a digital billboards have several advantages. A few being:

1. They give local businesses a dynamic way to reach wide audiences that are geographically targeted, in real time.
2. They give the company the ability to change the message quickly and efficiently. Most are operated remotely and all of them can be updated quickly and even several times a day just with the click of the mouse.
3. They eliminate many additional production and installation costs because there is no printing or manual labor to put up the sign.
4. They are Eco-friendly.
5. They are more effective than traditional static billboards.  — According to studies conducted by bpsoutdoor.com LED’s are six times more effective than traditional static billboards.  One reason for their effectiveness may be the animation that is unlike anything else outdoors. Another reason they are so effective is that people don’t get tired of these ads since they change every few seconds.  We tend to pay attention to things that are different and that we haven’t seen before.
6. People usually recall them more than stagnant billboards. — Research has shown that 94% of people passing mobile billboards can recall them while only 43% can recall non-moving billboards.  Overall, sales increased 107% for products shown on mobile billboards and 54% on static signs.” (ibid.)

Digital billboards are just beginning to show up in certain areas around the metroplex and will certainty increase in the next few years. Several of our clients, including Steve Burgess, Robert Ramirez and Trinity United Methodist, have advertised on digital boards in Denton since the start of this year. They have all been very satisfied with the service and results. In one instance the Ramirez campaign decided to change their ad at noon and it was posted on the board by 12:30 that same day. The North Texas State Fair, who will advertise on digital boards in August, looks forward to the flexibility that comes with advertising on digital boards. When the fair starts the ad will change each day to show the band that will be performing that night.

Most companies use billboards but only digital gives them such versatility and flexibility.  A company can advertise one product in the morning, another in the afternoon and then another that evening. They are a great way to get your message out there to the masses and have proven to have a lasting effect on the audience. Digital billboards are definitely an advertising avenue worth looking into and using.

For more information please contact us.

The Crouch Group is a full service marketing and advertising agency with offices in Denton and Springfield, Missouri. The company works with clients of all sizes and budgets. Their focus is growing our client’s business with an intense concentration on results. For additional information visit www.thecrouchgroup.com or call 940-383-1990.

Within the last few years Social Media has taken off and is continuing to grow at an increasing speed. If we take a quick look around we will see that social media has thoroughly began to seep into our daily lives. From television to magazines to mobile phones Facebook and Twitter logos and apps are everywhere.  

Social media sites have changed the way people interact, build relationships and share information. Through these sites people can learn anything and everything about a person. Their likes, dislikes, what they are doing minute by minute, where they’ve been and where they are going.  Because of this companies can gain new and more personal insight about their customers.

People are actively and continuously sharing information and opinions. Things spread like wild fire now-a-days.  If they are interested in a brand they will easily spread the word. Word of mouth has proven time and time again to be one of the most effective ways to communicate a message.  In person, word can only go so far. Social media sites have made word of mouth reach the masses.  

With social media a company has endless possibilities on what and how they want to communicate.  By creating viral content and effectively promoting them through social media channels a company can:

–Maintain, establish and enhance relationships – People like to be interactive and would like to know that a company is listening to them.

–Share ideas and create a two-way dialogue with the audience.

–Create better search engine results – The more a site’s links and key words are out there the more search engines pick up on it and over time it can move up in rankings.

–Be exposed to large groups instantaneously– A company can extend how far their brand reaches.

–Promote anything they can think of: the company, the brand, products, contests, events, services, customer loyalty etc.

–Integrate it with the rest of their campaign – It can create a consistent and constant brand impression.

–Produce primary and secondary traffic to a site – Once primary traffic filters in most often than not they will recommend the site to their friends. Many sites will get tagged and bookmarked and their friends will then check them out.  People are more likely to listen to the advice and suggestions of their friends more than anything else.

If a company listens they can learn a great deal about their customers and evolve with them, thus enabling the company to create a stronger brand loyalty in current customers and attract new consumers. 

Social media is not a fading trend. It is here and making itself known. People like to be heard and social media is a great outlet. If used correctly a company can get their message out there, increase awareness of their brand and much more. One of the most important things to realize about social media is that it needs to be constantly maintained and updated in order to have the desired effects. If a company falls behind and let things slid under the radar it can hurt them more than anything else. At The Crouch Group we can help a company get started and consistently research, create, maintain, update, and access social media sites for the company.  Please contact Tabitha Boykin our Social Media Specialist at tabitha@thecrouchgroup.com or 940-383-1990 for more information and any questions.

–Special offer for primary grade teachers only–

Bluebonnet Audio Book Special

Teachers: Share your experience and win a Free Bluebonnet Audio CD and a packet of bluebonnet seeds.

The first 60 primary grade teachers who sign up to become a member and share their experience using children’s literature as a tool in the classroom will receive a complimentary audio CD of Bluebonnet of the Hill Country as well as a free packet of bluebonnet seeds.

This audio CD includes the first three titles in the Bluebonnet the Armadillo children’s book series, read by the author Mary Brooke Casad. Each book is a studio quality recording suitable for home or classroom use.

Visit http://bluebonnetforteachers.ning.com/ to sign up, share your experiences and receive your Audio CD today!

Visit http://bluebonnetarmadillo.com/index.html to hear samples of the audio books and more.  

Denton City Council candidate, James King, has selected The Crouch Group to manage his campaign in the May 8^th Denton County City Council Election.

King is the co-owner of Ramey King Insurance in Denton and is running for the Place 6 at large seat currently held by Joe Mulroy. Mulroy is prevented from running again by city charter.

Early voting for the May 8^th Denton City Council Election begins April 26.

The Crouch Group is pleased to announce Tabitha Boykin as their Social Media Specialist. Tabitha is a recent graduate of the University of Texas at Arlington with a BA in Advertising and a Minor in Visual Communication.  She has been hired as to take on the ever growing social media market.   

As a social media specialist Tabitha will work with The Crouch Group clients in creating and maintaining a comprehensive social media strategy as part of their marketing and advertising programs.

A study done by Nielson Online found that “two-thirds of the world’s Internet population visits a social network or blogging site.” Through social networks a company can reach a good portion of their target audience in a very cost effective way.  Social media can also reinforce their other types of marketing. By actively engaging and connecting with consumers through social networks companies can increase their audience and activity on their own sites. 

“The emergence of social media in the market place is exploding,” said Ron Ray a partner of The Crouch Group.  “Social media has become a vital part of reaching all demographics in the market area.  The social media tools can help us and our clients to create, maintain and expand relationships in today’s marketplace.”  

With social networking use projected to increase more than three times the rate of overall Internet growth, now would be a great time for companies to start creating a social media plan and getting connected.

The Crouch Group is a full service marketing and advertising agency with offices in Denton and Springfield, Missouri. The company works with clients of all sizes and budgets. Their focus is growing our client’s business with an intense concentration on results. For additional information visit www.thecrouchgroup.com or call 940-383-1990.

The Crouch Group, Inc. is pleased to announce that Vanderlaan Real Estate has join our client roster.  David and Debbie Vanderlaan are longtime North Texas real estate professionals.  They came to The Crouch Group for assistance in marketing their agency.  The first piece of that marketing plan is now in place www.vanderlaanrealestate.com.  The easy to navigate site features Texas ranches, land, residental properties and  commercial properties.

The Crouch Group was established in 1996 focused on client results.  A full service marketing and advertising agency with offices in Denton, Texas and Springfield, Missouri, The Crouch Group services include graphic design, web design, video production, promotional products/advertising specialities, traditional and internet marketing, public relations and client consultation.  For additional information visit www.thecrouchgroup.com or call 1-888-2110273.

The Crouch Group is pleased to announce that a new website has been launched today for the “Bluebonnet the Armadillo” series of children’s books written by noted children’s author Mary Brooke Casad.  The series features a little armadillo named Bluebonnet and her travels to historric sites around the state of Texas.  Bluebonnet’s travels have included visits to the Alamo, Texas Hill Country, Dinosaur Valley State Park, Johnson Space Center, Texas State Capital, Marshall Train Depot, the East Texas Oil Museum and the State Fair of Texas.  The new website also features a special section for teachers interested in using the Bluebonnet series in the classroom.  Bluebonnet’s motto for children everywhere is “keep readin’ and keep writin’.”

The launch of the new site coincides with the opening of Great State Fair Texas today in Dallas.   To celebrate the fair and the new web site Bluebonnet is offering a State Fair special that includes an autographed copy of “Bluebonnet at the State Fair of Texas”, a free gift of bluebonnet seeds (Texas state flower) and shipping for only $12.00.

The Crouch Group is design and built the new Bluebonnet web site.  The Crouch Group is a Denton, Texas based marketing and advertising agency specializing in web and graphic design, video production, advertising campaigns, internet marketing and media plannings.  The agency was established in 1996.