Trellis Marketing, Inc.

Trellis Marketing, Inc. is excited to celebrate the debut of Buffalo’s Best Birthdays, the local television special that showcases Western New York’s best birthday destinations for kids of all ages!

Two local children from the area were chosen to act as the show’s hosts, Hayley Mercer and Nicholas Radwanski. Hayely and Nicholas were selected through a video contest carried out on Facebook, and play the parts of two imaginative childhood friends on a mission to find the best birthday in Buffalo.

Seven local birthday party destinations are featured in the thirty-minute special: Sky Zone, Master Chong’s World Class Tae Kwon Do, Adventure Landing, Rolly Pollies, Explore & More, Pinot’s Palette, and Holland Paintball Adventure Park. Buffalo’s Best Birthdays guides viewers on a first-hand journey through a real birthday party at each location, complimented by real-life stories from local parents and kids.

Buffalo’s Best Birthdays will run on WKBW-TV 7 on select Saturdays throughout the year at 11:30am and is available to watch on-demand at BuffalosBestBirthdays.com.

In 2015 “the best brands won’t be those with the best stories… but those that will give an accurate and real time picture of what they are doing in the interest of the consumer, at any given time,” says Avi Dan in his Forbes article, “11 MARKETING TRENDS to Watch for in 2015.”

An ad’s core message should be simplistic: who we are, and how we can help you. Period. This idea is often mucked up with convoluted, fictitious story lines, a whimsical, and superficial at best, song and dance about “who we are.” Today, brands are feeling the need to be real with consumers, bring more to the table than just a product offering, demonstrate goodwill, and above all else, make a connection.

Already in 2015, marketers are trying to pump up brand visibility while redelivering a forgotten message of understanding and even empathy, to influence consumer opinion. Those especially interested in building a transparent image are brands experiencing a lack of growth and unfavorable consumer attitude, such as McDonalds and Coca Cola. Both global organizations have ramped up their offering of natural ingredientsand association with love in advertisements, in an effort to rebuild brand loyalty and consumer favorable attitude.

It’s no secret that technological advancements have created platforms that allow brands to be top-of-mind and present in almost every aspect of a consumer’s daily routine. Consumers are on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Wordpress, giving you, the brand, an exponential amount of opportunities to reach your audience and connect.

When you can create a positive attitude by showing care for consumers’ concerns, you can forge a relationship, which may blossom into preference for your brand, and through a well-built campaign of transparent, attention grabbing ads, ultimately achieve greater sales and grow customer loyalty.

How can you follow big brands’ transparent movement? Give your audience a sneak peek into your manufacturing grounds, daily office culture, charitable involvement, or respond in real time to customer concerns and complaints voiced on social media.

BUFFALO, NY - Trellis Marketing, Inc. is pleased to announce the debut of Senior TV, an innovative new half-hour television series that will educate and celebrate seniors in Western New York. Five different episodes will run throughout the year, with the first, Living Well, premiering on February 7. Kaleida Health and M&T Bank are the program's presenting sponsors and former WNY newscaster Laurie Lisowski-Frey is the show's host.

Each episode of Senior TV will include relevant resources, information, and tips for enjoying and enhancing everyday life as a senior. Highly regarded healthcare and eldercare professionals in Western New York will present each topic, complimented by real-life stories from local seniors.

Mike Hughes, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs & Marketing at Kaleida Health, is particularly proud of the Senior TV partnership: "Our core values here at Kalieda Health are so aligned with those of Senior TV that this collaboration is an excellent fit. We're so pleased to be able to bring such a valuable resource to Western New York seniors and their families."

"Our goal is to provide the most comprehensive and relevant information to our region's senior community. Western New York's most respected experts have enthusiastically responded to the need for health and wellness, legal, financial, and housing information," said Trellis Marketing President & Senior TV Executive Producer, Catharine McCracken.

Senior TV will air Saturday mornings at 11:30 AM on WKBW-TV 7, and will also be available to watch on demand at www.seniortvwny.com.

Client Spotlight: California Closets

If you think California Closets only does beautiful bedroom closets, think again! They offer stunning entryways, home offices, media centers and more. California Closets has the answer for your home organization needs. Request a complimentary in-home design consultation today at

Trellis Tip #20: How to Drive More Attention in your Brand Communication

We must watch our work as though we are the consumer. Using your instincts as your first gut reaction of the advertising is a great starting place. However, don’t rely just on your instincts. You must put in thinking time as well. An excellent tool to use is the ABC’S. We want to create an ad that attracts Attention, it’s about the Brand, it Communicates the brand story and Sticks in the consumers mind.

Attention: Consumers see 6,000 ads per day, and will likely only engage in a few. Make your ad stand out.

  Branding: Ads that tell the story of the relationship between the consumer and the brand will link best. The closer the brand fits to the climax of the ad, the better.

  Communication: Keep your brand’s story easy to understand. Communication is not just about what you say, but how you say it.

  Stickiness: Sticky ads help to build a consistent brand/consumer experience over time. Brands have to exist in the minds of the consumer.

  How to Drive more Attention

1. Be Incongruent: Avoid being like “wallpaper”. Being a bit off kilter is a great technique to get noticed.

2. Resonate: Connect with the consumer in the true way that they see themselves or their truth about how they interact with the brand.

3. Entertain them: Make them laugh, cry or tingle. They interact with media to be entertained, so entertain them.

4. The Evolution of the Art of Being Different: As much as your art has to express your strategy, it needs to reflect the trends of society to capture their attention.

5. Location Based: Be where your consumers are open and willing to listen.

6. Be Part of the Content: Having your brand front and center and part of the story can be a great vehicle for driving attention.

7. Be Sharable: We see so many amazing story-telling ads get passed around on social media vehicles. At 2-3 minutes in length, these longs videos are great for engaging the consumer emotionally.

Client Spotlight: Fowler’s Chocolates

  With Easter quickly approaching, Fowler’s Chocolates is there to help you! Fowler’s hand-crafted chocolates are of the finest quality and tradition, made in Buffalo since 1910. They have a vast assortment of Buffalo specialties including Buffalo’s Original Sponge Candy, delicious chocolate and caramel assortments, gift baskets and more!

  To learn more and find a location near you, visit Fowler’s website at

Trellis Tip #19: How Successful People Stay Calm

 The ability to manage your emotions and remain calm under pressure has a direct link to your performance. Stress can wreak havoc on one’s physical and mental health but stress is an absolutely necessary emotion. In fact, performance peaks under moderate levels of stress. The key to effectively handle stress is to manage your emotions in order to remain calm and in control. Here’s how successful people stay calm:

 They Appreciate What They Have

Taking time to contemplate what you’re grateful for improves your mood because it reduces the stress hormone cortisol by 23%.

  They Avoid Asking “What If?”

“What if?” statements throw fuel on the fire of stress and worry. The more time you spend worrying about the possibilities, the less time you’ll spend focusing on taking action that will calm you down and keep your stress under control.

  They Stay Positive

When things are going poorly, and your mind is flooded with negative thoughts, this can be a challenge. In these moments, think about your day and identify one positive thing that happened, no matter how small. Or perhaps you’re looking forward to an exciting event that you can focus your attention on. You must have something positive that you’re ready to shift your attention to when your thoughts turn negative.

  They Disconnect

When you make yourself available to your work 24/7, you expose yourself to a constant barrage of stressors. Studies have shown that something as simple as an email break can lower stress levels.

  They Limit Their Caffeine Intake

Drinking caffeine triggers the release of adrenaline, which is the source of the “fight-or-flight” response. When caffeine puts your brain and body into this hyperaroused state of stress, your emotions overrun your behavior.

  They Sleep

Sleep deprivation raises stress hormone levels on its own, even without a stressor present. When you sleep, your brain literally recharges, shuffling through the day’s memories and storing or discarding them so that you wake up alert and clear-headed.

  They Squash Negative Self-Talk

The more you ruminate on negative thoughts, the more power you give them. Try writing down your thoughts, which are usually just that – thoughts. Identifying and labeling your thoughts as thoughts by separating them from the facts will help you escape the cycle of negativity and move toward a positive new outlook.

  They Reframe Their Perspective

Before you spend too much time dwelling on something, take a minute to put the situation in perspective. A great way to correct this unproductive thought pattern is to list the specific things that are actually going wrong or not working out. The scope of the stressors will seem much more limited than it initially appeared.

  They Breathe

The practice of being in the moment with your breathing will begin to train your brain to focus solely on the task at hand and get the stress monkey off your back.

  They Use Their Support System

To be calm and productive, you need to recognize your weaknesses and ask for help when you need it. This means tapping into your support system when a situation is challenging enough for you to feel overwhelmed.

Client Spotlight: Priore Photography & Video

  Have an event coming up and need a photographer? Priore Photography & Video is an excellent choice! Whether you are looking for beautiful wedding photography or unique portraiture, the professionals at Priore Photography & Video deliver breathtaking results every time. Their combined experience and talent are guaranteed to impress.

  To learn more and to set up your appointment, visit Priore Photography &Video’s website at

Trellis Tip #18: 5 Attributes to Look for in High-Performing Employees

With so many daily distractions in the business world, it can be easy to overlook the importance of hiring great people. Every company wants excellent employees who are impactful, high performers. Here are five key attributes to look for in candidates:

Horsepower: Most of the time, intelligence trumps experience. An intelligent candidate can quickly learn a job and frequently ends up doing it better than someone (less intelligent) who has been doing a similar job elsewhere. Experience is valuable but brains are the horsepower that drives the business.

Ownership and pride: No matter your current job or where you are in your career, are you focused and engaged and do you take ownership? Do you have pride in what you are doing? Do you have pride in your colleagues and your company? “Run the mile you are in.”

Work ethic: The valued employee is not only the one willing to work hard; she is the employee who searches out ways to contribute most. She should have a work history of having demonstrated not only a willingness to contribute, but a desire to lead, come up with ideas on her own and grasp fully the feeling of pride in her accomplishments.

Integrity: Try to gauge integrity by asking interviewees for examples of difficult decisions they have had to make or ethical dilemmas they’ve faced. What was their decision-making process? Look for candid responses as to how they handled these situations.

Teamwork: So much of what we do involves collaboration that we must have team players across our business. It is good for business results and corporate culture.

Trellis Tip #17: Optimize Your Website by Switching to Responsive Web Design

A Google study analyzing mobile user trends found that 61% of people reported quickly moving on to another site if they didn’t immediately find what they were looking for. So if your site isn’t adaptable across all platforms, you’re literally driving consumers to your competitors.

Business owners are now responsible for providing a consistent experience across all digital devices. Why? Because computers aren’t the only device with a web browser anymore. People expect to be able to browse the web on their phones just as easily as they do on computers.

  Responsive Web design is the approach that suggests that design and development should respond to the user’s behavior and environment based on screen size and resolution. So, as the user switches from his or her laptop to iPad, the website should automatically switch to accommodate for resolution, image size and scripting abilities. In other words, the website should be equipped to automatically respond to the user’s preferences. The practice consists of a mix of flexible grids and layouts, images and an intelligent use of CSS media queries.

  Responsive design is different from a mobile friendly website. While a mobile friendly website will be accessible on a mobile device, it will not be accessible on all mobile and tablet devices. Alternatively, a responsive website is one that is built to detect the screen size you are using and display the content in the most efficient layout. So responsive design encompasses each individual device: BlackBerry, the iPhone, the iPad, netbook and Kindle – and provides a compatible screen resolution.

  Companies that invest the time and money in responsive web design are providing customers with a better experience, which gives them a distinct competitive edge.

Don’t stretch yourself too thin across all social media platforms.  Instead of having a lackluster representation in a lot of places, be well defined on a few of them.

There is a social media network out there for everyone, but unless you have a robust social media team, it’s a waste of time and resources to be on all of them. When it comes to choosing which one is right for your business, ask yourself the following questions:  

What are we selling? If you’re selling a service (e.g. a law firm, masseur, etc.) social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn etc. will be most advantageous. Facebook allows you to supplement photos with larger amounts of content, and Twitter lets you quickly communicate important messages. Photo-sharing networks, like Instagram and Pinterest, are great for businesses with tangible products or a cool brand, like outdoor clothing & gear designer, Patagonia. Under the username @wornwear, their Instagram feed is primarily photos posted by customers sporting their own Patagonia products.

What type of media do we want to broadcast? What is the best way to communicate your brand – photos, text or video? Home-related businesses and tourism organizations flourish on photo-sharing networks like Houzz, Pinterest and Instagram, where users can save and share inspirational photos. Event promoters use Twitter to tweet about events before, during and after. They can also hashtag events, encouraging attendees to do the same. Businesses like restaurants and salons thrive on Yelp, where they’re authentically promoted through customer reviews.

What are my objectives? Do you want to expand your brand or do you want to sell more cars? Do you want to increase your search engine rankings or garner consumer feedback? Consider using Google+ to improve your SEO. Sites like Facebook, Pinterest and Houzz will be optimal in driving people to your website. Twitter is great for real-time customer service.

What offers the best potential for reaching our target audience? When executing a social media campaign, it’s important to know what platform your target audience is using. Here are a few stats to consider:

Facebook is the leading social media platform, with a fairly even mix of men and women, ages 18-64. 

Pinterest will be most beneficial in targeting women, ages 21-35.

Twitter has a fairly even mix of men and women between the ages of 18-29. 

LinkedIn is skewed towards the male gender, ages 30-64. It’s useful for targeting white-collar, highly educated business professionals.

If you want to get more done in a day you may just need to work smarter, not harder. Follow these techniques to become the master of your own time:

 1)    Make a Schedule: Allocate 30 minutes in the morning to making a to-do list and working those tasks into a well-timed schedule.  At the end of the day, make a list of what you did not get to while it’s still fresh in your mind.

2)   Order of importance: Prioritize your most important tasks. Complete these tasks earlier in the day because you’re more likely to deviate from your schedule later on.

3)   Time blocks: Create time blocks for high-priority tasks and have the discipline to stay on track. The time constraint will push you to focus and be more efficient, even if you have to go back to add more later.

4)   Scheduled interruptions: Plan to be pulled away from what you’re doing. Schedule a time to answer emails and return phone calls.

5)   Learn to say “no”: Don’t drop what you’re doing to answer emails and phone calls unless it’s absolutely critical in your business to offer an immediate human response. Learn to differentiate between the important and the urgent.

6)   Early bird gets the worm: Don’t procrastinate – it’s much less stressful to get an early start on something.  By doing a little at a time, not only will you be less stressed out at the eleventh hour, but you’ll also have more time to perfect your ideas.

Promoting an event in 2014? Get the Low-Down, Trellis Marketing's event advertising package that includes production, television commercial airtime, public relations and more! Click here to see our packages!

At Trellis Marketing, creating ad copy for our clients that really resonates, is critical. Here are the five keys to crafting messages that produce results:

 1. Clarify thoughts. The first step toward understandable language is clear thinking. Before writing any business message, take the time to distill key points of differentiation about your company. Can you describe your product or service clearly and succinctly? What qualities differentiate your offerings from others in the industry? How will customers benefit? If you can't reply to these questions without hesitation, focus on developing clear explanations.

2. Energize descriptions. Through your words, you can motivate and convey action. To create messaging with impact, rely on verbs full of energy. Consider this powerful line from a recent television commercial for MP Caroll Hardwood. “So gather up your tools and a little courage…and do it yourself.”

 3. Create snapshots. Clear words and messages have the ability to paint word pictures. Vivid images leave impressions in customers' minds, giving them a sense of your business and the people behind your operation. Be sincere and show your humanity and commitment. Then, back up your words and show that your business is genuine.

4. Simplify sentences. Through simple language, you can help readers understand your business. Complexity and clutter make processing information difficult, so don't pack multiple ideas into sentences. Make your thoughts easy to digest.

Want to build your client relationships? Ask these three "power questions" to enhance your existing relationship and strengthen it for the future. "Power questions shift the conversation to the other person, as opposed to you just talking about your products and services." Here are three such queries to get your next client conversation started.

What have we done recently that you found particularly valuable?

Can you give me suggestions for improving communication with you and your organization?

What are your three most important priorities for next year?

 All good relationships are based on the other person's priorities…knowing those allows you to really help.

 With attention spans short and competition intense, clear language is essential to help marketing messages sing and spark interest in your business.