Strickland’s Window Coverings and Carolina Closet Company are sister companies with similar target audiences. They found a forum to reach those audiences with WILMA’s print and online editions, and at the WILMA Expo.
 
About Strickland’s Window Coverings and Carolina Closet Company:
 
Strickland’s Window Coverings was founded in 1941 and provides window coverings for homes and businesses throughout the Carolinas. Carolina Closet Company has provided organizational design solutions for this area and beyond since 1996. Both companies are owned by Fred Kumpel.
 
Business challenge: 
 
Strickland’s Window Coverings and Carolina Closet Company offer a vast array of products and services, Kumpel said. For example, Strickland’s Window Coverings has more than 20 different product lines from shutters to sheers to window shades, while Carolina Closet Company offers organization design solutions for every room in the house from kitchen pantries to garages. 
 
With so much to offer customers, “We needed a forum where we could highlight our vast company offerings without overwhelming our target audience,” Kumpel said.
 
What WILMA did to help address the challenge:  
 
“By publishing regular Insights articles in the WILMA print magazine and regular blog posts on wilmaontheweb.com, we were able to introduce a wide range of our products to the public in an entertaining, informative, easy-to-digest format,” Kumpel said.  “Each month, readers were able to learn about another area where Strickland’s Window Coverings and Carolina Closet Company can be of service. Whether it was allergy-friendly window treatments for the annual WILMA health issue or speculation on how past Azalea queens might have organized their closets, we introduced specific, timely topics that presented far more information than a standard print ad.”
 
The companies are also regular exhibitors at the WILMA Expo, which puts their product and service offerings in front of attendees. The WILMA Expo also provides an opportunity for the sales staff to answer questions and meet prospective customers.
 
The Results:
 
“With copies of WILMA magazine in the lobby of our showroom, announcements on our Facebook page directing fans to new issues, and internet referrals via the WILMA website, we were able to maintain a constant presence in the local social media conversation,” Kumpel said. “Furthermore, having a regular presence in printed publications that are distributed throughout the community meant we could introduce ourselves to potential customers as they waited in doctors’ offices and hair salons or stopped by the grocery store.”

If you want to share your experience about how advertising with us has helped your business or organization, please email Melissa Pressley at [email protected].