SIDNEY — The owners of Creative Marketing Strategies, a marketing agency located in Historic Downtown Sidney, still cannot believe they have successfully completed their second year of ownership, and what a busy year it has been.

The first year was focused on learning about their clients’ businesses, educating them on what the agency now had to offer in terms of experience, while also rebranding the agency.

The second year concentrated on expanding their clientele and service territories with an all-in-one marketing solution approach. From concept to delivery, CMS manages all their customers’ design and print marketing, brand photography and videography, and website design and hosting.

Every business needs a website, and the agency was able to double the number of websites designed and hosted from the previous year. One expansion crucial to what they offer their customers was upgrading their hosting servers to allow a better experience for every customer’s website.

CMS’s print marketing services have been busier than ever with new clients in both Indiana and South Dayton, as well as local organizations that exclusively use CMS for all their print and design projects.

Cristina Jenkins, director of Print Marketing, shared, “I love designing, managing, and coordinating a non-profit’s entire fundraising print campaign, including annual reports, fundraising materials, mailings, and newsletters. Wernle Youth and Family Treatment Center was new to our clientele roster this year, and I was able to help them develop all their fundraising material.”

In addition to print and website marketing, the new owners are passionate about documenting with their cameras in hand through both photography and videography, a new service that they were able to introduce to the CMS service line.

Ali Rittenhouse, director of Digital Marketing, still cannot believe the opportunities that CMS has been able to document in this short time.

“This year feels like a dream! From watching the new arches being delivered and placed through the lens of a drone to going on stage to take photos at the first-ever Boots in the Street concert, and helping corporate client document their executive team’s visit. We have exceeded what we thought was possible when saying yes to purchasing CMS,” said Rittenhouse

CMS also noticed an increase in the use of videography for employee education this year with their corporate clients for Safety and New Employee Hire Trainings. Video education is successful because it helps the employee retain the information better by hearing, reading, and seeing the information.

Documenting processes also helps ensure that the training material is consistently presented to each employee. During the documenting process, CMS can capture still photography that allows their customers’ brands to have real and authentic photos to use in their marketing.

Giving back to the local community with their talents and services is important to the owners of CMS. In 2023, one of those projects allowed them to help the Shelby County Special Olympics create a new brand identity and additional branded material, including a tear-away banner that the athletes can run through at their games.

Creative Marketing Strategies is excited to complete one more expansion piece in the upcoming weeks to celebrate the success they’ve been able to achieve in two short years. Stay tuned…