As 2011 draws to an end, Laidlaw Group takes time to reflect on the milestones of the past year and is poised to move onward into 2012. The year was filled with growth for Laidlaw. Our concentration on branding integration has allowed us to rise to the next level of integrated communications in social and mobile.

Our ability to create great work goes hand in hand with the company we keep. The Laidlaw team thrives on the ability to work together toward a common vision and we understand that teamwork directs individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It fuels ordinary people to attain extraordinary results and sits at the core of Laidlaw’s work ethic.

The story reads the same for our clients who surround us. The freedom our clients give us allows the creation of exceptional work and results in the reward of mutual respect and trust. We are lucky to have clients that are as passionate about what they do as we are about what we do. We would like to thank all of our clients for their continued respect and teamwork!

With 2012 in our sights we are eager to move forward and flourish as a fully integrated marketing communications company. With the latest introduction of our web based mobile app we have expanded the scope of our business and now offer our clients the ability to provide access to their customers 24/7. Full integration of our client’s brand and vision, across all platforms and media, has been the drive at Laidlaw Group from the very beginning. It is the fuel that heats up the excitement of achievement and 2012 looks like a hot one.

In Classic Style, the luxury online magazine created by renowned restauranteur Carl Christian will soon be launching a web-based app for its members. The app is being designed and developed by Laidlaw Group. In Classic Style joins Boston’s Best Cruises and Water Taxi who are currently working with Laidlaw Group to reach their customers via mobile.

Laidlaw knows mobile is a must in today’s tech-savvy world. We offer three solutions to bring our clients directly to their customers’ fingertips. We can create a mobile app, a mobile website designed specifically for ease of use on mobile devices or we can rebuild websites not currently viewable on mobile devices or tablets. “With our suite of mobile services, we’re putting our clients’ brands directly into the hands of their clients and customers,” says Cindy Laidlaw, agency Principal. “The proprietary platform we’ve developed for apps is web-based, instantly updatable and can be customized to meet a range of client needs, from connecting customers to Google Maps for wayfinding, providing e-commerce purchasing capabilities, offering instant access to dinner reservations and launching promotions. Our clients have immediate access to their customers 24/7.”

In Classic Style will benefit from Laidlaw’s substantial experience integrating print, web, social and mobile platforms to define brand identity. “Today, information accessibility has to be immediate and available from multiple platforms,” says Cindy Laidlaw, agency Principal.

For the founders of Object Lust, it was destiny that brought them together. As interior designers, Susan Schaub and Scott Bell share a passion for design, art and classical architecture. They both love antiquing for hours, traveling and shopping at the Paris flea markets and restoring and renovating period homes. They have a harmonious business style with impeccable attention to detail and quite simply, they compliment each other.

Now, 13 years later, their stars have aligned once again when they chose Laidlaw Group to launch their newest venture Object Lust. Laidlaw created the Object Lust website as a destination for design savvy consumers to search “to the trade” items by category and browse designer furniture brands, unique fabrics and decorative objects from leading manufacturers. Once the customer finds what they’re looking for, they call or email Object Lust and request product & pricing information.

In addition to designing the website, Laidlaw Group has created social destinations where consumers can interact with the company on Twitter and Facebook and visit the Object Lust Blog to learn about the latest trends in color, design, architecture and interior design. It’s nothing but spectacular for the consumer who wants to immerse themselves in the world of interior design.

For all of our clients, social media plays a critical role in establishing and strengthening brand identity as well as offering an invaluable connection to potential customers, partners and the world at large. Combined with our advertising, marketing, graphic design, web development, public relations and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) experience, Laidlaw Group understands the ever-increasing value of a comprehensive Social Influence Marketing (SIM) program, integrating Facebook, Twitter, blogs and more to benefit our clients and differentiate them in the marketplace.

In a recent article on ScienceBlogs, John Dupuis, head of the Steacie Science and Engineering Library at York University in Ontario, discusses his similar views on the impressive influence of social media and how colleges and universities have begun adding these components in the classroom environment.

According to a poll from Effie Worldwide and Mashable, companies including top firms like Bank of America, Colgate-Palmolive and Mini USA view social media as an essential and ever-growing facet of their marketing plans. In fact, over 70% of businesses polled stated they plan to increase their social media budget by at least 10% for the upcoming year.

At Laidlaw Group, we are experts at combining traditional marketing channels with evolving social media platforms including Facebook and Twitter, maximizing customer engagement and audience reach to strengthen our clients’ brands. Visit our website, become a Facebook fan and follow us on Twitter to learn more about our innovative work.

Yesterday, we were talking about mobile and its necessity as part of a successful integrated branding campaign. Today, the topic is SEO. We’ve pioneered a proprietary approach with Twitter, Facebook and the blogosphere, working together to heighten visibility for our clients.

When you walk into 28 Degrees in Boston’s South End, you immediately get a sense you are entering a dining experience like no other. Soft lighting illuminates plush furnishings and modern décor, creating an upscale, urban atmosphere. In contrast to its location on the bustling corner of Tremont and Appleton Street, 28 Degrees is a serene, chic oasis perfect for after-work social gatherings, an après theater nightcap or dessert, or a sampling of Boston’s most sophisticated nightlife.

From large urban research hospitals to small private practices‚ medical professionals from all sectors are recognizing the power of social media to assist them in the brand building that results in successful acquisition of new patients, practice growth and patient communication.

From the live Twitter coverage of a father-son kidney transplant to get more organ donors according to Betsy MacKay, vice president of public affairs for Children Medical Center in Dallas as reported by The Dallas Business Journal to the success of Mayo Clinic experts podcasting about health issues and gaining approximately 76,000 subscribers in one month according to the Jacksonville Business Journal ‚ there is no doubt that social media is becoming more and more important to success in the medical field.