Netsertive Launches Dedicated Fitness Industry Marketing Solution

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC, June 17, 2011 (Press-News.org) Netsertive, a fast growing online ad technology company, has announced the creation of a dedicated fitness industry marketing solution to be led by industry veteran Buzz Truitt. The new offering is in response to the growing need of dealers and manufacturers of specialty exercise equipment, along with health clubs, gyms and training studios, to be discovered online and to successfully target local customers, even as they primarily do business "offline."

Netsertive's technology platform, time-tested in additional select industries, specifically addresses the needs of small to medium-sized businesses and their suppliers, helping both reach new customers with previously unavailable online targeting capability. According to a 2010 study from media consulting firm BIA/Kelsey, 97 percent of consumers use online search tools to research products and services in their local area before making a purchase. Netsertive helps local fitness businesses — and their national manufacturers — embrace this new reality by efficiently funneling online search discovery into offline sales.

"If a local fitness club and retail shop, or national equipment manufacturer, is not beating the competition with an online presence — and proper targeting — it will undoubtedly lead to missed sales opportunities," said Brendan Morrissey, CEO, Netsertive. "Online search has become the first step for health-conscious consumers researching fitness products and services, and this represents an incredible opportunity for local 'offline' businesses."

Netsertive's exclusive system continually refines its proprietary knowledgebase for the fitness industry, delivering search advertising as well as co-branded online display (banner) advertising — at a fraction of the cost of many traditional marketing tactics — because it is data-driven and hyper-responsive to industry dynamics.

"Netsertive has definitely helped my business," said Tom Flanagan, owner of US Fitness Products, with three locations in North Carolina. "We are seeing significantly higher traffic on our website, as well as markedly increased traffic in our store. Partnering with Netsertive has resulted in real success for US Fitness Products. It's great to have a partner to work with that understands the nuances of our industry."

To date, more than 6,000 prospects have been sent to US Fitness Products' website via paid search advertising. In the past six months, display ads co-branded with Precor and LifeFitness have generated more than 2 million impressions and delivered 1,700 prospects to http://www.usfitness.com.

To support these efforts, Netsertive has hired Buzz Truitt as director, business development - fitness, health and wellness. Truitt has 19 years' experience in the health, fitness and sporting goods industries. His previous experience includes serving as vice president of marketing, where he oversaw the Nautilus, StairMaster and Schwinn fitness brands. Truitt was president of The Buzz Consulting Group, and serves on advisory boards for Exercise TV, Beamfit and Community Choices. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications from the University of California, Davis.

"Netsertive deliberately focuses on a targeted set of vertical industries where we can make a true impact on the bottom line of local businesses and their national manufacturers," said Morrissey. "We understand the critical importance of having deep working knowledge within a particular industry. Buzz brings this to us for the fitness industry, and we are confident he will lead our efforts to help retail and commercial businesses capitalize on the many innovative online marketing opportunities that now exist."

About Netsertive
Based in the Research Triangle Park near Raleigh, N.C., Netsertive (www.netsertive.com) helps small and medium-sized businesses and their product manufacturers attract consumers and increase sales through its patent-pending online marketing technology. The company, backed by prominent venture capital firms RRE Ventures and Greycroft Partners, works with clients, one-on-one, to increase offline sales with its data-driven approach to online search and display advertising. Netsertive's Local Extend program enables manufacturers to provide dealers with turnkey, locally targeted online marketing campaigns pre-loaded with high-impact display (banner) ads that raise brand and product awareness, directing qualified customers to local business websites and physical locations to effectively convert online discovery into offline sales. Its proprietary "Learning Engine" technology and digital co-op platform ensure that clients acquire the largest number of qualified website visitors for a given advertising budget, using vertical industry data analysis to automate campaign improvements. Netsertive serves a wide range of local businesses in North America and manufacturers who leverage local businesses for sales distribution.