Where’s The Beef?

Content is the heart of an effective web presence. No matter what your business is, it’s compelling, up-to-date and relevant content that attracts and engages users. If your content isn’t right, your customers simply won’t engage with it in the way you hope.

The rise of search and social marketing has not changed this basic truth about the way that the web works. When people link to you, they’re linking to your content. When they share via social networks, they’re sharing your content. It means that great content should be just as important to marketers as it is to the people using the internet to talk, learn and buy.

So in the end, it’s not the newest, shiniest social network that will propel your business forward. It will help, but it won’t rule. It turns out that content is still king.

Print, A Disrupted Industry?

I just got back from an eye-opening seminar where Dr. Joe Webb discussed his latest book entitled ‘Disrupting the Future.’ The book, and his talk, both start with hard economic data about where the Printing Industry was ten years ago and at current projections where it will be in ten more years.  Right off I have to say that only by flipping the book upside down will any of the charts look positive.  However, as the discussion deepens, it is evident that there are many opportunities if one pays less attention to the past and looks with fresh eyes toward the future.  Printing may have a lesser share of the total marketing pie now than before, but when used correctly it is a powerful tool for companies of all sizes.  As Dr. Webb described it, ‘Print is a strategic marketing choice that provides predictable ROI’ and used correctly can greatly enhance the effectiveness of all other marketing channels. That is why you see companies like Google and Facebook using targeted print campaigns to lure companies to advertise on their platforms.  They have probably determined that print is the best vehicle to reach the exact person they need to with a medium that will get attention.

I have been to several other events and conferences over the last few months and one common theme has emerged, and that is that there is still a lot of experimentation going on with all the media choices that now avail themselves to marketers.  For instance Dr. Webb today asked ‘have you seen any employment ads asking for someone with 10 years experience in Facebook?‘ Even experts are learning as they go. We are in the midst of a bit of chaos and struggle in the advertising world and and as Albert Einstein said “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”  I couldn’t agree more.  With the enhanced tools a printer now has (purls, qr codes, personalization, etc.) this is an exciting time and I personally think using print intelligently may be a marketers best friend.

Mind the Gap

If you have ever ridden the London Tube (subway) system you have probably heard the recording messages that continually remind passengers to ‘Mind the Gap.’  This is that space between the platform and the train that is fairly wide in some stations.  I find that this term is also appropriate in the direct marketing world for those people who put all their efforts in either online or offline channels but not both. Many times this gap is based on age.  Older direct marketing experts may have spent their entire career using and trusting direct mail and therefore hesitate moving into the online realm.  Whereas younger direct marketing professionals have grown up in the online world and see direct mail as passé or simply not cool.  What both groups are missing is that the combination of the two, offline and online, is almost always more effective than either method in isolation. Those who know how to straddle this gap are reaping the rewards.  Perhaps that is why direct mail spending is projected to grow 5.8% in 2011, according to a forecast released in January by the Winterberry Group.  Technology has brought mail into the mix of savvy marketers since it can be highly customized, it is personal and it is now very trackable. And it is highly effective when integrated with other media channels.  For that reason, just as it’s a mistake for a more seasoned marketer to ignore online marketing, it is equally a error for a younger marketer to mistakenly think that direct mail is no longer useful.  Mind the Gap.

Keeping Your Company Top of Mind

Do you regularly attend business seminars and read the latest books on improving yourself or your business? Have you noticed that a lot of times the information isn’t really new but just presented in another way. Right now you probably even have some book on your nightstand touting the 7 secrets of this or the 10 mistakes of that. So is it useful for you to continue the practice of learning what you may already know?  Of course it is. Why? Because these books and courses continually reinforce what is important to be successful both in your personal life and your business life. And hearing the same information with a slight twist can sometimes give you one of those ‘aha’ moments when you all of a sudden know exactly how you are going to integrate this knowledge into your daily life.

The same holds true for being top of mind with your customers.  You need to provide consistent messaging in various ways so that when your customer has that ‘aha’ moment your company is there on the spot ready to go. You need to be that book on their nightstand by keeping your marketing efforts highly visible.

Set up a marketing process where you send out a piece of mail every month. Make calls regularly. Make your presence known in the social media channels where your customers reside. In today’s competitive business, where people have lots of choices, make sure you are in front of them. Don’t let your customers think you are not thinking about them since they in turn will not be thinking about you.

I Invented the Renaissance and Caused the Reformation – I am your Printer

Margie Dana was  walking through the amazing Museum of Printing in North Andover last week, and spied the following text on a small poster on a wall written by Frank Romano . The title stopped her in her tracks. Being the consummate ‘print buyer’ she is I can understand why.

I Am a Printer

Thought provoking poem regarding the history and power of the printed page:

I Am a Printer
By Frank Romano

I have been around for 560 years
I invented the Renaissance and caused the Reformation
I have recorded war and peace

My pamphlets and documents created America
I take ideas and information and make them tangible
I print lofty Bibles and lowly forms

I am a printer

I help you promote and inform and entertain
My catalogs and direct mail are a spur to action
Like calling, clicking, or visiting
I communicate your brand and facilitate your marketing

I am a printer

I preserve and protect your most precious memories
My greeting cards say what you feel
My photo books are your families’ legacies
Freedom of the press began with me
I am still the reasoned and reliable history of our times

I am a printer

I put ink on paper and plastic and other materials
I produce packages and publications and products
My business is an extension of your business
Print and paper will transcend the digital age
Because print gets attention

Print is not a momentary image on a screen
You feel print in your hand even fleetingly
And that is its power: it moves you without moving

I am a printer

My industry and I care about the environment
I deal with responsible paper and ink suppliers
I recycle and conserve and reduce waste
I am your partner in progress

I am your printer

-Frank Romano

© 2010 Frank Romano. All rights reserved.

Right Place Right Time

Digital Printing has made it on the scene just in time to allow printers to meet the modern demands of marketers and ad agencies.  You are probably thinking that digital printing is not new? Of course digital production printing has been around for more than 20 years but only in the last couple of years has the quality improved to a point that in many cases it rivals offset printing.  There are very distinct applications for both printing processes and in many situations a hybrid solution using the two can even work beautifully.

Besides the improvement in quality there are several reasons that digital printing is now, and will continue, to be a growth area in commercial printing. Here are some of the main causes for the scale starting to tip toward digital printing:

-          Digital printing allows for true ‘just-in-time’ production.  Some companies have product changes, or upgrades, faster than the marketing department can keep accurate printed pieces for on the shelf.  Digital printing allows a company to order smaller quantities of brochures, product sheets, and other material without having boxes and boxes of obsolete material go to waste each year in a warehouse.

-          The price of color digital printing has become more competitive.  The digital presses we are talking about are not what you find in your average office.  Digital presses can run into hundreds of thousands of dollars and are designed for very heavy production environments. The faster speeds are allowing printers to be more efficient and cost competitive.

-          Marketers have learned the value of personalization. With a good prospect list and targeted variable printing the response rates for direct mail exceeds most other channels, including online and social media. Digital Printing makes variable, personalized,  printing possible.

-          Digital printing makes it feasible to accurately measure ROI with tools such as QR Codes, coupons, and Personalized URLs.  Printers, like Ussery, can now provide detailed reports showing when there is engagement with direct mail and how long that engagement lasts.

-          The internet, as in other areas of the business world, has made a huge impact on printing.  Printers can now provide companies with their own custom store-fronts (online) where all their documents can be ordered as needed. These online store-fronts can even be designed to allow the user to customize products online, within prescribed branding constraints, and then send a wysiwyg image to the printer with no subsequent proofing is necessary. The file arrives directly in a queue of the designated digital press, ready to print.

Every day I read, or hear, about at least one new application, process, or idea that keeps printing an exciting place to be.  Even though printing is one of the oldest channels of communications we are blazing new trials and are staying on the forefront of technology.

Be Folding Inspired

Last Wednesday Sappi brought their ‘Folded Inspiration’ show to the Dallas Museum of Art.  The presenters were Kit Hinrichs and Trish Witkowski and I think anyone who attended wanted to immediately go home and start playing with some of the cool folds presented during the evening.  It is profound how much a printed piece can become more interesting by a simple change in the way it is folded.  If you have not seen Trish’s 60-Second Fold-of-the-Week I encourage you to go to the Fold Factory’s Youtube channel and check out their archive at http://www.youtube.com/user/foldfactory or watch the video below .  We are happy to help you mock up some of these fun folds for your next project.

World Thought Leaders… In Their Own Words… For Free

 

If you’re looking for powerful speeches from some of the top thinkers in business, entertainment, and politics from around the world, look no further than TED.com. TED, which stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design, is a nonprofit group that sponsors conferences across the US and UK. Attendees pay to hear thought leaders ranging from Al Gore and Steve Jobs to Dr. Jane Goodall and writer J.J. Abrams.

What’s unique about TED is that the group makes all of its past speeches available free on its website and even allows reposting. An archive of over 600 speeches, searchable by name and topic/theme, is available, with translations into more than 75 languages. The site also includes a blog, a thriving online community, and information about upcoming events.

For more information visit http://www.ted.com. But be warned. Once you get there, you might never want to leave.

Don’t Assume

Never assume your current clients know all you can do for them. The best way to get more business is to get more from existing customers. The only way you can do that is to keep telling them all that you do. One marketing strategy for this is to send out a printed piece that lists all the things you do followed by pieces that expand on each individual item.

This strategy works well for most businesses — from lawn care to lawyers. Mowing, landscaping, xeriscaping, etc., followed by details of what each of those things is and why. Litigation, taxes, wills, etc., you get the picture.

Keep telling people about the things you do, and don’t get frustrated if they don’t seem to “get it” right away.  I still get people walking up to me who say, “Oh, you do that? I had no idea!” It can be frustrating when you think you’ve gotten your message out…but that sentence is an opportunity for you to tell people about yourself and what you do.

How Are You Using Your Time?

I ran across a startling infographic I thought I’d share with you. It’s on the website Information Is Beautiful, at http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/2010/cognitive-surplus-visualized/. US adults spend roughly 200 billion hours (combined) watching TV each year. By contrast, it took just 100 million hours to create Wikipedia.
All of us at one time or another have wished we had more time. But have we stopped to think about how we’re using the time we have? Are we contributing more to mindless activities like watching TV, or are we using our time for more worthwhile pursuits?

It’s something to think about, the next time you reach for the remote control.