Author: Kimberly Cronk

By Laurie Hileman

Being active on social media is a great way for your business to build trust and develop relationships with key stakeholders, including customers, prospects, employees, and community members. Jennifer Brinks, a social media consultant with The F.P. Horak Company, a print and marketing solutions provider, shares five common social media mistakes to help you avoid alienating the very people you want to attract.

Mistake 1. You share content not relevant to your brand. Just because you could watch cute cat videos all day, doesn’t mean your customers want to see them. Only post or share content that directly supports who you are as an organization.

Mistake 2. Your tone and message don’t match the platform. LinkedIn is all about business professionals connecting with other professionals, so keep it business-focused. With Facebook, on the other hand, “You’re talking to literally everyone,” says Brinks. “Add a human touch to your posts so people understand they’re talking not just to a business but to an actual person behind the screen.”

Mistake 3. You spam your audience with post overload. People don’t want to see five new posts from your organization every time they look at their Facebook feed. Shoot for four – five posts per week, says Brinks. Ensure that your posts per day align with your audience’s expectations.

Mistake 4. You don’t respond quickly to inquiries. Customers expect prompt responses to questions. Social media is more than 9-to-5, but it also doesn’t have to be 24/7. Put the days and times you’re available online clearly on your page.

Mistake 5. Your profile is not up to date. Nothing is worse than having a customer look up your business hours and show up, only to find you closed for summer hours or other seasonal changes. Always keep your phone number, address, hours, and website information current.

By Lorrie Bryan

We are visual creatures who are attracted to visual elements (meaning, we like to look at things). And most of us are visual learners as well. Our brains are wired to collect and process information primarily through our eyes. So well-designed infographics—charts, graphs, pull quotes, stats, visual depictions of data, illustrations, and more—are one of the best ways for companies to share information with customers and prospects while simultaneously building a brand.

4 REASONS TO ADD INFOGRAPHICS

1. Infographics are more attractive and engaging than plain text. 

In the deluge of text we daily peruse, infographics are a respite, an attractive and comfortable place for our eyes to easily glean information.

2. Infographics can convey complex concepts in a format that is readily assimilated.  

A quick look at a good infographic can offer readers the same information that would otherwise be conveyed in a lengthy paragraph (that they won’t necessarily take the time to read).

3. Infographics are shareable across social media and can boost your online presence. 

Because they are attractive, infographics are more likely to be shared than a post consisting of plain text. And because they are embeddable, they are easily shared. When infographics are designed and published, the code to put it on a WordPress blog or website is provided as an embed code. This creates an automatic link back to your site when the infographic is shared on social media networks such as Facebook, Pinterest, and LinkedIn, driving traffic back to your website.

4. Infographics can build awareness and boost your brand.

An infographic readily reflects your brand (without being overt) when it includes consistent colors, shapes, and messages along with your logo. Like other good content, good infographics keep your brand top-of-mind in a positive way. Sharing valued information can help position your company as an expert on the topic you are addressing in your industry. Plus, you nurture your relationships with your clients and build your online network.

By Laurie Hileman

In 1994 there were roughly 46,000 printing companies in the United States, according to Printing Industries of America.Today, the number hovers around 26,000. An industry in peril? Far from it, says Martin Maloney, executive vice president of the Printing Industries Alliance, an organization serving printers in the metro-New York City area. As a 40-year-veteran working in and around the printing industry, Maloney says, “print is alive and well.” Like so many other industries facing consolidation in the wake of the digital tidal surge of the late ’80s and early ’90s, Maloney says the declining number of printers is largely the result of mergers and acquisitions, rather than shops being shuttered. However, the decline in traditional printing and rise of digital technology has forced printers to rethink their business models in order to survive in an ever-changing marketplace. Here, industry experts and a successful printer share their experiences from the trenches, including valuable lessons learned, and how—by focusing on customer needs—growth opportunities for any business, across all sectors, can be found in unlikely places.

You’ve got to go out and find opportunities, solve problems, and earn business—then add the technology.

~Tim Dust, President, The F.P. Horak Company

LESSON NO.1: Adapt or die

“The printer who stands still is not going to survive,” says Maloney. Ed Chalifoux, president of the Printing Industry Association of the South, agrees. “It’s a tough business if you just do print,” Chalifoux says. He suggests print profit leaders are those that focus on efficiency while at the same time offer expanding service offerings to better meet the needs of their customers. These services often include database management, eCommerce and digital storefronts, transactional printing, web hosting, custom publishing and content development, wide-format printing, promotional items and wearables, integrated marketing, and even packaging solutions and labels. “[These are the] things you never thought about 10 years ago, 20 years ago,” says Chalifoux. “Now we’re doing whatever we can do to add value to our customer.” A focus on customers and strategic approach to investment is how Tim Dust, president of Saginaw, Michigan-based The F.P. Horak Company describes his organization’s business plan. Because the company began as a rotary forms printer, he can safely say that The F.P. Horak Company’s largest challenge has been the decline in traditional printing. “Within our customer base and within our market, we typically don’t lose customers, but we’ve seen a decline in the amount of print that’s being purchased,” says Dust. “In order to grow and keep up with the decline on the traditional side, it requires a really good plan and really good execution.” That plan began in the late ’80s, when the company started adding major strategic components to the business. Sheet-fed equipment came first. Then black-and-white digital printing, followed by digital color and mailing services. In recent years, custom publishing, creative design services, and eCommerce technology platforms have also been added.

“As customers’ needs are changing, we’re changing, too,” says Dust.

LESSON NO.2: Invest Strategically

Benny Landa’s invention of the digital printing press in 1993 forever changed the print industry with the introduction of shorter runs and the ability to use variable data. But the new technology came with a hefty price tag at a time when profit margins began to wither.

While printing has always been a capital-intensive industry, Chalifoux says, “The decline in traditional print revenue is forcing printers to be more careful with how they purchase equipment and products.” According to Maloney, digital presses can range from $1 million to several million dollars.

“Before, we could make a mistake on a purchase and get by. Now, if you make the wrong mistake, it will put you out of business,” says Chalifoux.

Maloney and Chalifoux agree that printers need to stay abreast of what’s going on in terms of technology and to invest when and where it makes sense in relation to their customer base.

It’s a sentiment echoed by Dust and his executive leadership team, who tend to stay away from buying technology for the sake of technology. “You’ve got to go out and find opportunities, solve problems, and earn business—then add the technology,” says Dust.

LESSON NO.3: Leverage relationships with customers

Businesses that rely on relationships with customers forged throughout years of service can use that to their advantage. Today, customers are “turning to people they trust,” says Maloney, to help them navigate this new digital world.

“Twenty years ago, nobody wanted to do business with you unless you were a proven expert,” says Maloney. “Today, they’re (customers) willing—if you’ve made them happy in one area—to take a chance on you and do business in a second area. But you’ve got to be good at it, because if you’re not, you’re jeopardizing the first area.”

Maloney uses integrated marketing as an example. “Instead of thinking of ‘new’ media as the enemy, embrace it,” says Maloney. He references studies demonstrating a jump in response rates when direct mail is combined with social or another form of online media. “A single medium doesn’t usually cut it for most people, but a combination works very well,” he says.

Dust agrees. “We’ve assembled a team of people who can create ideas, concepts, and programs—and we use technology, too—to provide integrated marketing solutions and different approaches that help customers control brand and drive revenue.” He uses the example of custom magazine publishing. Not only does the company develop the content and design for the printed piece, it can produce digital flipbooks, social media campaigns, and content blogs as a complement to the print magazine.

Embracing change and expanding service offerings to meet evolving customer demands is critical for growth in today’s complex digital world—a world where print continues to play a consistently vital role.

“We’re in an amazing period of opportunity,” says Maloney.

SHEDDING THE STEREOTYPE

If the idea of finding and vetting a new vendor for your first-ever social media campaign or private-label magazine leaves you feeling overwhelmed, you might have a secret weapon in your back pocket.

Your printer.

Consider asking the folks whom you’ve trusted for years to deliver high-quality print materials on time and within budget—and see what they can do. Chances are they’re already intimately familiar with your organization, your marketing strategy, and your long-term business goals. And they just might be able to help you with:

• Content marketing, content strategy, and custom content
• Custom publishing
• Digital asset management
• eCommerce solutions (B2B)
• Forms printing
• Fulfillment services
• Graphic design and illustration
• High-speed inkjet printing
• Integrated marketing
• Labels printing
• Mailing services
• Office supplies
• Packaging design and packaging materials
• Photography
• Print resource management consulting
• Promotional items
• Social media management
• Traditional, full-service printing
• Video development
• Warehousing
• Wearables
• Website development and management
• Wide-format printing

What if your printer can’t help you with these solutions? Well, then, it might be time to find a new printer—or should we say a print and integrated marketing partner?

By Lorrie Bryan

You’ve likely heard the widely touted statement by Forrester Research’s Dr. James McQuivey that a one-minute video is worth 1.8 million words. Note, though, that this popular assertion (100,000+ references on Google) is not a scientific conclusion based on research comparing ROIs. Rather, it’s an assumption based on the simple equation that a 60-second video includes 1,800 pictures, each worth 1,000 words—according to the popular idiom first purported more than 100 years ago.

Beyond the clichés, however, there’s real evidence that suggests that video marketing is gaining value and should be part of your integrated marketing strategy. A compelling video can effectively engage discerning consumers who otherwise fast-forward through TV commercials (or prefer to stream commercial-free), skip the YouTube commercials, block pop-up ads, exile most of their emails to the spam folder, and banish the bulk of their mail to the waste bin.

Here are some recent statistics:

• Combining video with full-page ads boosts engagement by 22 percent (Rhythm New Media).
• After viewing a video, 65 percent of executives visit the marketer’s website and 39 percent call a vendor (Forbes).
• Including video in an email leads to a whopping 200-300 percent increase in click-through rate (Forrester Research).
• About 36 percent of online consumers trust video ads (NielsenWire).

“Video is no longer an up-and-coming marketing tactic. It’s here, and it’s a powerful way to communicate your brand story, explain your value proposition, and build relationships with your customers and prospects,” says Andrea Horner, marketing director for Magline, a leading manufacturer in the materials handling industry. “We use video marketing as a means to provide prospective customers with relevant information to help them make a knowledgeable buying decision. We create videos that demonstrate sample applications, explain specifications for the savvier buyer, and utilize testimonials of customers who have already adopted the new product into their supply chain. We link the videos to our social media, website, blog, eBlast campaigns, and direct mail efforts.”

Magline has been using video for decades, but tying product videos to marketing campaigns is more recent. Horner says that the company now won’t launch a new product without a video. “Utilizing video in our content marketing efforts has increased our SEO, has increased customer engagement (it is very easy to share and comment on videos), and has produced higher click-through rates to our website,” she says. “It has definitely helped drive sales and assisted with penetration into nontraditional markets for us.”

Essentials Of Effective Video Marketing

You may be familiar with the video button on your smartphone, but that doesn’t mean you can (or should) create engaging marketing videos for your company. “Many have a false understanding that any video content is good and more is better. But just like in the print world, better is better, and your brand depends on how well your story is packaged,” explains Mark Plante, producer of the Magline videos. “Although nearly everyone these days is equipped with the technology to capture video, the success of your brand depends on the respect you give your audience by delivering them a high-quality, well-executed message.”

So how do you best package your story? What is essential for high-quality, effective video marketing? Here are four suggestions from video marketing experts Plante, owner of Imageworks LTD, a full-service video production company, and Steve Cronk, co-founder of Aberro Creative, an award-winning marketing agency.

Including video on a landing page can increase conversion by 80 percent

~www.unbounce.com

Tell a story

Whether you’re demonstrating how a new product can be used or sharing your company’s history, a good story is the foundation of a good video. Your video should not be a static PowerPoint presentation with outlined talking points. Rather, it should be a drama that highlights your product or service.

“First with television and later with the early stages of online video advertising, there was an assumption that you could force people to watch your video. You selected your message, put it in a 30-second spot, then paid money to jam it in front of as many eyeballs as you could afford,” explains Cronk. “But today, viewers have more control. They’re fast-forwarding past commercials, skipping YouTube ads, and installing ad blockers. Most web browsing happens on phones that won’t auto-play videos. You can’t force people to watch your video anymore—they have to choose to watch it. But nobody chooses to watch an advertisement, and this has led to an evolution away from blatant advertising and toward storytelling.”

You should stop thinking like a marketer and start thinking like a screenwriter, Cronk advises. “The video should end in a different place than it starts, and the content should reveal how we got from A to B. Along the way, we should experience challenges, failures, breakthroughs, and consequences. Your brand is the hero of this story; its unique characteristics should be crucial in helping us go from A to B,” Cronk explains.

He cites the example of a video his company produced for an award-winning small Michigan hard cider producer. “The Forgotten Ciders video tells the story of this cidery’s one-of-a-kind apple varieties and unique commitment to heritage. After watching it, you immediately understand why their hard cider is different from everyone else’s.”

The video’s storyline is carried by both verbal and visual narrative arcs. “Verbally, the speakers establish the history of the orchard and its rare apple varieties, and then explain how their family produces cider today. Visually, we see an abbreviated ‘farm-to-tap’ process,” Cronk explains. “The video opens on rows of trees and ends with a bottle of cider being poured. In between, we see the work—from driving a tractor to bottling the cider—necessary to get from A to B. It’s not as black-and-white as, say, a sitcom’s plot structure, but it’s enough to keep the video moving forward. The slow motion pour at the end is the culmination of both of those narratives.”

Offer a distinct point of view

Cronk adds that a distinct point of view, or voice—notable in the Forgotten Ciders video—is essential because viewers crave authenticity. “Especially when working with a large team, it can be easy to make a video that is so safe and inoffensive that it’s boring. Don’t be afraid to stand for something. The corollary is that you must also be willing to stand against something,” he says. “Not everyone will enjoy your video or even agree with you—and that’s OK. Be honest. Be human. Don’t hide from debate or controversy—embrace it.”

Target visual appeal

Every frame, every image in a video matters and should support your message and illustrate your story. “A great story needs great visuals—video images that illustrate your story in a powerful way so that you are not depending on words and graphics to tell your complete story,” Plante says. He also notes that you need great graphics. “You have to stay true to your brand, but you also need to incorporate new motion techniques. You have to be creative to engage your audience.”

Be concise

One of the timeless tenets of great writing, written by William Strunk Jr. nearly a hundred years ago in The Elements of Style, says that vigorous writing is concise. “…This requires not that the writer make all his sentences short, or that he avoid all detail and treat his subjects only in outline, but that every word tell.” Likewise, vigorous videos should be concise.

“On the internet, attention spans are incredibly short. Many people think this just means you should make your video as short as possible, but that’s not exactly true,” Cronk explains. “Yes, you should cut anything that is not essential to the story. That’s as true for online video as it is for feature films. But the more important takeaway is that your video should quickly promise progress toward an end goal. People will happily watch a longer video if they can feel it moving from point A to point B. Very early in the video, we want to catch the viewer’s attention, show progress on our journey, and promise that there will be payoff at the end.”

Is video marketing here to stay? Cronk says there’s no going back. “Once the Pandora’s Box of ad blockers and skippable video ads was opened, it’s hard to imagine anyone could close it again without losing their audience. Not only is this trend here to stay, but we’ll see it accelerate in the future as viewers have even more control over their media,” he predicts.

By Kathryn Will

A company has a great job opening: competitive pay, room for growth, and a progressive and flexible office culture. But it only gets a handful of applicants, few of whom stand out as the clear choice.

The problem? Not embracing social media as an essential recruiting tool.

Today, at least 76 percent of adults online and 65 percent of all adults use at least one social networking site, according to the Pew Research Center, which is up from 7 percent of all adults and 10 percent of online adults in 2005. A globalwebindex.net poll of 170,000 Internet users found that the average user logs 1.72 hours per day on social platforms, accounting for 28 percent of all online activity. High social media use equates to positions filling faster at a lower recruitment cost.

BENEFITS OF SOCIAL RECRUITING

Posting jobs and soliciting candidates on social media helps to ensure reaching a wider audience than traditional forms of recruiting, such as posting the job to the company’s website or publishing the job in a print publication. And the wider audience reached includes passive candidates who are not actively seeking out a job. Recruiting via social media also may lead to finding better-qualified candidates. Pew found 76 percent of those with a college degree or graduate degree are using social media, and the same study found social media use declines with education level.

According to www.glassdoor.com, a job-search website featuring job postings and employee reviews of salaries, benefits, and other company information, social recruiting allows companies to vet potential hires and to build and solidify their own brand as a great company to work for. For example, GE posts across its social media platforms employee profiles and stories of what it’s like to work for the company, drawing thousands of readers to its Careers Blog, according to “A Guide to Social Recruiting,” by Glassdoor.

A poll of job-seekers and recruiters by www.jobvite.com, a web-based recruiting platform, found that 59 percent of hiring professionals rank social networks as the best source for “highest quality” candidates, second only to referrals, which was ranked as the top choice by 64 percent of polled recruiters.

Such benefits point to a high ROI—in dollars and human capital—by adopting a social recruiting strategy.

BY Laurie Hileman

Inboxes are out.

Can you blame us? Our devices are flooded with email, ads, and offers on an hourly basis. It’s no wonder we’re reaching for (or swiping) the delete button faster than we can say “no, thanks.”

When results matter, savvy marketers are finding old-fashioned direct mail to be the “new” thing. A well-targeted, uniquely crafted piece in the hands of prospects delivers a sensory experience unmatched by any electronic form.

Simply put, mail is an experience readers remember. Studies show direct mail and tangible advertisements create an emotional connection in the brain.* And with data from the U.S. Postal Service showing that 98 percent of Americans check their mail daily**, messages in those trusty mailboxes get noticed.

In today’s digital age, consumers place a premium on print communications. Use it to your advantage with a direct mail campaign that sets your business apart.

Sources: 

* http://www.thenewsletterpro.com/direct-mail-marketing-tangible-results-in-the-digital-age/

** http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/242731

*** http://gkic.com/blog/marketing-2/the-demise-of-direct-mail-strictly-a-grand-illusion/