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On Demand and Web Ink Now

It's been a few weeks since the last post and I am back in action!

On Demand
Last week was On Demand 2007 in Boston. For those not familiar with this Trade Show - it is focused for those in the digital printing sector of the already large (to say the least) printing and communications industry. WhatTheyThink.com did a great job of covering the event on a daily basis and said that about 25,000 people came through the showroom floor from the 17th - 19th. Now they are gearing up for another year in Boston, March 3-6th, 2008.

Although this was my first time attending On Demand, everyone seemed high spirited the 2nd day (Wednesday), as those who were unable to make it in due to the nasty weather hitting the east that past weekend started to flow in. It seems like the general consensus among vendors was that the booths had some decent traffic moving through them! I invite anyone who was there to leave comments on what they saw or experienced!

Web Ink Now
I recently came across a blog: WebInkNow.com written by David Meerman Scott, an author who has written books about leadership and marketing and I thought I would share it with you. He has a book out that I am interested in reading, The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use News Releases, Blogs, Podcasting, Viral Marketing and Online Media to Reach Buyers Directly, since using multiple mediums of communication to communicate is what is letting those "in the know" communicate effectively with their audience. I put a link to the book in our Recommended Reading section on the left.

~ Maria

To Blog or Not to Blog

As many of you know, both Peter and I have been wanting to get this blog up and running for quite some time now. We don’t want this to become a one-way dialogue or a diary of our own company. More importantly we want to keep everyone engaged and hold topics that are thought provoking and encourage discussion.

In the past few months we have had many discussions on the benefits of blogging among all industries and more specifically print. There are not many blogs out there for our industry, yet many players in the industry have been talking about getting one up and running – ranging from the corporate arena, government agencies, educational institutions, commercial and in-plant printers and their customers, to name a few. Within those who we have talked to, we have recognized that there are those who have a blog, those who are thinking of starting a blog (but something is holding them back) or do not want to have one at all. Looking from a business development standpoint, it is a great way to communicate with your peers and those who are curious of what we are up to.

For those who are hesitant of starting one – many of the questions that we have been presented with range from who is going “own” the blog, what are others going to think, is HR going to hold us back, are we going to get our hand slapped for stating our observations and what are we going to talk about?

So my suggestion for getting started on a blog is to start by understanding what it is and what it takes to be successful. An article that I came across in Entrepreneur magazine titled “How to Harness the Marketing Power of Blogs” lays out 3 key suggestions on how to start a business blog:

1. Great content: If your content isn't interesting and relevant to your target market, your blog won't work. It's as simple as that. You'll be surprised, however, how easy it is to find      things to write about if you really put your mind to it. It could be news articles about your industry, product updates, interviews, personal insights into topics of importance to your target audience, and much more.     
2. Regular updating: I won't lie to you: there are some days when I really find it hard to find the time to post a new article. But if I don't post, no one will come back. It's like subscribing to a daily newspaper but only getting a copy delivered now and then! So post often and your audience will keep coming back. And regularly adding fresh content to your blog also gives you a boost in the search engine rankings.
3. Your own distinct voice: It's important that you write in your own voice. A blog is no place for formality and corporate speak. It's more of a forum, a place where ideas can flourish      and topics of current interest can be debated. You don't even need to be a brilliant writer; you just need to be able to relate to your audience and give them good content.

This article can be found on the Entreprenuer.com website. http://www.entrepreneur.com/ebusiness/ebusinesscolumnist/article84232.html

 

Speaking about industry blogs, we would love to thank those who have been great advocates and resources for us!

Adam Dewitz has been a great help in encouraging us and helping us to get our Blog up and running. His blog can be found at: www.printmode.net

Peter recently MC’d an event in Chicago during Graph Expo for Xerox’s Premier Partner Congress and we were highlighted in their live blog during the session: http://www.inthebalanceblog.com/blog/ 

Dr. Joe Webb has also been a fantastic resource for us. You can find his blog at: http://www.drjoesblog.com/

And lastly, although Seth Godin is not an industry player per-say, he has been a great resource for Peter and I to go to for “how to market in today’s market” kinds of ideas. Many of you also know, we are huge advocates of his books and are always looking for the next one. His blog can be found at: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/

~ Maria

Let the Blogging Begin!

Maria and I put our heads together and finally got up the gumption to get this blog going. Our reason for publishing is to share ideas and opportunities we observe in the business world, consumer world, graphic communication world as well as little things to help you develop yourself.

We spent the last two days at an Xplor meeting in Ocean City, MD. During the the two day workshop we caught glimpses of the struggles all associations go through trying to grow membership, retain existing membership as well as get people to play a more active role in the direction and delivery of value to all members. I think they are on the right path to be successful because of their commitment to keep up with the times and offer multiple touch points to network, learn and develop individuals and organizations.

We see so many companies struggling with the need to get a word out...we too have issues keeping in touch with all our great customers and potential customers and we hope this blog will help let you know what we are thinking, where we are going and hope that you'll like to learn about some great opportunities for all of us to be successful.

-Peter Muir