The Communicator

Logging On is So Yesterday

2011-06-17T11:53:00.002-04:00

Guest Blogger - Steve Puckett, Prepress Manager

QR codes are so handy that even I (digitally speaking and old timer) start to wonder why they aren’t as common as phone numbers.

Sitting at lunch one day this week I noticed a flier for a local chain restaurant offering a coupon. All I had to do is log on and download it . . . What! Download it? To what? Where? When? Sad thing was I’m sure they had a lot of people put a lot of effort into this campaign. They made it catch my eye, the food looked delicious, prices were appealing and they tried to enter the digital market with a digital coupon, but I had to download something. I have a smart phone and Internet access but I don’t keep a printer in my pocket. Today it’s all about instant gratification, I want something and I want it now. If I want lunch, I want my coupon right now and QR codes can give me that. A QR code could have taken me to the coupon, with a bar code that could be scanned, or a small code that could be entered in at the register and I would feel like I had gotten the best deal at the best time in the best way. The digital age is evolving at light speed and I believe the days of going home and printing off coupons is quickly coming to an end.

Flottman Company is very excited about QR codes so we are blogging, tweeting and marketing QR codes in every way imaginable. We want to incorporate them into future print projects and watch our customers business grow. You should too!

I wish I had thought of that (& how I would have done it if I had)!

2011-06-10T12:40:00.012-04:00

This week Nicole, one of our graphic designers and I finally created our "Inspire Library," a binder chock-full of printed projects we've done and projects we wish we'd done. All to help us kick-start the creative process for the next challenge that comes our way.

One piece that I knew was a keeper the minute I saw it in my mailbox was this piece from American Express.

Now the last thing I need is another credit card, but I almost broke down when I saw this offer.

So clever, I wish I had though of that! Almost as soon as that thought crossed my mind, the marketer and printed in me started to think about how I would have done it, if I had thought of it!

The one thing I thought it was screaming for was some personalization! I would have been really impressed if it was my name on that baggage tag, a small addition, but impressive nonetheless, suddenly I am not feeling just like a credit score.

Lets take it a step further what if there were a few variations of this piece. I know the Amex is tied to Delta Skymiles and hence the suitcase. But you know what, I don't fly that much so not a free checked bag isn't that big of a draw for me (though I might fly more if I had Skymiles to use!). I know there are all sorts of great rewards you can get with your Amex points, so what if the mail piece appealed to me and my purchases. I know Amex can find out what purchases I make the most with my credit card, so why not appeal to what I buy the most? For me and probably plenty of other people, a grocery bag or gas pump or shopping bag full of clothes would have appealed to me even more. Yes the creative would be a little different, but there is definitely a creative way to depict all of those. All of sudden it is like Amex is speaking right to me, they know my name, they know what I want and even more importantly they can give me what I want. How can I live without an American Express card?

A beautiful piece I wish I had done and some great inspiration for the next piece I do!

By Narrowing, You Broaden

2011-05-27T15:37:00.003-04:00

How very zen: "By narrowing, you broaden." I heard this deep quote this morning at the AMA N. Kentucky B2B Shared Interest Group (SIG). I love SIGs by the way!. The presenter was Carol Bross-McMahon of the CbM Consulting Group and she lead a discussion about "Targeting for Optimal Results."

It was a wonderful discussion about really understanding and targeting the correct prospect. Forget spraying and praying, forget the idea that your target market is anyone in the phone book. The way you are going to connect with people, sell to people and great a successful business relationship is by understanding their business before you even pick up the phone. This usually means spending more time on fewer prospects, but these are the right prospects.

The main point: you really need to examine what it is you are selling/offering/etc. and narrow down until you have the optimal customer (not just because they need whatever you are offering but because they will be good for you too!).

It is hard for people to go small, but often that's what is called for as long as you are going small the smart way. I would always rather a list of a 1,000 contacts who have been carefully considered than a list of 10,000 that have been randomly selected.

Moral of the story - Take the time and narrow!

QR Codes - A New Obsession

2011-05-20T12:17:00.006-04:00

I don't know how I lived without . . . yes I am now one of those people, a smart phone user. I finally got an iPhone this past weekend and have been glued to it ever since (I am listening to Pandora, right now). So after a year of researching, discussing, and promoting QR codes, I can finally read them and I must say I am now a devotee.

You know QR codes, those funny looking black and white patterned boxes that seem to be popping up all over the place. Well just download a reader, scan with your phone and bam you are off to wherever the creator wants to take you.

Flottman has been placing QR codes on our newsletter. Snap a pic and it will take you to your sale representative's contact information. A pretty basic use. We generate the QR codes for free at Delivr.

Now that I am a devotee, I am dying to try something little more involved.
For our next direct mail campaign, I plan on linking QR codes to personalized URLs (pURLs). We routinely use pURLs as part of our direct mail pieces. We send out postcards and emails urging the recipient to log on to their personalized website and complete a brief survey. If they do they are entered to win something really cool (an iPad was our last giveaway). The recipient types their pURL into the browser and is taken to a website customized to them. It is as easy as that. Not only is there novelty in the custom website, but it allows us to track who is logging on and submitting information. For our next campaign, I am going to up the ante and tie QR codes to this process. In additional to creating a pURL for each recipient I will generate a unique QR code for each recipient so they can chose how they want to log on. The QR code will make it even easier to participate. If they they choose to use the QR code, it will take them to mobile version of their custom site and I will still know who is logging on.

Don't you love technology? These are only two ways to use QR codes, just think of all the possibilities . . .

Having a Plan

2011-04-29T13:33:00.002-04:00

When a task is presented, I am one of those people who can't function until I have at least two lists (okay maybe more than two) outlining everything that needs to happen.

So the task for this week: Ready yourself to create an entire marketing strategy.
End result: Four lists and a plan of action.

After a frenzied morning spent trying to pull together a plant of act for a marketing strategy, I had to share my plan for my plan because I can't lie when all was said and done I felt pretty good about it!

Discuss Company
Establish Goals

Scale
Timeline
Budget

Understand Strategic Elements

Branding strategy

i. Frame of reference

ii. Points of parity

iii. Points of difference

iv. Purpose

v. Promise

vi. Proof

vii. Personality

viii. Core identity

ix. Extended identity

x. Brand promise

xi. Positioning statement

xii. Brand personality

Marketing strategy

i. Unique selling position

ii. Target market

iii. Benefits of services

iv. Positioning

v. Marketing methods

Marketing Strategy Developed & Presented
Branding Concept Developed & Presented

Name
Logo
Brand promise
Overall concept for corporate materials

Confirm Target Market
New Company’s Goals (Short-Term & Long-Term) Confirmed

Buzz creation
Increase awareness
Drive trial
Educate
Improve image
Drive loyalty
Build credibility

Develop Promotional Methods (based on desired results)
Develop Marketing Plan (how we are going to get the desired results)
Implementation of Marketing Strategy

Print v. E-Media 10 Things You Probably Didn’t Know

2011-04-22T12:33:00.004-04:00

Here's a sneak peak of our upcoming Marketing Advisor article:

Print v. E-Media 10 Things You Probably Didn’t Know

Printing usually gets a pretty bad environmental rap. Printing is all about paper and thus all about killing trees and electronic devices don’t use paper so they must be green . . . RIGHT?!

Like everything in life, it just isn’t that simple. Here are some of the facts about e-media and print that Heidi Tolliver-Nigro put forth in a recent issue of Print Solutions.

E-Media

1. 62 trillion spam emails are sent every year. The greenhouse gas emissions from these emails are the same as using 2 billion gallons of gas.

2. The energy used by the average data center would power 25,000 households.

3. Unlike paper, computer components do not lend themselves well to recycling and reuse.

4. In the U.S., a primary driver of deforestation is electrical energy demand and the use of mountaintop coal removal.

5. Data center energy consumption doubled between 2000 & 2006 and could double again by the end of this year.

1. More than half of all paper in the U.S. is recycled.

2. In the U.S., deforestation is not caused by the harvesting of tree fiber.

3. 2.5 billion trees are planted in the U.S. each year and we now have more acres under forest than we did in 1940.

4. The forest industry plants more trees than it harvests.

5. Many print manufacturers and commercial printers are investing in environmentally responsible manufacturing. (See what Flottman is doing at flottmanco.com/responsibly)

This doesn’t that print is the perfect solution and obviously we use plenty of electronics here at Flottman. What it does mean is that BOTH print and e-media have pros and cons when it comes to the sustainability debate and that the real issue is making both even more sustainable.

Thanks for the great articles, Heidi!

Heidi Tolliver-Nigro. "Educate your Customers: Print is Green." Print Solutions. March 2011. Volume 49, Number 3.

Heidi Tolliver-Nigro. "Print vs. Electronic Media: Which Is Greener?" Print Solutions. March 2011. Volume 49, Number 3.

Seeing Green

2011-04-08T11:43:00.004-04:00

In honor of Earth Day and Flottman's 90th Anniversary campaign, 90 Years, Plant 900 Trees, we have declared April Green Month.

Here are my top 6 ways to stay green at home and at work.

Home:
1. Reusable shopping bags - I have completely fallen in love with reusable shopping bags. Not only do they cut down on waste, but they also make it easier for me to carry my groceries up to my third floor apartment. Here are the ones I use and love - RuMe

2. No bottled water - All those plastic bottles spell big trouble for the environment and seem rather unnecessary. I have a Brita pitcher, which gives me tasty filtered water that is always nice and cold.

3. Farmer's Markets - There is nothing not to love about a Farmer's Market. You get delicious fruits and veggies, support local agriculture and usually at great prices. Luckily for me there is one in walking distance of my apartment every Sunday and I am sure there is one near you.

Work:
1. Recycle - Simple enough right? We have huge bins for paper recycling, so sometimes I have to remind myself to take waste paper out to the plant. But a little walk around the building won't hurt me!

2. Clean Waste Computer-to-Plate System - Huh? That's the machine that takes the stuff you design on your computer, makes plates of it, so our press can print it. They don't let me make plates (for good reason!) but I love walking by knowing the water waste coming from the machine is drinkable!

Home & Work:
6. Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs) - You know the spirally ones. Look at all they can do: they can save more than $40 in electricity costs over their lifetime, they use about 75% less energy than standard incandescent bulbs and last up to 10 times longer and they produces about 75% less heat, so it's safer to operate and can cut energy costs associated with home cooling.(energystar.gov) Duke Energy shipped me a whole box for free! (duke-energy.com)

Why not try doing what you say you are going to do?

2011-04-01T13:36:00.006-04:00

Guest Blogger - Cathie Pike, Estimator

I too recently had an experience with less than perfect customer service and it landed one of our group in the hospital. For years our church women gather at a large hotel in Lexington very close to Keeneland as a matter of fact. Last year a young lady went and having an extreme allergy to feathers was taken ill with a severe asthma attack requiring hospitalization.

This year well prior to the event this same hotel was notified in writing of this issue and was told on numerous occasions and through various venues to be sure the room assigned to this person was well cleaned and all feather containing articles removed. Guess what. Oh yes it did

Most of the group arrived early and it was addressed but not to the extent it needed to be. The staff came in and removed the feathered items… period. They did not clean the room. Guess what. Oh yes it did. She had another attack, had to go back to the emergency room and after all that had to cancel her vacation plans for the following week.

Of course, not all bad customer service can lead to a life or death situation and this is an extreme case. It’s a matter of paying attention to the details no matter the setting… a hotel, a restaurant, a printing business. We must all pay attention to the details and usually it's as easy as doing what you promised you would. (Of course you could always go above and beyond!)

What I Learned in School . . .

2011-03-18T14:16:00.002-04:00

Finally I am actually using something they taught me is school . . . . PowerPoint (probably not what my professors wanted my biggest takeaway to be, but you gotta take what you can get).

After attending a truly awful webinar yesterday with a truly awful PowerPoint and after spending a good portion of the morning updating one of our sales presentations, I just couldn't help myself. Plus somehow I got stuck being the presenter/PowerPoint builder for every presentation I had in college.

Here are my top 5 PowerPoint presentation do's:

5. Do practice (please)! Even when you are speaking over the phone, have an idea of what you are going to say (don't memorize), take notes, make sure you have plenty of (interesting) stories and examples and make sure everything technical is working.

4. Do use lots of visuals! Unless you are sending the PowerPoint for someone to read, forget the text and pay attention to your visuals. Until I see it, I don't understand it.

3. Do cut your text in half! Do not put everything you are going to say on your slides. Why in the world would I listen if I can read everything on the slides? Also if there is too much on your slides you will be tempted to just read off of them.

2. Do look professional. This goes for your PowerPoint (and you if you are presenting in person). Don't do one of those crazy PowerPoint presentations with things flying in from all over the place and dancing graphics. I will get so caught up in those special effects that I will stop paying attention (or I will be so annoyed by them I will stop paying attention.

1. Do keep on track. If I give you an hour, all you have is an hour and please make that hour count. If you are doing something over the phone, please be careful of awkward pauses because they are especially awkward when I can't see you.

One Good Apple.

2011-03-14T11:33:00.003-04:00

I traveled this weekend and once again was reminded about how there is nothing glamorous about traveling and how just one customer service experience can make all the difference.

US Airways was experiencing some major problems on Wednesday which as far as I could figure out was brought on by a domino effect of late flights and lots of rain.

I was unlucky enough to have my first flight delayed, which caused me to miss my connection (the last one of the day) and then I was put on standby to the nearest airport, Ft. Lauderdale. By some miracle I made it on the flight to Ft. Lauderdale. So did everyone else on standby as well as a mother and her three daughters who had to run from their earlier flight and just made their connection.

As I was waiting for my sister to come off the plane, I listened to a discussion this mother had with the airline representative at the gate in Ft. Lauderdale. They had made the flight but had lost their seats, so while they got on the plane they were scattered about the cabin. The woman was expressing her upset and concern about this situation. The airline rep. handled it like a pro explaining the procedure: yes if you aren't there 10 minutes prior to your flight your seats are opened up. The woman was particularly upset at how rude the airline representative had been at the previous gate. The Ft. Lauderdale representative listened, expressed her concern, and essentially talked the woman down. She made the woman feel like someone cared about her dilemma. She wasn't condescending, she didn't make any promises she couldn't keep, she even at one point defended the other representative. The woman was happy though, all she needed was someone to care about her hectic travel experience.

No one talked me down, but after listening to that conversation I was impressed. I had pretty much written off US Airways as completely incompetent, but this representative was an impressive example of their organization. It really didn't take much, just one good apple. She impressed me and this other traveler, imagine how many others she had impressed that day.

A B2B Lifestyle

2011-03-04T13:47:00.004-05:00

I was just reading an interesting story about lifestyle brands in my most recent issue of "marketingnews" from the American Marketing Association. Lifestyle brands are those brands people are desperate to associate themselves with . . . brands like Apple, Nike, JCrew, Ralph Lauren, Harley Davidson. They are the brands marketers drool over. According to the article they are brands that take customers' way of life into consideration when marketing themselves.

Obviously lifestyle brands are geared to the B2C world of marketing . . . but it got me thinking, could lifestyle branding play a part in B2B marketing?

The makeup of lifestyle brands is complex, but one common thread is they all have a distinct look, a distinct feel, a distinct presence that makes the consumer eager to purchase and flaunt them! Not to be too cliche but they look the part (whatever part they are trying to be).

So why can't B2B brands use look the part? Every business has some unique and fascinating aspect to it (really, I promise). And businesses are made up of people, correct? People who respond to the unique, the fun, the colorful, the cool and want to be part of it. So make your business something other businesses want to be part of and show off. Infuse some life into your business and others will want to be part of it.

Another Bad Apple

2011-02-25T14:39:00.001-05:00

Guest Blogger - Steve Puckett, Prepress Manager

One thing that is very important in a business relationship is customer service and this should continue long after the sale. I recently had a disappointing experience concerning my relationship with my vendor after the sale.

I have a vendor that, years ago, sold me a product and services for that product. That vendor went through a corporate restructuring and my contact was let go. Since then I have had no one contact me from that organization. On the flip side there is another player in the game that has been very aggressive to gain my business. Prices and quality of service aside, one thing that made me lean toward the up and comer is their aggressiveness. I feel they want my business and are going to earn it. They are a local company, family owned like the Flottman company and hungry for the business. It’s not impossible for a large national company to compete with a smaller local company. It would seem that size is on their side but somehow along the way they have lost their personal touch.

We publish a value statement that reads “We believe in growth through relationships with customers, employees and vendors.” We want to grow and we want to see our customers succeed.

I believe the Flottman company prides itself on the continuing relationships we have with our customers and vendors. Another part of our value statement reads, “We are a business family” and “Our customers and employees are part of that family”. We all need to evaluate our customer service and make sure that we are earning our customers business through the years and not just resting on our laurels.

Treat Yourself Like a Customer

2011-02-11T14:13:00.004-05:00

It is an old problem, it is hardest to be your own customer.

When it comes to your project, it is usually pushed back for the paying customers, corners might be cut to make it quicker, easier, cheaper. It makes sense: it is hard to justify the time, the expense, plus you are always doing it for other people, sometimes you just want a break.

But remember, if you can't do it for yourself, why would people want to hire you to do it? When I am working on a self-promotional printed piece I run into all these problems and sometimes it seems so much easier to give in, but I have to remember. I am sending these out to my customers, I want them to do projects just like these. Why would they, if what I send them isn't spectacular?

1 Bad Apple

2011-02-04T13:57:00.003-05:00

"Customer Experience" is haunting me this week.

Last Friday, I attended a presentation by Bill Leinweber, owner of Landmark Experience Consulting, entitled "Stop being 'Customer Centric' and Start Getting Customer Serious." One of the concepts I found most interesting was the idea that once a new customer is acquired (after all that wooing) what happens then? Is there a system in place to make sure all that wooing wasn't for naught. Convincing them to buy is only the beginning after all. Are the communication channels of your business open? Does everyone even know this is an important new customer, who should be getting at least a little special attention?

Just a few days later I was discussing my boss's recent business trip and there it was again, customer service. He arrived at his hotel and was very impressed with the friendliness and helpfulness of the staff. Everything seemed to be going great and then the business portion of the trip began. And bam . . . positive experience wasted. As helpful as all the hotel employees had been to that point, the people he encountered in the business center were not. And of course the good experience only helped to highlight how bad the bad experience was. So bad in fact, the group is considering not holding their meeting there next year.

It is so easy for one person to spoil what should be a triumph, but it is especially easy if that one person doesn't even understand what is going on.

Standing Apart & Fitting In

2011-01-13T10:47:00.014-05:00

I am constantly torn between standing out and fitting in.

Truly great companies are the ones who do things differently, who aren't afraid to forge their own path and reinvent the rules. But there always seems to be someone whispering in my ear "That's not the way you are supposed to do it."

Here's the conclusion I have come to (and even try to follow): that there is a certain threshold of commonality that needs to be met. People tend to be uncomfortable with things that are completely foreign, so you want to make sure they don't balk. But after that it needs to be different, it needs to stand out and it needs to work.

This internal battle is being waged over my website updates. Knowing that people don't read half that text on most websites, I have severely cut it down and tried to focus on benefits not features. The layout is still familiar but the content looks different from most websites (no about us page, no annoying contact form, no lengthy explanations). I know we don't need more, but that's not what everyone else is doing. I am going to have to conquer my fears and publish. If it is wrong, I figure out a better way.

Old Website

New Website