Will the Internet kill Magazines? Did instant coffee kill coffee?

FANTASTIC ad I found in the September 17/24, 2010 issue of Entertainment Weekly. Love this ad and so I have typed it out below. (Magazines- The Power of Print). Enjoy and Happy Friday!

 

"New technologies change many things. But not everything. You may surf, search, shop and blog online, but your still read magazines. And you're far from alone.

Readership has actually increased over the past five years. Even the 18-to-34 segment continues to grow. And typical young adults now read more issues per month that their parents. Rather than being displaced by "instant" media, it would seem the magazines are the ideal complement.

The explanation, while sometimes drowned out by the Internet drum beat, is fairly obvious. Magazines do what the Internet doesn't. Neither obsessed with immediacy nor trapped by the daily news cycle, magazines promote deeper connections. They create relationship. They engage us in ways distinct from digital media.

In fact, the immersive power of magazine even extends to the advertising. Magazines remain the number one medium for driving purchase consideration and intent. And that's essential in every product category.

Including coffee."

Print Vs. Digital

So what medium to you prefer to get bills, read the news, read books, get coupons etc? I know that I'm a paper girl. I can't stand reading on a computer screen and love being able to make notes and use post-its to record my ideas rigth on the page. So what are your feelings? See the link below to Print in the Mix that has some interesting data about this topic. PRINT RULES! Have a great day!

Fall 2010- http://printinthemix.rit.edu/pages/by_title?title=Newsletter+Archive

USPS- increase denied!

I'm keeping up with my promise of a post every morning! Today I'd like to start off the week with some great news that dropped last week. The USPS had proposed another rate hike from $.44 to $.46. Last week the Postal Regulatory Commission denied this request. Read more about the story here: http://money.cnn.com/2010/09/30/news/economy/postal_rate_announcement/index.htm?source=cnn_bin&hpt=Sbin

For those of you in the DC metro area enjoying yet another rainy Monday, I hope this cheers you up a bit! I'd love to hear from you about how postal prices affect your marketing strategies in the comment section. Don't be bashful!

HBP and Balmar- Together as One!

If you are in the printing/marketing/advertising industry in the DC metro area, you know that competition is high and everyone is trying to stay on top of the ball when it comes to new technologies and services. HBP and our owner John Snyder have done a fantastic job keeping HBP ahead of the game. Offering not only print services, but also design, mailing, fulfillment, wide format printing, digital printing, online inventory systems with tracking and reminders, online ordering systems, personalized URL capabilities, data collection and reporting, website hosting and the list goes on ands on.

In a nut shell HBP is a 1-stop shop for any and all of your marketing needs!

Now to make things even better HBP and Balmar, another great printing company in the area havwe merged and together I feel that we will be one of the biggest difference makers in the DC area. If you haven't had the pleasure to work with us before, NOW is the time to inquire. With the merger we have access to even more equipment and man power to handle larger volumes and give clients faster turn arounds! More to come of this major change! There is just too much to post it all at one time. Have a great day!!

Nose to the Grind

Alright people, clearly I have fallen a bit off the wagon with posts. With sooo many online opportunites to communicate I find it hard to keep up with all of them. Who else is with me? Anyways, I'm making a point to try and either post or update everyday even if it's just an article or something cool going on in my life of sales (which by the way I just hit my 2 year mark in June, boy how time flies when you're having fun!)

Today I want to talk about QR codes. I am planning to use my blog as a landing page for a QR code that will be located on my business card. It's a great talking point along with being a fun tool to drive traffic to my site. Keep you eyes out for my new business card!! E-mail me if you would like to learn more about the codes and how they can help drive traffic to your business! (sarahk@hbp.com)

A little info about QR codes for you : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QR_Code

The iPad

So over looking the awful name, Apple has once again changed the way we think of technology. What do you think the iPad is going to do for everyday business? It's something none of us thought we would be thinking baout 10 years ago, but now it's time to adapt once again.

I recently had a conversation with my Sales Manager about the iPad and the threats and opportunites that are going to arise from it's birth. Obviously working for a print and marketing company we sqirm everytime we see a new technology that looks like it could take away another print run, but there is always a silver lining to every story. What about the opportunites. Yes I work for what started out as printer, but now we are a full service marketing company and we are exploring the idea of becoming some sort of liason to help your organization publish your previously printed projects on an iPad or Kindle.

From what we can tell, publishing and selling your files online is not going to as easy as posting your PDF to your website. Special programing languages must be used as well as designing the items in InDesign differently than you would for a print peice. So with the work week already way over 40 hrs a week who wants to deal with figuring out how to create iPad and Kindle friendly file then handle the logitstics of following all the rules and regulations that I'm sure are going to apply to these files? We may be able to help you understand what you need to do and even help you convert your files and start selling your pieces and connecting with your members, or clients like you never have before. Stay tuned for more info!!!

Print Delivers

Are you stressed about budgets? Trying to figure out where to spend your money? Should I do go with social media, Internet blogging, personalized URLs, variable data e-mails with links and tracking?

WHAT ABOUT PRINT?

Print Delivers is an event celebrating and educating people about the power of print. Over the next few months Print Delivers Events are occurring in all of the major US cities. My company has been chosen to represent a marketing services provider in the mid-Atlantic area, and I am so excited. In the recent years everyone has been making the switch to digital, but now people are realizing they aren't getting the bang for their buck and their messages are getting lost in e-mail land. People are learning that:

• Print Build Customer Loyalty- 70% have renewed a relationship with a customer as a result of receiving direct mail Source: Print in the Mix; printinthemix.com
• Print Energized the Marketing Mix- Consumer receiving a printed catalog are 2x more likely to purchase online than those who don't receive a catalog Source: USPS
• Print Drives More Sales- 75% of consumers say they made a purchase as a result of direct mail Source: Print in the Mix; printinthemix.com
• Print is a Responsible Choice- 45.2 million tons of paper was recovered from recycling in 2007. That's 57% of all paper and paperboard products. Source: American Forest & Paper Association

Who's going to be there?

• Ben Cooper, Executive Director, Print Council
• Marc Johnson, Marketing Programs, Digital Printing Solutions- Americas, Eastman Kodak
• Ferko Goldinger, Advertising & Promotion Manager, Appleton Coated
• John W. Snyder, Owner/President, HBP, Inc.
• David Mastervich, Manager, Periodicals, Catalogs & Saturation Mail Mailing Services, United States Postal Service
• Jim Dunn, President, Heidelberg USA

Details...

• Friday, March 26th, 2010
• 10:30am-12:30pm
• Johns Hopkins University
  Montgomery County Campus
  9605 Medical Center Drive
  Rockville, MD 20850

Annnnnnd.......

Free Lunch! So sign-up today and reserve your spot. Hope to see you there!

Scanlife- Are you hip to it yet?

Scanlife is a national organization that is involved in the development of a technology that is bridging the gap between print and Internet. With free downloadable software for your phone (http://www.scanlife.com/us/appdownload.html) you have the ability to scan a printed barcode on an item and immediately be linked to a website that can contain more information about the item, allow you to enter a contest, register for an events, receive discounts at checkout and the list goes on and on! (After you download the software try it out on the barcode above!) And the technology is now reaching out to the digital worlds as well as seen in the examples on the Scanlife website, http://www.scanlife.com/us/examples.html.

I am so excited about this technology finally growing some feet because I see this as the future for print and the internet coexisting and thriving off each other! As the internet gets bogged down with so much information we don't know what to do with (who can really keep up with their twitter, blog, facebook, and linkedin and work a full time job?) or has this ever happened to you http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jMt6saTqq4? We can turn to PRINT for help! Print has always been able to cut through the clutter and static of everyday life to deliver it's message. Even if the message is read a few days later, IT IS DELIVERED and readers take note.

To learn more about Scanlife and how to go about printing your first interactive project please check out- http://www.scanlife.com/us/index.html

Happy Reading!

Sarah

HBP's Marketing Day

Marketing Day is just a few weeks away! To learn more about where, when, who, and how to register please check out the link below!

http://hbpseminar.com/

Hope to see you there!
Sarah

Marketing Day 2009

Marketing Day 2009!

What:
A day dedicated to new ideas and solutions that can help improve your ROI. You will walk away with tangible techniques to move your organization forward. PS it's on a Friday so take the day off from your normal routine and come enjoy the day with HBP!

Who:
Anyone responsible for the bottom line! Including Marketing Directors, Membership Directors, Communication Managers and CMO's.

When:
Friday, October 23rd, 2009 from 9:30-4:30

Where:
Johns Hopkins University,
Montgomery County Campus
Academic and Research Building

9601 Medical Center Drive
Rockville, MD 20850

For registration information please e-mail me at sarahk@hbp.com. Hope to see you there!