Keane: July 2011 and the Play (Button's) the Thing
Keane: July 2011 and the Play (Button's) the Thing
A tale of two or 3 (video) tapes
Entries to the 37th International Gallery of Excellence continue to stream in and YES at the request of many entrants 'round the globe, the deadline has been extended to allow all interested graphic arts firms to take advantage of the business building bonanza that the cachet of the imprimatur "International Award Winning" can provide for your firm and perhaps more important - for the firm of your valued client(s).
We wrote to a large number of entrants on Friday 15 July as follows:
"I'm sure I am a horrible pest, it's just that I fervently believe that any firm putting ink on paper, or on any kind of substrate has a huge opportunity to leverage an award won in the International Gallery. There is no great value in getting a news release about the win into our trade industry press (at least I don't think one's competitors are likely to become clients anytime soon!)
That video was posted to You Tube on 7 January 2011.
Jeffrey Hayzlett, former Chief Marketing Officer and VP for Eastman Kodak Co and great friend to so many of us in the global graphic arts wrote a best selling book last year called "The Mirror Test" in which he espoused the power of the 118 -- Jeff posits that you have about 8 seconds to hook someone's attention and then another 110 second to sell them on your unique capability. Less than 2 minutes to market You!. Very hard to do well.
Can printers market themselves in a quick video? Here from New Zealand is one affirmative answer:
That video was posted to You Tube on 30 March 2011.
Like the earlier effort, we think 'putting a face on the firm' is one more arrow in the quiver of marketing direct hits via video.
As you watch this nearly perfect video, consider this - it was the customer who approached the Stevens' brothers in Portland, Oregon about the possibility of featuring their printing firm, Stevens Printing, in a professionally shot video sponsored by the customer. How could Rich and Dave Stevens say no?
That video was posted to You Tube on 28 March 2011
And now consider this -- if you helped a valued client shoot a very short video that saluted a particular project your firm printed for that client, and the video featured the proud and smiling face of the client, and some lovely graphical images of the piece that won and the Gorgeous International Gallery award plaque, and closed with contact details for both the client and your printing/graphics/marketing service firm .... Well who could resist posting that video on their website, on You Tube, on Linked In, on Facebook, on Twitter, on Google+ and otherwise sharing it with their customers and networks and thereby dramatically increasing the possible exposure of your firm's name as an award winning provider well worth contacting?
Leveraged Marketing indeed! Business Building Bonanza indeed!
Now perhaps you are objecting -- my shop has no video production skills! Maybe so, and while a long term strategy review might suggest that this will be essential in your future, for right now you can partner with a local firm with video competency. IAPHC member John Foley, CEO of interlinkONE and Grow Socially has written a must read book for anyone in the global graphic arts. It is titled: "Business Transformation * A New Path to Profit for the Printing Industry" on pages 26-28 John describes how Westamerica Graphics has broaded its services portfolio by partnering with other firms. You can do this, it's called leverage.
OK then. "Say no more, Say no more," sayeth you, emulating Eric Idle in the famous Monty Python skit, "How do I enter some projects for some of my best customers in the 37th International Gallery?" Why you clik this link right HERE.
Here is a photo of his eminence gris, the great guru of the Graphic Arts, Prof. Frank Romano taken during his tour of Concord Litho in Concord New Hampshire last month. The video was run on WhatTheyThink.com (on 8 June 2011) and one notable sequence shows Frank in front of a wall at Concord Litho which is choc-a-bloc full of printing awards won by that firm. Conveniently, Frank just happens to be standing in front of a raft of International Gallery awards won by Concord. Frank is heard to say in the video that Concord Litho is one of the best firms he has visited in a long while. Testimonials of Excellence as evidenced by International Gallery Awards won by Concord Litho (or won by your firm for your CLIENTS) matter more than ever. So just do it, and then video tape it too!
The screen capture image above (those are International Gallery awards over both of Frank's shoulders,) was kindly provided by our friend and fantastic IAPHC member Ali Westcott who is the very effective Communications Director for Concord Litho.
Remember, the cachet of the imprimatur "International Award Winning" tells a new client they can trust you with their project. And for those all important current clients? Well surely you'll agree that client delight is the best emotion of all!
There is still one more facet to your International Gallery participation -- it can result in wholly unexpected new business opportunities for you because we carefully scrutinize every single entry to learn about that entrants unique skill sets. Here is an example of this form of networking in action:
-----Original Message-----
From: Kevin Keane
To: jlamb@egp.com; jdreisbach@egp.com; cpinto@egp.com
Sent: Sat, Jul 16, 2011 11:59 am Subject: Possible web printing oppty for Evergreen Printing?
I can think of 4 or 5 web printers in New Jersey. Firms that are award winning caliber firms having won in the annual International Gallery produced by the IAPHC. They include: Sandy Alexander in Clifton NJ (Joe Shanahan); Evergreen Printing and Publishing in Bellmawr NJ (Jim Lamb) Unimac Graphics in Carlstadt NJ (Rob Sternau) AFL Web Printing in Vorhees NJ ( Jim Hager) and Command Web Offset in Secaucus NJ (Pamela Conover) If you would like, I can connect you directly with each of the firms and the contact names supplied.
Kevin Keane
