Here’s an interesting infographic showing the history of Print. And all on one page!
This is the place for the latest CustomXM activity, some favorite client success stories and banter regarding print, marketing and signage that you might find interesting.
Integrating Media Luncheon — All About LBS
No, we’re not talking about some new religion or an old president. Our next Integrating Media luncheon is all about Location-Based Marketing.
Or Social Location Marketing.
Or Location-Based Services.
WHAT DOES THIS EVEN MEAN? IT’S SO CONFUSING!
Which is why you need to come to our Lunch & Learn on Wednesday, March 2, at 11:30 at the North Little Rock Chamber of Commerce.
If you’ve ever attended one of our previous events, you’ll know that we love to take the newest, most cutting-edge integrated marketing tools and help you understand not just what they are, but what they can do for your business. At this seminar, we’re going to be talking about all the new LBS services — Foursquare, Gowalla, Whrrl and more — and how any business can use them to increase traffic, market to various demographics and even improve operational efficiency.
We’re excited to have Simon Salt, author of the new book Social Location Marketing, stop here during his book tour to share his knowledge on the topic. As the CEO of Marketing Communications Agency IncSlingers, he has a lot of knowledge to share. And advance praise for his book has come from some of the most highly-regarded names in marketing and social media.
This seminar is $10 in advance, $25 at the door. But here’s the best part — if you are one of the first 25 people to register, and if you then attend, you’ll get a copy of Simon’s book free.
So register now. Why spend your lunch hour hunched over a boring bowl of soup at your desk when you can come enjoy a good meal, network and pick up some great tactics for improving your business?
Postformat Gallery: Multiple images with different sizes
Nullam dictum felis eu pede mollis pretium. Integer tincidunt. Cras dapibus. Vivamus elementum semper nisi. Aenean vulputate eleifend tellus. Aenean leo ligula, porttitor eu, consequat vitae, eleifend ac, enim. Aliquam lor
Donec quam felis, ultricies nec, pellentesque eu, pretium quis, sem.
Viva Las Vegas (and Print)
This week I attended the PODi AppForum conference in Las Vegas. In addition to attending for my own edification, I was fortunate to be invited to present a 3 hour session on my experiences as a business owner involved in Social Media. Since speaking for 3 hours about anything seemed quite daunting, I was excited to have Amy Bradley-Hole (@amybhole) and Bryan Jones (@bryanjones) join me for this presentation. More on this later.
This conference was focused on the future of our industry. And much of what we heard is nothing new for our, or any industry. But it did reinforce the concepts and goals where we need to continue to focus:
The economy is coming back, but not to where it was before the Great Recession.
Customers want speed, convenience and ease of use when purchasing products or services.
In order to be effective in marketing and sales, you must know your audience.
We are a mobile society, and this will continue to dictate our product offerings.
Super efficiency in business operations is a requirement.
The challenges continue, but so do the opportunities.
Now back to the presentation with Bryan, Amy and myself. Titled “Social Media for Business,” we took the attendees on a journey of how to use social media to tell your story, create and market your brand, and measure the results. All good stuff, no doubt.
But the highlight (lowlight, maybe), or most talked about part of the presentation, came during my portion. While advancing my slides, an annoying virus alert continued to display on the laptop provided. During one point in my efforts to clear it, a porn site immediately popped up for all attendees to see. I’ve never received such an ovation! Here’s a sampling of some of the Twitter commentary on that:
Oh well, what happens in Vegas, never really stays in Vegas.
Another title for our pretty cool blog
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus.
Donec quam felis, ultricies nec, pellentesque eu, pretium quis, sem.
Postal Rates to Change April 17
At least they will wait until after the April 15th Tax deadline. (Or so I thought…I was informed that the April 15th tax deadline falls on a holiday, so it will be extended until April 18th.)
In an effort to introduce a “new climate” in customer relations, US Postmaster General Pat Donahue met with mailer groups today to inform them of impending postal changes.
Simply put, this means that effective April 17, postal rates will increase.
On the upside, these changes will not affect the prices for Express Mail, Priority Mail, or single-piece First Class letters. (Postage for these letters will remain unchanged at 44 cents for retail customers.) However, postcard rates will increase by one cent to 29 cents.
Other categories of presorted mail will see price increases as well.
Finally, the original May 2011 deadline for mandatory Intelligent Mail Barcode implementation is no longer in effect.
And of course, all of this is subject to approval by the Postal Regulatory Commission.
For more information, or questions about how we can make your mailing campaigns more effective, please contact us and we will be happy to provide assistance.
The Obligatory 2010 Review – with a Twist
(NOTE: Our resident graphic designer, Lisa, also publishes our internal newsletter. She has a knack of entertaining us all with her unique sense of humor and perspective on company events. So rather than me writing a retrospective review of 2010, I wanted to share Lisa’s recap of 2010 that she included in our recent newsletter.)
What a year, huh? In spite of our vow not to participate in the recession, unfortunately some of our clients did, so sales were not as stellar as we would have liked. But it was still a good year, and we are staying busy.
Besides the 16 PIAS awards, and the five NAQP awards, we received a new honor for us – Arkansas Business’ – Business of the Year (Category 1) award. I think we will all always remember the thrill of our name being announced the winner!
In April a security door was installed at the front door to keep out unwanteds! Customers are supposed to buzz in and then push the green button and the door simultaneously to exit. It’s amazing how such a simple concept can be so confusing! Several customers have almost pulled their arms off trying to get in, while others don’t have struggled greatly to push the green button and the door at the same time!
The Dino Dash was a new event. We had such high participation we won for the largest non-school team. The prize has yet to be claimed – a night out for a private party at the Museum of Discovery. We have until May, so we might need to schedule that!
The Travs game was fun – always nice to spend time with the kids!
We participated in the Chamber’s Bowling After Hours again this year. We looked awesome in our bowling shirts – unfortunately the judges didn’t agree and gave the prize for best shirts to some unoriginal, boring shirts.
In September, Paul made a decision that effects his bottom in more ways than one! He decided his bottom was sitting upstairs every day! And walking up and down those stairs is giving him tight “calves”.
Sandy moved into Paul’s old office – just took her sixteen years. She loves her new office and hasn’t let the corner office go to her head – she still talks to all of us little people!
December brought the Christmas Party. We had a great time — more details on the back page (not available for viewing here!)
Overall, it was a good, solid year and we have high hopes for 2011!
Thank you all for a successful 2010. Happy New Year!
This is a test
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus.
Donec quam felis, ultricies nec, pellentesque eu, pretium quis, sem.
Christmas Cards Through the Years
As a practitioner in the graphic arts, I feel it is my sworn duty to annually produce and publsh our our family Christmas cards. And I continue to do this, much to the chagrin of my beloved family. So today, I invite you to take a look at Christmas cards past. You will get a glimpse into our family, and my strange sense of Holiday Humor.
2002 – It’s Ornamental
Nothing really original here. We have four children, how do we include them all in a holiday card? Oh yeah, silly hats and include them as ornaments. All together now…Awww.
.
2001 – I Heart U
While we always had the best intentions, timeliness was not always one of our strengths. We had the perfect photo: All 4 children sitting, calmly reading “The Night before Christmas.”
That, of course, made for our first and only family Valentine’s Day Card.
2004 – Rock You Like A Hurricane
Our family motto is to never let the chance to rekindle the memory of a natural disaster get in the way of a good Christmas card:
2003 – Over the River
Family vacations always offer the opportunity for that perfect group photo. Even if the entire family is not present. Notice how we “photoshopped” in the girls? Our youngest knows that you would never, ever wear a tiara while whitewater rafting!
2008 – Let the Pun Begin
At some point, I thought that the use of puns would be a nice addition to our annual greetings:
2009 – More Pun Intended
Last year, we continued our use of puns, although this card had assistance from others as well:
And now, what about the card for Christmas 2010? Heck, it’s only December 23! You cannot rush creativity!
Wishing all of you the Best of the Holiday Season. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Paul Strack, CustomXM
The Power of a Bookmark (Part Dux)
So you read Amy’s story about the power of her printed bookmark. Well, now it’s time to hear about the real, behind-the-scenes drama of that project. Most of what I am writing is based solely upon memory that is now 6 or 7 months old.
Production of the bookmarks went smoothly. We designed and printed it according to Amy’s specifications. The only stipulation was that the bookmarks had to arrive at a Scottsdale, AZ hotel by Saturday, the day before Amy’s big presentation. No problem, right?
So let’s move forward to Saturday night. It’s a nice evening in Arkansas. Rather muggy for spring, but still, a normal evening, with our typical Tornado Watch weather advisory. It was “date night” for my wife and me. I think we try this at least twice a year. The boys were gone somewhere (doesn’t really matter where), and our daughters were staying with my folks. So date night it was.
We chose to go see the Tina Fey/Steve Carell movie, Date Night. (See, I told you we don’t do this very often.) So we head to the Chenal 9, buy our tickets and popcorn, and settle in for an intimate night out alone.
Then, as if on cue, the weather sirens resound through the theatre. Spring thunderstorms begin their all too familiar trek across the central part of our state. For most, the sirens mean that a Severe Thunderstorm Warning, or a possible Tornado Warning has been issued. For me, the sirens are a precursor of impending mayhem and pandemonium. You see, our 13 year old daughter has an unparalleled fear of tornadoes. No matter what we say or do, she is certain that every tornado is tracking directly toward our house, or wherever she may be located at the time. Since my wife and I were out, our daughter chose her favorite communication method to calmly discuss the certain doom that lie ahead.
And about that same time, another siren went off slightly further West. That would be Amy. She just came to the realization that her bookmarks had not been found by the hotel staff. And her presentation was the next day.
So here are some of the emails/text messages I received during this rare, carefree night out with my lovely bride.
Text from Daughter (TFD): Dad, the sirens are going off!!!
Email from Amy (EFA): Dude, don’t want to alarm you, but they can’t find my bookmarks!!!
TFD: Dad, are we going to die?
EFA: If they don’t find my bookmarks, I’m gonna die.
Quote from Movie (QFM): He turned the gun sideways! That’s a kill shot!
TFD: Dad, is the tornado heading our way?
EFA: Dude, are the bookmarks heading this way?
TFD: Dad, the sirens are really loud. I’m scared.
EFA: Dude, I’m about to scream really loud. The bellhop looks scared.
Lady Sitting Next to Me (LSNTM): Sir, that cell phone is rather annoying.
So at this point, I try to comfort all the women I currently have a relationship with. I leave the theatre to carry on my on-line conversations. I tell my daughter that no, the tornados are not heading our way. (I did check the radar, and I was not telling a lie.) I told Amy that I was certain that we shipped the bookmarks to the correct hotel and I was certain that they were there somewhere. (I did call a staff member at home on a Saturday night, she did confirm, and I was not telling a lie.)
And yes, I will take my wife out again. Sometime. In the meantime, we’re gonna rent Date Night.
GET IN TOUCH
LATEST NEWS
Working From BostonNovember 4, 2024 - 10:09 pm- Spy and Identify ChallengeOctober 8, 2024 - 12:28 pm
- 7 Luxury Promotional Products That Bring the Wow FactorOctober 8, 2024 - 10:21 am
