P3: Paper+Pixels+Plastic is a special program organized by the Production Club of Washington to alert designers to both the challenges and remarkable opportunities of designing beyond paper. Featured speakers are:
Howard “Howie” Fenton, NAPL, senior consultant, is a well-known author, consultant and trainer in the graphic arts. He is best known as the senior consultant of digital technology for NAPL, for his six years as a consultant for Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (GATF) and his three years as the editor of “Pre”, a prepress magazine.
Jake Lefebure, president and CEO of Design Army, a local design agency with global appeal. Come listen to Design Army’s story from behind the scenes and learn what makes them great at what they do.
For cost and other info, go to: http://www.paperpixelsplastic.com/
In advance of "P3", Howie Fenton provided us with the following thoughts on Twitter, social media and the role print in the mix:
I think there are two things everyone should consider with social media: How can it help you market your own products and services and can it be part of a marketing service you offer. In addition, I think that one of the reasons social media is not a more successful marketing tool is because many people don’t understand the value and positioning. So first let's talk about marketing your own products and services.
It does not matter if you're selling creative services, marketing services or production services you can use social media marketing to market your own products and services as long as you understand the appropriate ways and taboos. For example, going onto Twitter and posting “Want fast and cheap design and production on 500 wedding invitations” is “bad”. On the other hand, creating a Facebook page for “unique, one-of-a-kind wedding invitations” and Twitter posts about new and innovative approaches to design and production could work well.
Just knowing the social media netiquette only gets you half way, it's also important to figure out how to position and sell social media campaigns. Here are two of the models I use with clients: Twitter is not target marketing. Twitter is reverse-engineered target market. Posting on Twitter is like a message looking for an audience. Posting on Twitter works like a search engine spider, always going out and looking for something.
When I post on Twitter (HowieAtNAPL), it is a message looking for an audience. When the audience appears it is called a following. Your following is like a target market for your subject matter or a lead generation tool for your service. You can use that lead generation tool to attract your followers to more in-depth content such as a blog.
When people read your blog, you become a thought leader. When you become a thought leader, you can move your followers to your home page, which can be used to make an offer and sell a product or service.
It's important to understand that social media marketing is not like sending direct mail or selling ads. It is more like publishing a magazine. Magazines get subscribers or followers based on their content. Those who subscribe or follow start to think of that publication as understanding the subject (of the magazine) and the editors or writers are seen as thought leaders.
In social media, when the thought leader points from one source to another, (Twitter to Blog to Website) then the subscribers usually follow to access this more in-depth data. If the purpose is to market or produce a sale, then the blog or website may also contain a product offer.
The theory is that creating the recognition as thought leader, showing more and more in-depth knowledge, and then offering to sell something that is relevant and targeted to the followers will result in a sale. Although not as straight forward, successful or as easy as other types of marketing, there are many success stories that prove this can serve as a marketing strategy.
If you have any questions feel free to email Howie at hfenton@napl.org and if want to hear more about new and innovative models for print and social media come to his presentation Nov 17 at the Hamilton Crowne Plaza.