Success for XPLOR and Emerging Technology at GRAPH EXPO

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It has been almost three weeks since I returned from Graph Expo and finally have decompressed, sorted through dozens of business cards, press kits and the tchotchkes, determining which I would keep and which ones would go to my nine year old daughter.

This being Xplor’s second year holding a conference program at the event I am pleased to report registration and attendance was up 23% over 2010. I was quite satisfied with the results and look forward to 2012.

Graph Expo, or Digital Expo?

I am not sure if it crept up on me or if I simply spent more time on the show floor this year but Graph Expo has morphed into digital and apparently I am not alone. In an InfoBlog posted by Jim Hamilton, September 22nd he stated:  “For all practical purposes, as one looks at the list of top vendors in recent years, Graph Expo has become dominated by digital exhibitors. Heidelberg was the number one exhibitor until 2008, when it did not exhibit, and it probably was the top exhibitor for many shows prior to Graph Expo 2004.”

Every year I look forward to saying hello to the ever increasing number of Xplor sponsors and supporters and checking out the new, evolving and emerging technologies.

This year was a bit more difficult as I had many more companies on my agenda. I will apologize ahead of time if I slight someone, it is not intentional.

Invitation only

I had received quite a few “pre-event” releases and invitations to “stop by our booth” and see what was new. (OK many were not really invitation only but were intriguing) Here are a few highlights. I won’t go into much detail, but suggest you check them out.

Bell and Howell – I was invited by Mike Maselli, VP of Marketing and Product Management, to stop by and see “the new Bell and Howell” and there was a great deal to see. The “enveloper’” is  a real slick product that actually wraps the envelope around inserts. A great demonstration. Their new control system that talks to you and has online support via Skype and their inserter technology demonstration  that does 30k envelopes per hour.  The new Bell & Howell is off to a great start based on what I saw. Visit www.BellHowell.net for more info.

Keen – A new comer to Graph Expo, in fact it was their first tradeshow. Met with Vitaly Golomb, the Founder and CEO, who demonstrated their web to print solution. There are a lot of them out there but this one is special. Check out www.keenprint.com or www.rethinkprint.biz

Konica- Minolta – An old friend I worked with at Kodak, Mike Watt, is now with Konica Minolta and gave me a personal tour of the Screen Trupress Jet520. I also spent some time with Erik Holdo, SVP Production Print Solutions. Konica-Minolta has signed up for the 2012 Xplor Conference and Vendor Forum, March 27-29 in Tampa Bay and Erik Holdo’s presentation will be “tasty”. You will have to attend experience it. (I assure you you will not attend another presentation like it.) This printer is worth checking out. Visit www.kmbs.konicaminolta.us

Pitney Bowes – A couple weeks prior to Graph Expo I received a briefing from Pitney Bowes on their new MarketSpace product. This product has the potential to be a game changer for any company that prints bills and statements and advertisers that want to reach their audience.

In a nutshell, MarketSpace matches advertisers with producers of bills and statements, facilitating the sale of whitespace to a demographically specific audience. This could finally bring Transpromo into the mainstream. Based on what I saw of the program, this could be a win-win for all: advertisers, document producers and consumers.

Graph Expo 2012 or Digital Expo 2012

No matter what you call it, Graph Expo has gone beyond traditional print. Digital has become the order of the day, and not just paper. This show has become the largest event in North America for digital output and communications.

Mark your calendars – October 7-10, 2012 for Graph Expo 2012

The Internet and Diapers

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I read an interesting article yesterday in the Tampa Tribune entitled “College Freshman Never Lived Without the Internet” which really struck home in terms of looking at the next generation of document professionals.

This Associated Press story reported that “according to an annual list this years college freshman class will be the first to be younger than the World Wide Web.” (or in diapers when it came into prominence)

Most of these students, born in 1993 have different perspective on many fronts and view things differently:  (some of these are listed in the article)

  • Amazon is not just a river.
  • PC does not always stand for politically correct
  • LBJ is LeBron James, not a president
  • Text messaging is better than calling
  • Facebook is their social conduit
  • They can write a whole story in Text Message Shorthand
  • (Feel free to add more)

Looking at this, the rapid change in technology and the evolution of how young people communicate is molding a new work force that is constantly multi-tasking using different media, has instant access to information, can instantly communicate with their circle of influence  and whose mind share has increasingly become fragmented as a result.

What does it mean for companies who hire the class of 2015?  They will need to look at different ways of exchanging information, capturing mindshare and challenging them to be creative.

For the “old timers” this is going to be a bit of change but we only need to look at companies like Google and Microsoft in terms of adapting the work environment to meet the changing workforce.

Many people are annoyed at the constant texting and viewing of emails on ever advancing smart phones.  But like any technology or human behavior, if corralled it provides a great deal of opportunity.  I remain intrigued as I look to the next generation and how technology will drive their day to day work habits and how companies will adapt. (Our 2012 conference next March will have some sessions addressing the new work force and will address challenges companies will face.)

As you look toward the future what are your thoughts on the next generation of document professional? What are some of the challenges we face?

Going  4 *$  BBIAB  (Going for Starbucks be back in a bit)

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What’s happened to Graph Expo?

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As I prepare for the upcoming Graph Expo event, September 11-14th, in Chicago I started to think about the many years that I have attended the event as an end user, vendor and now association president for the electronic document industry.

Yesterday, I spent some time reviewing the 2011 floor plan and was amazed how the list of exhibitors has evolved over the years.  An evolution, so subtle, it may even have gone unnoticed for some segments of the industry.

Graph Expo is (was) an offset printing show

Subsequent to making my Graph Expo plans,  I had a conversation with a member of the Xplor community and asked whether they were going to attend the show and specifically the Xplor at Graph Expo conference.

He said, “no, but a couple people from our in-plant department are going. I am on the transactional side, Graph is an offset printing show. ”  I spent a few moments defending the event, discussing the traditional Xplor vendors, that he did business with,  that are on the floor plan. The education, that focuses on variable data, applications and transactional print, including the Xplor conference.

I suggested he take another look.  His, reply got me to think, “how many people are missing this great event due to perception?” (which is why I am writing this blog)

A quick trip through time

Graph Expo started as a trade show for the printing industry. I mean for the “real” printers, the ones that when you walk into their shop, you smell the ink. There were plates, color separation and craftsman who gauged their work on perfection through a “loop”.

The event started to morph when digital typesetters hit the floor. The latest and great presses continued to appear from Heidelberg, KBA, manroland, Goss, Ryobi and Komori to name a few but over the years lesser known names in traditional print circles like, Delphax, IBM, Oce’ Nipson and  Kodak started showing the early “digital presses”.

Then came digital color, faster color, better and less expensive color hit the show floor as well as a few new digital press manufacturers. All during this time more and more software companies began to exhibit, many who cut their teeth in the variable data and transactional print world.

Today, Graph Expo is print, any kind of print you want on any kind of media, but it is also about applications, web based solutions, social media, SMS and education and practical advice and actionable solutions for immediate implementation.

I invite you to attend Xplor at Graph Expo as my guest. If you use registration code XSFREE you can receive a complimentary pass to the show floor and attend one of the 18 educational sessions that are part of the Xplor at Graph Expo conference. Check it out, you will be surprised.

See you in Chicago.

3 Dollars a page for print?

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In many of my previous blogs I have spoken about looking at new print applications, thinking out of the box and finding applications that are value driven and demand a higher price.

The  ultimate print application

A few days ago while I was preparing to fly from Vancouver back to Tampa I ventured into the hotel business center to print my boarding pass. I have done it dozens of times across the country and never really thought about paying some fee for using the business center as it saves me time and for me it is a real value proposition.

Swiped my card, logged on, when through the checkout procedure and then clicked “print boarding pass”.

Then why did they ask me if I wanted to print it?

I immediately got the following message, nicely formatted, suitable for print, on the screen:  “This is not a boarding pass. You will need to complete your check in at the airport kiosk.” I printed the page just so I would get something for my money.

I hit continue to log off and then got the message “Would you like to print a receipt?”  I could not help but start laughing. Should I print it and cut my cost to $1.50 a page?  Or stand pat?  Final cost $3.36 with tax.

I don’t want to hear “there is no money in print”.  It is all about value added applications 🙂

I have a digital press now what?

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Digital printing has come a long way over the last 5-10 years, with the latest and greatest being displayed at the upcoming Graph Expo, September 11-14 in Chicago.

Although feeds, speeds, quality and cost are always part of the discussion when talking about a digital press, applications and how to maximize the press has taken center stage.

Ask not how your printer does it, but what you can do with your printer!

Maximizing your investment means getting up to speed quickly, understanding themarket and exploiting every capability of your digital press. It requires information, knowledge, best practices and new ideas which can found at conferences, seminars, webinars and social networks. One idea, just one nugget, can turn a digital press from overhead to a profit center.

Take advantage of the knowledge that is out there rather than re-inventing the wheel. Even if you are doing well, you can always find new ideas to increase revenue and reduce expense.

Ideas and nuggets available at Graph Expo!

Yes, a little self promotion here, but you must admit I do not do it very often in my blog. (In fact I think this a first).

Great ideas, best practices and a bag full of nuggets are available at the Xplor at Graph Expo conference. The Xplor conference will focus on: automation, document design, document re-engineering, multi-channel delivery and new application opportunities Sessions include:

    • X1 – The Ugly Secret About QR Codes
    • X2 – ADF is No Longer a Want – It’s a Requirement in Today’s Compliance and Regulatory Environment
    • X3 – Enhanced Customer Communications and Color Management: Improving Efficiencies and Adding Value
    • X6 – Digital Collision – Where Do We Go From Here?
    • X4 – Technology Applications and Their Use in Multi-Channel Marketing Campaigns
    • X5 – Building Successful ADF Platforms
    • X7 – Communication Requirements in a Multi-Channel World
    • X8 – Knowledge Management in Print – Expanding the Value Chain
    • X9 – The Jump to Transaction Color Printing
    • X10 – Repurposing Legacy Applications for Multi-Channel Communications.
    • X11 – Increasing Customer Loyalty
    • X12 – Data: The Key to a Winning Strategy
    • X13 – Creating and Measuring an Integrated Marketing Plan
    • X14 – Delivering ROI with Interactive Document Solutions
    • X15 – What Makes a Successful Multi-Channel Campaign? The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
    • X16 – Learning to Love The Cloud and What it Means to Customer Communications
    • X18- Automation…Now More Than Ever!
    • X17 – The Meaning of Print-Streams: 42 Things You Can Do With a Print File Other Than Printing It

Would you spend $100, $200 or $300 to make (or save) $10k, 20K or even $100k? (Maybe a million)

Click here for more information and dig for a few nuggets.

Hope to see you in Chicago.

A Message to Vendors: The ROI of Events

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Being in the event business a great deal of discussion with vendors focuses on return on investment of marketing dollars. When a vendor is looking at participating in an event or trade show, they are not familiar with, they always ask a litany of questions and justifiably so: How many attendees, what are their titles, what is included in the price, what vertical markets, and so on and so on.

All valid questions asked by a smart marketing department who are funding the event, from their limited budget.

Once the questions are answered and it is determined the show is a fit the company agrees to participate. The big day(s) comes and goes and then what?

I am starting to realize that what happens after a show varies dramatically from company to company. One would think the leads generated at the event would be a “number 1” priority for ANY company. Strike while the iron is hot, but this is not always the case.  Here are a few scenarios that I have encountered:

• A company has a system. They distribute leads when they return from a show and have a system for tracking to determine ROI. (they track through the complete sell cycle)

• A company has no system. They distribute the leads to sales reps and have no system of tracking to determine the ROI. Leads may or may not be followed up on, and no real determination of ROI is made.

• A company does not follow up (Hard to imagine, but it does happen more than you would imagine)

• A company that has a system (scenario 1) and tracks ROI can make valid and justifiable decisions about a show. Companies who represent scenarios 2 and 3 are usually the first to say the ROI wasn’t good and blame it on the event. (No kidding!)

There are several issues:

• The marketing department is funding events and trade shows. If sales does not report back on the results (and marketing does not insist they do) marketing does not want to invest. (Who can blame them)

• If sales leads are not followed up on, there is no business, no pipeline. (Brilliant deduction. Came up with that myself.)

• You and your company lose credibility and you REALLY tick off the people that took the time to visit you and who were expecting follow up information.  (I have heard people complain, which is why I am writing this blog.)

Have you ever attended an event or tradeshow, expected follow up information and were not contacted?

What is a document?

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A few years ago I was writing an article on the document industry. As I sat in my office my daughter, who was about six at that time, asked me what I was doing. When I told her that I was writing something for a magazine about the document industry, she asked me what a document was.

It’s funny, but until that moment I really did not give much thought to it, but with all that was happening with technology did we really know what our industry defines as a document?

I  quickly gathered a few items, a CD, magazine, newspaper, an old  spreadsheet and a picture and then asked her “what do you think is a document?”  She gazed at the items for a few seconds and pointed to the spreadsheet, with a big smile on her face, proclaiming “that one!”

When I asked her why, she replied “That is a CD, that is a magazine, a newspaper and a picture, and I didn’t know what to call that” pointing to the spreadsheet.

Made me smile, and think at the same time “what really is a document”?  That was three years ago. Well, I began my book “The Future of the Document Industry” and the definition is paramount to the content of the book, so I needed to give it another go.

I decided the best place to start is looking it up in the dictionary, which in itself is an interesting exercise. I consulted the 1913 webster dictionary. I thought I would read the classic definition of a “paper document” but Mr. Webster was actually pretty smart leaving open the doors for the future. Interesting was the use of the phrase “or other instrument conveying information in the case;”

Websters 1913 dictionary:

doc´u`ment  –  Pronunciation: dǒk´ũ`ment  An original or official paper relied upon as the basis, proof, or support of anything else; – in its most extended sense, including any writing, book, or other instrument conveying information in the case; any material substance on which the thoughts of men are represented by any species of conventional mark or symbol.

Saint Luke . . . collected them from such documents and testimonies as he . . . judged to be authentic

I then proceeded to a more contemporary source, the WordNet dictionary. A bit more progressive, but still limited. (Not as good as Webster in my opinion)

WordNet Dictionary

Document – writing that provides information especially official nature, anything serving as a representation of a person’s thinking by means of symbolic marks, a written account of ownership or obligation, computer science) a computer file that contains text (and possibly formatting instructions) using 7-bit ASCII characters.

Then I ventured to the “hip” up to date Wikipedia …. And really was disappointed

Wikipedia  

document is a work of non-fiction writing intended to store and communicate information, thus acting as a recording. Documents are often the focus and concern of business administration and government administration. The word is also used as a verb as “documenting” describes the process of making a document.

The term document may be applied to any discrete representation of meaning, but usually it refers to something physical like one or more printed pages, or to a “virtual” document in electronic (digital) format

Technology and changes in human behavior have re-defined what a document is and I believe conventional sources do not capture the changes our industry has undergone. And according to Skip, the dictionary, I define it as:

A document is anything that contains and/or conveys data, facts, thoughts, images or ideas using any media including but not limited to: paper, pictures, video, audio, touch or smell.

What is your definition of a document?

No Service Vacation

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Technology sometimes just ticks me off. There is nothing more aggravating than seeing “no service” on the top left hand side of your cell phones screen. Or sitting in an airport under a “complimentary internet service provided by ABC Company” sign, and not being able to connect or waiting 2-3 minutes for a download. (thinking dial up is back)

Now try it for 2 days. No cell phone, no internet, no service. After the first 2-3 hours you start to get edgy, impatient. You look every 10-15 minutes to see if a signal will magically appear. Four to six hours later you start fearing the worst. Did I get that email, did that order come in? Finally, it’s evening and you fidget until you fall asleep.

You wake up in the morning and still no service, as if magically they installed a cell tower over night. You go for a walk to see if somewhere in this forsaken land there is a cell reception. Then the beauty of the woods hits you. To your right, the Grand Canyon and you the see your two sons suspended above the canyon. First reaction is fear, then awe. Incredible! You look around and suddenly break into laughter with people staring at you wondering what is wrong with you.

You realize how foolish your craving to be connected is. How sad it is that you were oblivious to some of the most beautiful real estate in the world. You realize your office can live for a couple days without you. After all you have a great staff, they can handle anything. The office will be there when you get back.

A calm comes over you, you turn off your phone and for 24 hours you enjoy your family and the world around you. An epiphany.

When was the last time you were disconnected, I mean really disconnected? Share your experience and thoughts.

Note: I promised my wife that our August vacation will be disconnected. Stay tuned to see how I did.

The Ultimate 1:1 Marketing Tool

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A couple months ago I was walking through my dining room and noticed my daughter sitting at the table with a stack cards and envelopes in front of her. When I asked her what she was doing she replied she was “writing thank you notes for her birthday party”. After talking for a few moments I found out she needed to hand write 32 thank you cards. That is a lot of cards for a 9 year old.

For some reason my daughters efforts stuck in my mind over the next few days. When was the last time I wrote a hand written thank you note? How many email thanks you notes have I sent and how lame is it compared to a handwritten note. They are better than nothing, but it could not have the impact of a handwritten note.

Following our conference in April I decided I was going to send all 350+ attendees a personal note. It took me 2 weeks to get them done and I must admit, it was painful.

My purpose was to see if the effort to produce what could be the ultimate 1:1 marketing tool was worth it. My notes varied slightly, but I basically thanked attendees for supporting Xplor, attending the conference and hoped that I saw them at the next conference in 2012.

To my amazement dozens of people I sent notes to either sent me an email, called me or it was brought up in conversations I had with people. I am convinced is was the most effective marketing campaign we have had in a long time.

Sometimes I think we need to step back and go back to basics.

Write a couple notes, you may be surprised. (It will help the post office)

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Mail less, make more – change the model

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Postal rates will impact direct mail but direct mailers have the opportunity to mail less and make more.

Direct mailers are faced with the challenge of rising postal costs, which I did not mean to trivialize in my last blog. I too owned a mail shop at one time and remember the relentless beatings by customers who would squeeze you for every dime they could.

Assuming the volume of mail is going to go down how can direct mailers increase their margins? For years direct mailers have been selling what I call “ancillary services” including selling mailing list, list cleansing, design, etc.

With new technology there is a whole new set of services and if one thinks of themselves as a “distributor” or “caretaker” of information, the possibilities expand incrementally. SMS service, archiving, EBP to name a few. There is a lot of potential here and many companies willing to partner, if these areas are foreign to you. There is huge potential here being a distributor of information.

A second thought, what if direct mailers changed the model as to how they were paid, based on success? Acceptable response rates today ranges from 3-5%. The limited amount of information available on the results you can get in Transpromo and multi-media applications, suggests that if done properly, results are many times the norm of 3-5%.

What would it be worth to a customer if I could take that response rate from 3-5% to 15 or 20%? At the same time maybe saving the customer money AND increasing their revenue.

So let’s say, as the direct mailer, I approach a customer. They want to send out up to 100,000 pieces of mail for an offer for a $50k sports car. They want to sell 50 cars.

We establish a detailed demographic profile, create a program specifically for their demographics, which could include multi-media, SMS, purls, etc. Through the demographic profiling we found 65k qualified. Because of the profiling, creative work, multi-media marketing the response was 15%.

• If done properly you made money on the lists, creative, adding purls, maybe OMR codes, SMS service, transpromo design (just made that up), but you get the idea.

• The customer saved money by mailing less and received a higher response rate. But even if the cost to the customer was the they did get a higher response.

• If the customer spent the same $$$ (or less on print and mail) you made additional revenue, with most likely lower costs in the ancillary multi-media approach.

Why not change the model and share in the success. Why not say “The 65k pieces will cost you cost X and anything over a 5% response I receive Y. Or if you sell the 50 cars I get Z.”

Sounds over the edge? I know someone who does this. And it works.

It is about who controls the data: become a distributor of information who just happens to also print. There is a lot of money in data and content.

Think outside the box.