Printing is not dead, it is different

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Yesterday I responded to someone on LinkedIN  who asked  “What do you think the future of production print is?” I shared my thoughts, which depending on how you read it, could be a glass half full / half empty scenario.

Let me clearly state “As an industry printing is alive and well and has a future.”  I am banking on it as still have two children at home (one being eight) and need to get them through college.

Two factors that will define the opportunity are:  technology and the changes in human behavior that technology drives.  What the industry is facing is no different than when the invention of the printing press occurred. Bibles were “copied” longhand by monks prior to the invention of the printing press.

In the 1450’s Johann Gensfleisch (Guttenberg’s birth name) invented the movable type
printing press and the first book reportedly  printed was the Latin bible in Mainz Germany. Other dialects were not printed until the early 1500’s due to politics. For more info visit:  http://www.greatsite.com/timeline-english-bible-history/

So what when on?  I am sure the monks felt their “careers” in printing was over. Some may have embraced the” technology” and learn how to run a press. The rest, simply did something else, like make wine. Other dialects were delayed due to politics, a form of human behavior, in those days anyway. Technology and human behavior drove the mass distribution of the bible.

We all have the same option today, embrace the new technology, understand it and create new uses and applications. Or not.  There is a future. In my next blog posting I will go into this in more detail. Hint: Are you a visualist?

 

Has technology made us too accessible?

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Technology like anything else, it can be a blessing and a curse.

Taking a look at technology advances in the last 20 or so years it has done a great deal to increase productivity. We can now receive and send email from anywhere in the world at any time. We can receive messages, as well as email, on a device that once was a “just a phone” but has become so much more.

Every day we communicate via email, text, social networks, facebook, twitter, just to name a few. In fact the average person has very few excuses for not being accessible.

But have we as individuals become too accessible?

Being able to get that last minute proposal out or helping solve a problem at work certainly qualifies as a blessing and is extremely helpful and productive. But I find more and more that the technology is consuming us and not only affecting us but the people around us.

Nothing grates me more than when I am sitting in a meeting that someone invited me to attend and they are constantly looking at their “smart phone” or asking to be excused to take a call. Is anyone or anything so important that they can’t focus and tune-in for a short period of time?

A few changes I have made:

1.) I have created “my time” each day. Turn off my phone, rid myself of outside distractions and do what I want or need to get done. Could be personal or business related.

2.) I never talk on my phone when I am in a line somewhere anymore. Believe me the cashier appreciates it.

3.) I make it a point to turn off my cell phone at meetings, in front of all. It shows them you value their time and they have your attention.

Try this and let me know how it goes. Next time you are in a meeting, try turning off your phone. If you are in line at a grocery store, smile and say hello to the cashier.

Is being accessible affecting who you are?

Information Overload?

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Every day we are bombarded with information. Years ago it was mainly restricted to advertisements, billboards, direct mail and the annoying telemarketing calls that seem to come every evening at dinner time.

With the evolution of technology the amount of information we receive daily has become exponential. Most of us have several email accounts, Facebook, SMS on our phones, twitter, social networks, blogs, etc. etc.

This phenomena has driven a changes in human behavior. We all always sorted through information but due to the amount of information we now we received we have become “high speed” human sorting machines whereby we look at something and in a matter of 1-2 seconds determine if we continue or discard. If we continue, typically we dedicate another 5-10 seconds, before we make a final determination of the relevance of the information.

This presents challenges for companies trying to communicate with their customers (who will give you a bit more time) as well as  a broader audience of “prospects .” Their Question, “how do I get their attention?”  The answer, it is all relevant. The selection process is driven by relevance.

More in future posts.

 

What are they thinking?

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Have you ever received a piece of direct mail or an offer in a bill or statement and ask “what were they thinking?”

I do. My mortgage company who offers me a higher rate than I am currently paying. My phone company offering me a deal on the same phone I  bought and paid more for the month before. The worst is my mortgage company sending the offer in a separate mail piece from my statement wasting money and really making me wonder if there is any communication within the organization.

We all have received some promotion that has made us wonder and chuckle.

And although humorous, at a certain level, you have to ask yourself “why don’t they know who I am?” The technology is available. There are plenty of studies that could support the investment in terms of cost savings and ROI. Is this a good company to do business with?

Might be just me, but I don’t think so. Do you know your customers?