Tweet me… Social Media and Commercial Printing CAN work together!

Jimmy Fallon is one hell of a marketing genius!  Sure, one could argue whether or not he’s a talented comedian or a gifted interviewer (personally, I find him to be both!) But despite all of the drama that continues to circulate around Late Night television, he managed to fully brand his show and successfully made it his own.

One thing that he’s done a brilliant job of is incorporating Social Media.  Even before his show started, Jimmy was on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter… everywhere!  He regularly tweets his monologues, and even has bits and sketches revolving around Social Media (#hashtags anyone?).   The man just gets it… and has secured a fanbase in his specific demographic.

So… how does this translate to Commercial Printing, Direct Mail, or Multi Channel Marketing or any other business solutions we offer. First, let’s start with a great Blog carried by the New York Times, discussing the relevance of social media in branding and creating buzz around your message. We’ve only recently started to use all of the social media channels at our disposal, but we’ve already seen our followers and fans grow.  Taking part in the conversation has been invaluable. We’ve seen a rise in the number of estimates we’re taking in through our website, and have even started tracking potential business opportunites that have come to us through our social media channels.  

But there’s more than just looking at potential business opportunities.  Anyone looking to use social media as a way to “make the sale” is really missing the point of the experience. These folks are also going to be sorely disappointed. All of these social media channels aren’t meant to make the “Hard Sell.” Their purpose is for creating dialogue;  It’s about sharing ideas, seeing what people are asking for, taking part in the conversation.  No one wants to go to a party and spend their time being sold to, but lots of people are happy to share ideas and learn from those who have expertise and information that they might not have. 

For us, one of the greatest joys we get to experience is when a customer comes to us with an idea and no idea how to make it work, or make it affordable, or make it better. We are always happy to share any knowledge and ideas that we have, and the end result is a client who becomes more excited about their project than they were when they walked in our doors. We get excited too, and it becomes a cycle of shared enthusiasm.  When our clients see how important their projects are to us, it makes them realize they haven’t just found a vendor. They’ve found a partner.

There are basically two kinds of people in this industry: The people who take the time to have the conversations and listen to what others are saying and needing, and the people who just are interested in the quick and dirty sale at whatever the cost.  At Universal Printing, we know which one best describes us.  It’s all about the conversation, baby!