Almost everyone is aware of the recent postal increases….as they were heavily promoted and advertised…..however, there was some “good news” with the bad news of price increases!

In an effort to “boost” commercial use of First Class Mail…the USPS launched its new “Second Ounce Free” pricing program that enables direct mailers to send letters weighing up to

two ( 2) ounces for the one ( 1 ) ounce postage rate!   That is GREAT NEWS for Direct Mailers and Promotional mailers!

Be sure to take advantage of this great offer…. and it is being touted by the USPS as a PERMANENT CHANGE !  The USPS discovered that their equipment actually handled a two

( 2 ) ounce package exactly the same as the one ( 1 ) ounce…so while it is a great savings to the mailers…it really does not affect the USPS operations at all…..  Can we all say WIN – WIN !

Euby

Euby has  just finished reading an article in Print Solutions discussing the use of Snap Tags over the more traditional QR Codes….and felt that it was worth sharing…..

Jeffrey Hazzlett, a long time industry author, had shared the story of stopping the presses at the last-minute on his latest book “Running the Gauntlet”  ( well worth the read ) to switch the QR codes at the beginning of each chapter to the Snap Tags.

He basically stated that after learning about Snap Tags he re-labeled QR codes as “Ugly Codes” because by looking at them you cannot tell where you will be going or what it will be about….where as with the Snap Tag the image is embedded in it …giving the person snapping it….a sense of “what they will see or experience” when they get there…making them far more informative and trusted.

But the greatest benefit is that you do NOT need a smart phone to use them.  Many people still do not have smart phones…so snap tags opens up your marketing to that demographic that has previously been left out. …. increasing your target market and your results.  Even those with smartphones may find the Snap Tags more user-friendly as taking a picture and texting is a more common action than downloading the reader apps and scanning the QR codes.

There is added costs associated with Snap Tags over the QR Codes…but in some instances this additional cost may very well be worth the investment.

Talk about your full marketing plans with your Suncoast Representative and determine which technology makes more sense for you and your organization.  He or she will be more than happy to assist you with that decision and the subsequent implementation.

Till next time…. “all the best”!       Euby

 

Just a quick reminder… just about every function of business in China is CLOSED for the New Years party of 2012 !  And the Chinese “best us” in the New Years Party for sure !  They have been basically “shut down” as a Country business wise for a week….and will not really be fully operational until after February 1 st.  ( I did blog about this earlier advising that the New Year came early this year and to plan ahead for import quotes and orders )

This is the year of the “Black Dragon” which makes this particular new year very auspicious!  It only rolls around every six decades…so they have 60 years to plan their parties…and the theme is based on the symbology of the year……and the Black Dragon is the symbol of “courage and soaring hope”!    Sounds like a great theme for 2012 !  Happy Chinese New Year !

Business as usual after February 1 st !      Euby

Google Wallet is getting a lot of publicity of late…. but mostly in the “tech” circles.     But it has arrived….and you are probably part of it….knowingly or not!   Banks, restaurants and retailers of all kinds have plans to sell you everything …all from the comfort of your cell phone !   You have probably already made your first purchase….a ring tone..,video game…or music….but that is just the “tip of the iceberg” to use an old phrase!  And even so…is is a HUGE market…about $ 7 Billion dollars in the US alone !  ” Mobile Commerce” – buying goods off the internet from your mobile phone  is projected to top $ 10 BILLION dollars this year !  Another staggering statistic is that in 2008 PayPal did $  25  MILLION  in mobile volume….in 2011  ( 3 short years ) they did  $ 3 billion in mobile volume!  So your phone becomes your credit card!  Gotta love the conveniece…..but there is MORE coming around the corner….

NFC is going to be a “game changer” in this field….As more smartphones have this technology ( allows you to transmit data short distances like to a cash register by “tapping” your phone on a reader ) it will have a tremendous impact….it also will probably start with “music” being shared among friend by “tapping”…..but it will lead to wider acceptance and more and more uses ( much like the QR code revolution ) in the market place.   We will start seeing NFC Chips in store shelf signs….tap your phone and you will have the “coupon” from the poster….stored in your digital wallet.   What a great program…. and a wonderful new service and product that Suncoast can offer.    As this technology continues to develop …Euby will continue to update you !  Until then….start practicing your “Tapping” !    Euby

Euby and Suncoast Marketing often engage the services of Bruce Cameron of FrontLine Marketing for customer service and sales training.  Bruce brings a fresh and energetic approach to training and behavior modification that makes learning fun!   Frontline publishes a newsletter “Sparks Fly” that always shares a few insights into human behavior…..and Euby found this weeks to be extremely interesting…..OK… I admit it …the first line pulled me in….but then…that is great marketing!  And…I felt compelled to share it with you !  Enjoy the read…and the thoughts….contained below!  YOU are being SEDUCED again !     Euby Shared with you from “Sparks Fly” …..FrontLine Marketing and Bruce Cameron   You are being seduced everyday. And even though you may   argue that you aren’t getting that much action …. I can assure you from   years in advertising, marketing and public relations, that YOU are all   advertisers think about and a very real seduction tool they use is emotional   contagion. Elaine Hatfield is a   leading research psychologist in the area of emotional contagion and here is   how she describes it. “When people are in a   certain mood, happy or sad, that mood is often passed on to others. When we   talk to people that are depressed, we can feel depressed. When we talk to   people that are happy we are likely to feel happy and good about   ourselves.” OK. So why is it in your   best interest to not only learn about it, but to learn how to use it? Guys, maybe you think that   emotional contagion is harmless, more a female, ‘feeling thing’ and that your   actions are not dictated by emotions. No doubt you’ve heard   about the power of first impressions and that we make up our mind about   someone in 60 seconds. Hear this! Actually not only do we decide how we   ‘feel’ about someone in about 2 seconds, but virtually all of our decisions   are made emotionally. We then back up our decision with rational thinking.   Regardless of the product, we vote emotionally, then rationalize. Consider this. We are exposed   to over 3,000 call to action messages a week (advertising).  And the   explosion of communication technology, like smart phones, MP3 and tablets   gives advertisers more outlets from which to lead us to a desired outcome. Emotional contagion is   used everywhere. For example, the laugh track used in situational comedy’s is   an example of emotional contagion in action. Laughter influences others to   laugh. And it is widely believed that an action creates a feeling. In our example, laughter creates a   feeling of happiness. If we feel good, then we are more likely to like and   watch the tv show. The more we ‘like’ and identify with what we are watching,   the more opportunity for advertisers.  Seduction   is fun. We have a choice. We can either continue   being seduced unconsciously or we can become aware, learn and gain power over   the choices we make and the messages we send. We can become active   participants in being seduced and in seducing. And really, isn’t it much more   fun when we have a clue and get to play too?

 

Happy New Year !

We have had a difficult decision in the marketing process when faced with the use of the QR Code and the Microsoft Tag.  Some used the QR code and others the Tag…and then some ( like Suncoast and our cards..)  included both on occasion….and that may have actually led to even more confusion.

Over the past couple of years the QR code has really flexed the muscle….and has far more “public” recognition ( extremely important in the market place ) than the Tag…..and that has led Microsoft to announce a “one stop shop” for Marketers with the Tag, QR and NFC ( Near Field Communications ) all in one extension.  Brands now can have the freedom to choose the format best for their marketing efforts…and the consumers will have the ease of use of one reader to use for any of the formats. This decision by Microsoft has been met with a great deal of market enthusiasm and support. Obviously, Microsoft did not want to make this concession…they prefer to always “win” but while they are stubborn they were not about to take a “second” position ….. so the old saying goes….”if you can’t beat um…join um”…..and they have done just that!    I have attached a link to a great read about the decision and the market impact!  Enjoy !  Euby

http://tag.microsoft.com/community/blog/t/microsoft_tag_announces_one-stop-shop_for_marketers_tag_qr_and_nfc.aspx

Happy New Year !   We are all aware that the last few years have been some of the most “challenging” of most of our lifetimes.  What was once quite easy became difficult…. and the past difficulties became extremely challenging and some of the “challenges” became almost impossible…..  Now we have a New Year and we all desire that same improvement!  So…what are we going to do “differently” to accomplish the desired outcome?  A friend of Euby’s ( thanks Jeff ! )  sent him the following “questions” to ask yourself….set aside a few minutes…and read the questions…and WRITE down your answers.  Keep it where you can see it dailiy…and refer back !  MAKE IT HAPPEN…MAKE 2012 the “turn around” year !  Pass along the Passion !

1)  What are you going to do differently this year to improve your industry and product knowledge?

2) How will you market to your inactive clients to “revive” them?

3)  How will you add “value” to your  relationship in existing clients?

4)  How many “new customers” will you target to activate this year?

5)  What will you do to improve your “physical” health to allow you to perform better?

6) What are your “Goals” for this year in business?

7) What will you do daily to keep your “passion” and “attitude” at high levels?

8) How many referrals will you receive from clients?  How many times will you ask for them?

9)  Where can you “maximize” your time by eliminating the “time wasters” ?

10)  What have you been “putting off” that you can take care of THIS WEEK?

How good will you feel when you commit to the above….take action on it…and

accomplish it ?   Get started today….  Go out and implement your plan and MAKE
2012 THE BEST YEAR EVER !

Euby

A final quote….”Your actions…and your actions ALONE, determines your worth”!  Johann Fichte

Euby attended the Boca “Inner Circle” networking event at Pinons on Thursday ….and found several conversations that were discussing “Google +”!   And no wonder….since launching in June Google + has attracted over 40 MILLION users….and most recently launched the Google + pages for business.  You can set up your business page quickly and easily…they have made it very user-friendly.  If you do not have a Goggle + profile you need to create one first. Use a generic email as admins are not currently transferable.  So get started now…..  and while you know that Google will have some innovative features on the horizon…. there are a few points you should know now….

First…. Businesses can create custom circles.  This allows you to create groups of Premium customers and post special updates and exclusive offers.   Second….With Direct Connect function you can search google.com using the “+” prefix to search for an existing Google+ page.    Third….”The Hangout” feature allows live group chats with webcam support.  This can be used for product evaluation and feedback….or even quickly gathered focus groups.    Fourth…. Only the business can post to the page.  This limits the engagement a little but keeps your content in full view.    and Last…you will soon be able to link your business page to your AdWords campaign for your site.  This will aggregate all of your +1′s from your page, website, ads and search results to a single result.

Jump in… it is a very positive experience.  Join the millions of others already doing so.

That is it for now…. Euby will be traveling up to the great City of Buffalo NY for the Dolphins game against the Bills next weekend…and will not be posting !  So Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas and a very Happy Healthy and Prosperous New Year to you and yours.  All the best……  Euby

Saturday morning greetings from beautiful Cocoa Beach Florida !

Euby is enjoying a Saturday morning at Cocoa Beach after a two-day trip across the great State of Florida working

with our clients in Tampa and St Pete.  But with a little downtime I am catching up on some saved reading material

and ran across this great article on QR Codes and Coke….  It is a tremendously large program and one that continues

to point out the validity of the “QR Message” that Euby and the team at Suncoast Marketing have been promoting for

years…..QR Codes should be used on all of  your printed sales collateral, materials and products.  Why not continue to

advertise ( at really no added costs ) to your clients and prospects !    Follow the link below…..and see what that marketing

marvel Coke is up to now……if it is strong enough for Coke…isn’t it applicable for you?

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/162961/qr-codes-promote-cokes-campaign-despite-challenge.html

Are you convinced yet?  If so, and you are not active in the QR arena…..call your Suncoast Sales professional and schedule

an appointment to integrate QR codes into your cross media marketing strategy.  You will be glad you did !

Have a great weekend….it’s off to a few mile walk on the sunny beaches of Cocoa Beach…..and no….I will not have my phone

with me !  Euby is off the grid for a few hours.  Enjoy !    Euby

Obviously Suncoast has been promoting QR Codes since “before they were cool”…..and we continue to do so.  And now…there is a LOT of BUZZ about the QR Codes.  Is the huge growth in the use of QR codes a true indication of their

value in the market or simply e-hype?  I belive we all know the answer….it is REALITY…it is RELEVENT and it is here to STAY.  Look around….you are seeing them everywhere.  And with the “Custom Logo’ed QR Codes”  ( more on this

in a future blog ) we will be  seeing more and more in the coming months and years!

Here are five ( 5 ) reports of data on the topic that stand out…..

1)  Between Q1 2010 and Q1 2011 the number of scans going thru ScanBuys Scanlife system jumped from 10 scans per minute to 60 scans per minute…..and from over 125 different countries !

2)  Over the same period, ScanBuy found an 850% increase in active users….400% increase in use application downloads, and 810% increase in total mobile bar code scans

3)  3GVision ( Nigma Bar code Scanning software ) shows the same trends…. Scans running through its systems grew by 20% between Q2 2011 and  Q3 2011 with scans from over 140 countries!

4)  Between Q1 2010 and  Q1 2011 Mobio Identity, an international mobile payments and marketing company,  reported a whopping 4,549% growth ( YES OVER FOUR THOUSAND PERCENT ) in QR Code Scanning!

5)  According to a survey of smart phone users conducted by MGH ( Maryland based ad agency ) QR Code users are primarily between 35 and 54 years old, have a university degree and have household incomes OVER
$ 50,000 per year.  HOW IS THAT FOR A TARGET MARKET?

Now …..if you are already using QR codes….great… however…you should include one on all printed documents as well as all correspondence !  We are in the process of implementing that program FULLY at SMI…we have been utilizing them for a couple of years now…however, not on all print and correspondence.  That is a goal for 2012….and one that we intend to achieve.  In fact…going forward I plan to have a QR code affixed to all my blogs……gotta “walk the walk”!

Stay tuned…more QR Code information will follow on future blogs…..     Euby

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Special thanks to Heidi Tolliver-Walker for her research on this topic in Print Solutions Magazine