Who would think that a company that sells bar code technology would have data about the media small businesses use to promote themselves. It's actually a worthwhile study that Wasp Barcode Technologies provides. The most interesting thing for me is the how there is no one leading format. E-mail was the answer for 54% of the respondents, but that means that 46% don't use it at all. The other digital media were a website (51%) and social media (48%). Word of mouth was used by 45%. It's not so long ago that “yellow pages” would have gotten at least 80%. The chart shows the complete rankings.

Two concepts come to mind: communications is being spread around... a lot. There is no one or two things that every business must do anymore. The second is how disorganized it all must be. That jumble might be from a pattern of “let's try this” or “I keep hearing that X media is really hot.” Printers, especially those involved in marketing services, should take this opportunity to help their small business clients take a step back to plan their communications, harmonize their look and feel with a goal of brand consistency, and ensure that the right medium goes to the right audience. This is a great opportunity to form an alliance with a good small agency or communications expert who can make the added service a good value.

Most of all, printers should use the techniques they recommend. If you're recommending that businesses improve their websites, or use e-marketing, and have better signage, make sure you're doing that too. All interested prospects visit your website and engage your business online.

Of the ten media in the chart, half were not used or available fifteen years ago. There are experts in each of these areas today, and it is worth knowing who they are in your area. It was not long ago that every time a business used these media it was an experiment. There are good basic practices for each of these. They change every day as technology and analytics change, but the tools are well understood.