In Part One of this series, we took a look at the participation rate in social media for printing firms, and found, not surprisingly, that a minority seem to be joining in. And why should they? We discussed that as well. For many printers, especially smaller operations, they either don't see the value in getting started with social media, they don't know how, or they simply feel they don't have time or resources to give it the time and attention that is required—all the experts agree that once you get started, you do need to have an active presence in the venue(s) you have chosen to participate in or you are wasting your time.

One thing is certain: social media, and its future iterations as it continues to evolve, is not a fad. It is where many of your customers are, and they are growing increasingly dependent on this means of communication for a variety of business and personal reasons. Establishing your own presence in an effective manner not only gets you into the conversation where your customers are also engaging, but it drives credibility and can even bring in orders. One example is a quote from a customer using the services of MarketingIdeasforPrinters, who said that he had received a letter from a key customer saying that this was exactly the kind of information that can help me [the customer] grow my business. The customer was so pleased, they said they plan to provide more printing business to the firm, since they are getting not only good service, but also good information that helps them in their business.

MarketingIdeasForPrinters is one option for getting started as we discussed in Part One. I also spoke to John Foley, CEO of Grow Socially, to see what they have to offer and garner his advice. Anyone active in social media interested in the print space will surely have run into John online. He is one of the more active social media participants I have seen, and seems to have a great balance between useful information, education, some self-promotion, and non-business (such as the sports he follows or his sons’ hockey performance). As he says, “Talking about yourself all day long doesn’t work. Being transparent is key.”