Commenting is Marketing
I was looking through the nominations for the SEMMY awards and came across this great post by Darren Rowse over at Problogger. He talks about 10 ways to hurt your blogs brand by commenting on other blogs. It’s all pretty informative stuff that seems like common sense to me. This read comes at a particularly pertinent time for me as I was recently asked to compile a list of blogs that we should respond to as a company.
I grabbed a few to check up on and added them to my Google Reader to subscribe. I’m very sensitive to spam and I don’t want to be “that guy” (or girl, as is the case). I learned after reading Darren’s post that I’m not doing anything wrong. I’ve been making relevant comments (of course) and throwing in the PsPrint URL when it adds to the conversation of the bloggers post.
I post Darren’s question to my few readers here:
- What practices would you add to the posted list?
- Which would you remove from it (or modify)?
- What advice would you give bloggers when it comes to commenting on others blogs?
- As a blogger – do you police any of these types of things? Do you have a comment policy of any kind?
Higher Commissions? Yes Please…
About a month I go, I briefly mentioned that we’ve started a new affiliate program on Commission Junction. Didn’t bring a whole lot of fanfare to the party since we hadn’t officially made the announcement to our customers and current members at that time. I gave up my position as the manager of PsPrint’s Direct Mail Services to focus more time and attention on this little bugger.
Well, let’s get this party started? 8%? Weak sauce of the past. We’re serving up 15% commissions now, baby!
That’s right, we’ve dropped our measly 8% commissions and boosted to 15%. Partnering with Commission Junction has made the program so much better: a better interface, more reliable tracking, the support of a big affiliate network, you name it. It’s all simpler than ever for our affiliates AND us!
I’m really excited about the transition as it gives us a chance to start over and scrap the old program soon. It’s hard to improve on something that’s inherently flawed like our old program.
We’ve made sure to get the word out on this just in time for Affiliate Summit 2008 West. The Summit will be held at the Rio All Suites Hotel & Casino February 24th through 26th. PsPrint will of course have a booth and I will be there, so if you happen to be a reader of this blog stop by and say hi to me for a special treat :).
Really, I swear!
Read MoreAll for One, One for All Printers
All in one printing is a valuable asset to have. The printer I use at home, an HP OfficeJet 6210, is a great piece of machinery. With this I can print anything I want with photo quality results (usually photos and Google Map directions are what I’m printing). I can also scan my photos, make copies for free, and, if I had land line phone service, I could easily fax to my heart’s content. I’ve had all in one printers for a few years now, and I’d never go back to a simple printer as my main machine.
Here at the office we have a Konica machine that almost does as much as my little HP (despite being 5 times the size). It prints, it scans, it copies, it slices, it dices. Wait – rewind those last two there.
But it’s a great machine when it’s not tragically overworked by the volume our office sends it’s way. Without an all in one machine like this, our efficiency is severely hindered. Anyone who’s been here on a day when the printer goes down knows exactly what I mean.
While not a scientific percentage, a quick search of Google Shopping shows 23,015 results for “all in one printer”, so clearly there are a ton on the market and many small businesses look for combination deals like this to save on money and supplies. Every business I’ve worked at has kept a similar all-in-one machine in their arsenal of office equipment. So if these are so important to us, why do people still look to specialized companies for their professional printing needs?
The best stop is a printing company that can do it all for you. This way you save on supplies, shipping, and effort. The time you save dealing with one company to do everything for you will increase your efficiency and give you time for other more important projects than ordering more business cards. Naturally all businesses want to get more bang for their buck, so the best solution is to go somewhere with great quality and low prices.
PsPrint, one of the first online printing companies and the only online printer with facilities on both coasts, is a one-stop-shop. Offering exceptional quality at bargain prices, PsPrint offers everything from business cards to presentation folders, professional graphic design services to mailing services. They can take care of your printing needs from start to finish. It’s a great online resource to have in your back pocket. Ordering online has never been easier: just upload your artwork, pick out what you want, and associate the two. BAM – you’re in business.
Don’t take my word for it… head over to PsPrint and check out the selection of products and services for yourself. You’ll wonder why you went to any other printer before.
Read MoreAnother Suitcase in Another Hall
It’s the end of a 2 year streak for me here running our Mailing Services at PsPrint. I’m passing it on to an able-bodied lieutenant and the Customer Service department… probably where it should have been the whole time. At this point the majority of the day to day stuff has been passed on and it is a bit strange to come in and not have to do these things.
But what will I do with my days? More of the same, really, just with more time to focus. We’re still transitioning our current affiliate program into a reseller program and have begun our true affiliate program over at Commission Junction. I’ll have more time to properly manage both programs and follow up with affiliates and resellers alike.
There will also be more time to focus on our email marketing campaigns, trade shows, advertising opportunities, blogging, social network marketing, reputation management, new media, and our green printing initiative.
So the end of an era has come and 2008 will be a fresh year for me here. I’m excited, and yet, anxious. Bring it on!
Read More25 Death-Defying Design Principles for Direct Marketing … in 25 Minutes
Anyone interested in a free webcast to pick up some marketing tips, come on down! Sandra J. Blum brings experience in direct marketing, advertising and marketing communications to her highly rated sessions. Register for free at the Dynamic Graphics website.
From the Dynamic Graphics website:
In this fast-paced webcast, sponsored by PsPrint, you’ll see the visual elements of persuasion and moments of truth that trigger response. You’ll learn about specific changes (often minor) you can make to improve response significantly. And you’ll hear the latest research on design approaches that work. This is one practical session that’s focused on helping you evaluate creative content with innovative insight.
This will be a great session for small businesses, copywriters, and graphic designers everywhere. I’m personally looking forward to catching this one as I missed the last webcast we sponsored, and I hear it was fantastic. For 2008 we’re really looking at some cutting edge new marketing techniques and I’ll be on the supreme lookout for new things to try! New contests, viral marketing, and blogging like crazy! The new year is going to be exciting here at PsPrint!
Forget The Mitchell List: We’re sponsoring a CONTEST!
Why focus on the downward spiral of steroids in the MLB? With the success of our Brickfish contest hot on our heels, PsPrint is sponsoring a fun holiday contest through PhotographyCorner.com.
You ever notice that some objects kind of look like letters? Like the brim of a mug looks like an “O” or the top of that roof makes the letter “A”, or even a stick in the shape of the letter “Y.” Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to photograph these objects that look like letters, and put them together to create a holiday word (like peace, joy, Christmas, Jesus, lights, wreath, Hanukkah, festivus, etc).
More details, as well as entry details, can be found on the PhotographyCorner.com forums.
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