The importance of social media and internet marketing in your sales efforts is controversial. Some argue that selling graphic arts services requires a hands-on approach with face-to-face meetings. Others argue that you need to be easier to find, faster and more convenient to work with and constantly touching your customers in multiple ways (email, social media, mobile). Xerox will test that theory at Drupa.

An article entitled “Twitter for Business? 16 Compelling Reasons” posted on desk.com makes the argument that Twitter makes good business sense. The article talks about how Twitter is an important social media tool in this new age of sharing information. It is a low-cost marketing tool, fast to work with and real time for customers. It takes advantage of the business requirement to multi-task (many people have twitter feeds scrolling on their computers), is more effective for networking than emailing, it helps identify influencers and it helps you spot industry trends.

Another article entitled “How To Use Twitter For Business” from Social media today lists a number of steps to consider if you are going to use Twitter as a social media marketing tool. It talks about how you can use Twitter to poll and engage customers with research questions about what is important to them, build brand awareness  and demonstrate strategy (which may become important if you want to sell social media marketing services), increase your SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and measure your influence.

But the evidence is not conclusive and there is some skepticism of the value of Twitter. For example, Christa Carone, the CMO at Xerox said at a Digitas NewFront event in New York, “I’m not sure it works for our campaigns and our messaging.” But Xerox is testing the effectiveness of Twitter. Joel Basa, the e-marketing manager for Xerox, will post on three Twitter feeds from Drupa:

@XeroxProduction, a main point of access for products and technology;
@XeroxEvents, its global calendar of events; and
@Xerox_DE, a gathering-place for customers in Germany.

Anyone interested in monitoring Xerox posts can search for the master hashtag, #xeroxdrupa.

Are you testing the effectiveness of Twitter to market your services?

Howard Fenton is a Senior Consultant at NAPL. Howie advises commercial printers and in-plants on: benchmarking performance against industry leaders, increasing productivity through workflow management, adding and integrating new digital services, and adding value through customer research.

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The big event is underway – drupa 2012! After months of preparation, graphic communications professionals from around the world have gathered in Düsseldorf, Germany to check out the latest technologies and applications on display. On April 24, Xerox partnered with Cary Sherburne of Sherburne & Associates and WhatTheyThink.com for an industry-focused #futureprint Tweetjam to discuss expectations for this year’s show.

Almost 30 Twitter users participated in the hour-long conversation – including graphic arts professionals, commercial printers, paper manufacturers and print industry publications. Participants generated more than 130 tweets using the #futureprint hashtag and answered questions like:

• What’s your favorite thing about drupa? – Surprise announcements, new technologies, face-to-face interactions with customers, seeing old friends and making new ones, and unlimited networking opportunities.
• Do you have any tips to navigate the show? – Wear comfortable shoes, plan out each day ahead of time, and take advantage of drupa online tools like the mobile and iPad apps.
• What are the must see technologies at drupa? – Finishing, packaging, applications, digital print, inkjet offerings, print engines and workflows.

It was a  productive conversation and resulted in plenty of chatter including users asking each other questions and some even making plans to meet up at the show. 

As drupa attendees continue their conversations about the trends and themes at drupa on Twitter, Xerox’s visualizer will be tracking the top trends being discussed real time, at both the drupa fairgrounds and outside the halls of the messe. Just as predicted in the Tweetjam, we’ve seen inkjet, packaging and digital all trending in the first few days. If you’re onsite at drupa, be sure to check out the visualizer in person at the Xerox stand (Hall 8B, Stands #A62-1, #A62-5) or watch it update in real time online.

Looking to talk about all things drupa after the show ends? Join Cary Sherburne for another tweetjam on May 22 at 2 p.m. EDT for an hour-long drupa wrap-up conversation. Follow @CSherburne and @XeroxProduction on Twitter for more information and use #futureprint in your tweets to join!

“Back in black I hit the sack I’ve been too long I’m glad to be back…Forget the hearse ’cause I’ll never die, I got nine lives, Cat’s eyes, Usin’ every one of them and running wild…”

It seems certain to me that this hit song was written as an ode to monochrome printing! For years now, we keep hearing and reading about the demise of black and white printing. Contrary to popular belief, the trends are actually quite the opposite. If the recent reaction to the Xerox D-series launch at Drupa – the world’s largest printing show – is any indication, black and white printing is here to stay and  to thrive, especially in the 100 – 134 pages per minute segment!

One would imagine that with the steady lowering of color printing costs, the overall attractiveness of printing in monochrome would disappear. However, the true advantages of printing in black and white over color, tie directly to the applications printed. From book blocks, security documents, labels to transactional documents, bills and manuals – printing in color might not make sense as monochrome printers are more cost effective and faster. If you add variable data printing to the mix, and the host of advanced inline finishing options available on these ‘light production’ monochrome devices, the equation becomes that much more compelling.

An emerging trend that offers a unique value proposition to printers is the collaboration between monochrome and color printing – also known as a ‘hybrid job’. Think about creating a document that is predominantly black and white but uses color strategically to add value to the document using color covers or color inserts – low cost black and white, high impact color create a powerful combination. One such Xerox designed application – Best of Both Worlds –  printed on the Xerox 4112/4127 (predecessor to the Xerox D Series) and the Xerox 700i Digital Color Press has won several industry plaudits ranging from the IAPHC International Gallery of Excellence award to the Gold Ink award. It is a testimony to the capabilities that exist and the opportunities that abound when it comes to monochrome printing.

For the music aficionado, the 1980 song ‘Back in Black’ is known for its opening guitar riff, and the song was AC/DC’s tribute to their former singer Bon Scott. His replacement Brian Johnson recalled to Mojo magazine in 2009 that when the band asked him to write a lyric for this song, “they said, ‘it can’t be morbid – it has to be for Bon and it has to be a celebration.’ And that’s what monochrome printing is all about – a celebration!

This is an “almost-live” blog of the presentation by Steve Hoover, CEO of the legendary PARC lab, on the Future of Communications at the concluding day of the Xerox Premier Partners Congress yesterday, day 2 of drupa. When speaking on this topic, Steve is known to quote PARC alumnus Alan Kay’s remark from the 1970s: “The best way to predict the future is to invent it.” The quote is just as relevant today, as PARC celebrates its 10^th anniversary as an independent, for-profit Xerox company conducting research for Xerox, other companies and governments.

Apparently, an accident on the autobahn has delayed the arrival of many drupa attendees, so the doors open about 10 minutes late. Techno music fills the hall as members of the Xerox Premier Partners Congress filter in. Looks like another full house (several hundred), and a very chatty one, I might add.

9:50: The lights just dimmed and the sound of rock music kicks in.  A video shows highlights from the first day of the congress, including the evening dinner party at the Classic Remise car museum. A big cheer goes up for scenes of last night’s dancing — not all of it pretty. We’ll be getting started in a moment

9:56: Steve takes the stage. He notes that we’re living in a time of many changes, socially, economically and technologically.  Today he’s going to take s a step back and look at why that’s happening and where things might go.

He encourages the audience members, as innovators, to find the business opportunities in these changes.

10:00: Steve’s going to cover five key trends.

The first is digital. The industry’s growth opportunities are in digital printing. Think of digital not only as the way print is made but way information is created and transformed.  It’s not only digital print — it’s digital communications

Here Steve calls up the famous Marshall McLuhan quote. “The medium is the message.” The quote is often mis-interpreted as something superficial, but it’s actually a profound thought. The media changes the way people think and what they want.

Steve says his daughter sends and receives between 700 and 1,000 texts per month on her mobile phone. But before she got the phone, she didn’t make 1,000 calls. That’s the point. Media changes how people behave and what people want.

10:02: Digital print does not merely replace print that was done in analog forms. It creates new forms of communications. Today print has a different role. It’s about the interaction between different types of media. For example, Google uses print to tell people how to better use online media.

We need to ask ourselves, are we in print business or communication business? Steve notes that many in the audience — industry leading members of the Premier Partners — think of it as a more encompassing communications business. Of the many forms of communications, the more you can do, the better off you’ll be.

10:04: Unfortunately an innovator’s job is never done. The next trends Steve is going to discuss are about how communications are changing.

• First: social media. He’s showing a video showing social media statistics. Facebook would be nation’s third largest country.
• A new member signs up for LinkedIn each second.
• Lady Gaga has more followers than the population of Sweden.

In our generation (the older half of the population?), we don’t really understand how transformative this is. This is how those under 30 interact. For printers focused on how to help customers send targeted communications, this is more and more how people are communicating.

Steve notes that innovators experiment, and asks, “Are you experimenting with social advertising and social communities in your business?” There are tremendous opportunities here, and integrating print with social media is one of them. “This is what’s driving the future of communications over the next 3-8 years/”

10:10: Now Steve talks about research in these areas. Social networks are where word-of-mouth dominates. How do you identify the key influencers? If you can identify that individual by looking at their social network, then that’s a really powerful target. One PARC initiative is investigating that.

Another area of research is people’s online behaviors. With online games, people mimic their real life persona. PARC is doing research to analyze online game behavior to devise a person’s demographics with 94% accuracy.

10:12: Next trend: Mobile, “clearly a trend that is here.” For the first time more phones and ipads are sold than PCs. Today’s phone has the computing power of a laptop 10 years ago.

Mobile is about the always-on connection to other people and information sources.

10:14: QR codes are one way digital connects the physical and virtual world. Augmented Reality superimposes information from the virtual world onto the physical world.

PARC is working on wearable computers with Motorola. They are focusing on commercial applications, such as for paramedics to view information on an eyepiece in real time giving directions about what to do in different types of emergencies. Google also has research in this field.

10:16:

Mobile is the real the personal computer. Many computers were on desktops and were shared with family members. Mobile is truly personal and with us all the time. It’s how we interact with the world.

Steve discusses a restaurant recommendation application. It bases the recommendations on the individual’s context. Location is one. Personal history — who you are and what you interact with — can be others. “It’s intensely personal.”

10:18:

All of this means that the growth of Internet devises will continue to accelerate. More types of devices will get connected and be digital.  Smart tags on packages will record the temperature and vibration history.

Printed electronics is a very low cost way to make certain classes of electronics. So printing becomes one of the manufacturing processes to create digital information that in some cases displaces print.

Steve lets that irony hang in the air before moving on to the final trend.

10:19: That trend is gamificiation. Steve remarks that the event support staff asked him if that was actually a word. He assures us it is. He shows a video on gaming, which reports that by age 21 many children have spent 10,000 hours gaming. That’s the same amount of time they spend in school from grades 5-12 if they have perfect attendance. And it’s the number of hours of study some say are required by age 21 to become a virtuoso. We have an entire generation of virtuoso gamers. So what are they good at?

Steve notes that many people dismiss games as trivial, if haven’t grown up in it. But those who grew up in multi-user games learn important skills, such as how to put people together, and keep them motivated and engaged using virtual styles of interaction. They are learning how to lead, organize, strategize and create.

“I can’ tell you how it will play out, but it will influence the future of communications and marketing.”

10:23: Steve’s closing thought: an innovators job is never done. It’s about disrupting your industry before others beat you to it.

10:24: In the Q&A, Steve fields one question: How would you take some of that thinking and apply to my business?

Steve encourages people to explore multi-media communications if they aren’t already. Print is only one of the ways customers are communicated to. Are you partnering with someone who can help you understand that world?

“Second I encourage you to experiment with social media for your own business. A bad reference will spread at 10 times the rate of a good one. Do you know what people are saying about you? Are you using to create networks of your own users?”

10: 27: No more questions. Steve leaves the stage to a round of applause.

Let’s face it: the graphic communications industry is an exciting business to be in, but a drupa year adds a little extra flair. Like many of you, I am a drupa veteran. We have all walked miles or kilometers within the Messe, ate our share of bratwurst and survived the largest print show in the world.

We’re only the second day into the show and I am already feeling the energy and excitement associated with this event. It was certainly evident during our press conference yesterday, as Chairman and CEO Ursula Burns talked about how our industry continues to evolve and fend off any misconception that print is dead. Print providers are finding new ways to keep print more vital than ever, through high-value pages and applications like photo books and cross-media campaigns.

I’ve noticed already some prevailing trends as I walked the show floor and met with customers and partners:

• It’s hard to escape the influence the cloud can have on a print operation. We are showcasing five cloud solutions in our stand as part of our newly announced Xerox Cloud Consortium, which brings together Xerox Business Innovation Partners dedicated to providing state-of-the-art cloud solutions to our customers.
• Inkjet certainly remains hot. To our part we unveiled the new CiPress™ 325 Production Inkjet System and showcased the CiPress 500 Production Inkjet System in the stand.
• Not to be left out of the party, and also drawing major attention, is Xerox’s announcement in its award-winning iGen platform – the iGen™ 150 Press.
• If you’ll excuse the play on words, customers are looking to finish what they started. An automated finishing process can save time, money and add major value to a print piece. Our new IntegratedPLUS Finishing Solution for Booklets is an automation solution that lets printers produce booklets without the usual bottlenecks.

But that’s just my take. To get perspective on what your peers are talking about at the show check out our digital visualizer and follow conversations on Twitter by using #xeroxdrupa. It’s a great way to get a pulse on what’s hot at any moment during the event.

And if you’re in Düsseldorf let me know what’s catching your attention.   

Jeff is a fresh face at Xerox but one with 25 years of graphic communications industry experience.

Over 900 million results when you Google “automatic”. Wow. Automatic transmission, sprinkler system, bill-pay, doors, photo sorter, payroll deductions, vacuum, lawn mower, chicken coop door openers … even an automatic mini donut factory for your home. Wow. I could go on. To say that automation is abundant and evident everywhere we turn is an understatement. But the fact that it is so prevalent in our daily lives means we can easily take it for granted. Or overlook a new way that automation can save time and money….like… finishing of booklets for example. And what a great example that is… given that it is Drupa season and all…

Commercial Printers continue to look for improved operational efficiencies (that’s probably another understatement). There is a need to offset increased costs and downward pricing pressures, often while expanding  business with new sales channels and digital sales growth. Compounding this is the growing need to deliver hundreds of jobs daily with ultra low quantities. More often than not, jobs require manual setup of the finisher which means more time to complete each job – more cost, and slower time to delivery.

With an automated start-to-finish workflow, you can effectively automate file submission,

file preparation, file routing and finishing throughout your print operation. Xerox has demonstrated this repeatedly – perhaps you have seen or enjoyed the benefits of the Automatic In-line Finishing Solution. We’re proud to say we’ve taken it a step further … to include automation of off-line booklet finishers as well as in-line. This can mean better utilization of your finishing assets – less errors – less steps in the process – less cost – more jobs out the door  – and more revenue. Not to mention more time to enjoy all of the output from your new automatic mini donut factory.

It’s automatic. The Xerox IntegratedPLUS Finishing Solution for Booklets. If you’re at drupa, please visit me in Hall 8B to discuss this exciting solution. Or you can learn more online at http://www.xerox.com/

At the heart of the Xerox stand at drupa, you will find four workflow hubs showcasing our most robust collection of software demonstrations in years.  These workflow hubs and associated solutions each focus on a major customer theme; grow your business, reduce your cost, produce more jobs, and delight your customers.

Within this customer focus, there are three major workflow themes this year at the show; Automation, Open Solutions, and the Cloud.  I would like to focus this blog post on the solutions that support Xerox’s direction toward open platforms and industry standards.  This strategic direction for Xerox not only includes, but emphasizes, the vast array of solutions our Xerox Business Innovation Partners bring to the market.

So what can you expect to see at drupa that showcases our open technology approach?

We have an area discussing Freedom to Print, a solution that enables document workflows across both Xerox and non-Xerox print devices.  The next generation of Xerox Mobile Print powered by the Cloud will demonstrate mobile printing from an array or smart devices and tablets.

The industry standard for integration and information exchange in a print environment is JDF/JMF.  There will be multiple demonstrations utilizing this technology including products from Xerox such as FreeFlow Print Server, FreeFlow Process Manager, FreeFlow Output Manager, FreeFlow Connect, and FreeFlow Web Services.  Our partners will also highlight JDF/JMF integration with solutions from Avanti, Ultimate, GMC, Solimar, Bourg, and Horizon to name just a few.

Finally, our suite of variable information tools will demonstrate multiple open solution technologies including PDF/VT and the ability to also submit jobs to both Xerox and non-Xerox devices.

So whether it’s support for multiple display devices, or support for JDF/JMF, or support for printing to both Xerox and non-Xerox devices, you can expect a full array of solutions from Xerox and our partners that allow you to easily deploy new solutions or integrate with your existing workflows via our open solutions approach.

I will be at the show so please stop by and let’s talk about your workflow.

Hello drupa attendees and “virtual” attendees. We’re at the Premiere Partner Congress in Dusseldorf on Day 1 of drupa. Lots of excitement in the room with so many big announcements and buzz! From Xerox this includes the new Xerox iGen 150 and CiPress 325. We also announced Xerox Automatic Inline Finishing and Automatic Offline Finishing.

We’ll get started in about 5-7 minutes.

Here we go: 20 nationalities present at the Congress.

4:02: Korea, Japan, China, Thailand, Brazil, Spain, Italy, Germany, France all represented.

4:08: Ursula Burns and Jeff Jacobson will taking the stage now.

4:09: First question to Ursula, “Where is Xerox from a strategy perspective?” Ursula responds with, “We are a 140,000 Employees Strong. The leader in Business Process Outsourcing and technology for the print industry. We are global. We have an amazing brand. We are strong and getting stronger everyday.”

4:11: Ursula comments on Technology: “Xerox is a company that its history, its soul, its foundation is around Technology. It’ll be part of us as long as customers need it. As long as there is a need for document technology…then Xerox will provide it.”

4:14: Ursula, “The stronger our technology business is the more access we have to our clients for other services. We’ve taken the core that we have in a way that clients feel comfortable doing more work. We are growing both our services business and our technology business.”

4:16: A quick photo.

4:18: Jeff Jacobson speaking now, “I spend one day a week with customers. I learn so much from customers and this is what the Premier Partner program is all about.” Jeff commenting how he was impressed with Xerox and honored how Xerox pursued him to join their, “winning organization.”

4:20: Jeff commenting, “There are about 50 trillion pages and the vast majority are not printed digitally. That is a huge opportunity for a company like ours.” “Print will serve as the ignitor for other forms of media.”

4:22: Ursula speaks of “High Value Pages” including cross media campaigns created with tools such as XMPie.

4:25: Jeff speaking of how data and managing of data is essential for printers todays. Its almost a Information Technology Function. Ursula chimes in about the need for mobile, cloud and security in today’s world and “we are a place where we think of these things as a whole and try to easily package them for specific applications.”

4:27: Packed house

4:28: “Where do you see inkjet and toner based engines?” Jeff comments, “There is a place for both. drupa 2012 is the inkjet drupa and so was drupa 2008. I think we are in the very onset of the inkjet battle and I think its very important to jump in now. It may be a little early for significant investment in inkjet. I would not change my entire shop now.”

4:32: Jeff says, “The way I measure success is increasing profitability year of year. So my goal is the same as our customers.”

4:34: About to wrap up here. Ursula, “We have to be prepared to change and same with you. Lastly, be prepared to learn. This community of practice, Xerox Premier Partners, will help us solve problems together. We want to hear from you and we want to learn from you. To innovate, to expand, to learn.”

That’s a wrap folks. Please share our thoughts on what Jeff and Ursula shared. Also, please be sure to share your thoughts on Twitter using #xeroxdrupa.

You know them: hearing, sight, touch, smell, taste. At drupa, each of your senses will be put to great use, as you will:

• Hear: The excitement of the 1000s of attendees in the print industry having conversations on a variety of topics.
• See: Technology and software that represents the future of our industry
• Touch: Printed samples with specialty media, innovative finishing, and special toner
• Smell: toner, ink and paper in the air as you walk by every vendors stand.
• Taste: German cuisine (maybe for the first time) and perhaps a few brands of German beer with some friends and colleagues.

At the Xerox stand (Hall 8b), your senses can best be used by seeing and touching the applications that we’ll be showcasing live in our stand, including many Best-of-the-Best winners. These winners include: IOS (Digital and Offset), Mediaware (Digital Packaging), MBA Group Limited (TransPromo), Telemail, S.L. (TransPromo), Easy Print (Photo Publishing), Printshop (Photo Publishing). Three additional winners include:

	DG3 Europe Limited (Best Overall Solution, case study) The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, the largest youth charity in the UK, wanted to enable their award winners to create and order personalized Achievement Packs online. They approached DG3 Europe Limited, who mapped out an end-to-end solution using FreeFlow Process Manager™ and the iGen4 with a Xerox FreeFlow™ Print Server – resulting in a 637% increase in usage of the achievement pack.
	De Budelse (Digital Packaging, case study) Recognizing the growing area of digital packaging, De Budelse built FotoChoco.nl to enable orders of personalized boxes of chocolate. Using the iGen4 and FreeFlow Print Server, they were able to sell over 11,000 boxes of chocolate. (your sense of taste!)
	CopyCat (Direct Marketing, case study) Using the Xerox Color 1000 Press, CopyCat used clear dry ink and personalized cross media to drive new business. The campaign generated a 10% response rate and helped bring in 20 new orders from new customers.

Please stop by Xerox Stand in Hall 8B to see and touch these great applications. We’ll find other ways to exercise your other senses!

Unlike the many Xerox veterans going to drupa, I’m a “Rookie” to drupa. I’ve been to other tradeshows such as IPEX, Graph Expo, Print 09, On-Demand to name a few but this is my first drupa. I leave tomorrow(Monday) and I started to pack for my trip and I thought I’d share a few of my thoughts on what to pack / not pack:

First, what I’m NOT packing:

• Dining Guide to Dusseldorf: The one thing I love about international travel is looking forward to the cuisine. I usually come prepared but since XMPie is producing a “Dining Guide to Dusseldorf” I can just pick up a copy in our stand (Hall 8b).
• My Wife and My Dogs: I’ll miss my wife and my dogs but don’t think they’ll fit in my luggage.
• Suntan lotion: Weather forecast for Dusseldorf looks like Upper 60s Fahrenheit…not bad but suntan lotion not required.
• My passport: Just kidding, I wanted to make sure you’re still reading!

Now, what I AM packing:

• iPad with drupa App: I’m amazed to see the number of drupa mobile apps by many vendors. I’ve already installed the official drupa App on my iPad and iPhone. What a great resource!
• A Doctor’s Coat/Jacket: That’s right! I’ll be with Andy Hill and Christina Klos in the Social Media Café holding Social Clinics. We’ll be “Doctors” to help you with your social media questions/needs. Stop by any day from 10:30-11:30 or 2:00-3:30.
• Camera: With so many things to see (at the show and in Dusseldorf) I want to be sure to take some photos.
• Comfortable Shoes/Sneakers: Standing and more standing. Knowing that, I bought some comfortable insoles for my shoes and for after the workda, my Asics Kayano 18s will be like heaven to my feet.
• Workout Bands: With no access to a gym, must be creative with getting a few workouts in. Workout bands are small, lightweight but are versatile workout
• Other important things: My passport, money, and tickets.

Any of you veterans have any thoughts to share? Let me now! See you at drupa!