Mass media, Micro media, and a good printing idea

I recently discovered the cornucopia of free, online documentaries from the Frontline television series here, and watching several of them crystallized my thinking about mass media. You shouldn't trust any of it until you know, with certainty, who paid for it. I didn't really need Frontline to tell me this, they just hammered the point home.

In the printing business the functional equivalent of mass media is direct marketing. Financial service companies, for example, spent millions of dollars every year to print and mail solicitations for credit cards, etc. As with other media, no one receives these messages by accident...the recipients are carefully screened to insure high ROI. The banks, who care a lot about results, use printed direct marketing because they know it works well when the audience is sufficiently targeted.

Hold that thought for just a moment, we'll come back to it after what will seem like a non sequitur.

I have enjoyed following a very smart guy in Tallahassee named Michael Calienes. His two endeavors are Transplant here and The Conversation Factory (on facebook) here. Michael has a lot to say about the one-to-one, organic marketing opportunities available via social media. His approach might be summed up as, (if I may be so bold), 'You develop an honest message you can take directly to actual people, and, if they identify with it, they will pass it on to the like-minded'. No one is coerced, no one has the wool pulled over their eyes, and no one is bamboozled into doing anything. It is, in fact, just like a conversation, or series of conversations...let's call it Micro Media so it can be juxtaposed to its' evil big brother, Mass Media.

Why does a social media approach appeal to someone in the printing business?

It's because I believe the successful, (though ethically dubious), model from the credit card companies can be scaled down to a Micro Media level, and work just as effectively for a Micro user. If the contact data is sufficiently targeted, a well designed printed item can reach out and touch people in a way which is uniquely effective. If the quantity is low, the postage cost is, (for once), manageable, as is the design expense for something simple.

In a marketing environment gone mostly online, a high quality printed item is now somewhat unique. The fact that you take this step builds confidence that your product or service is for real...it's tangible and perceived as part of your genuine, honest message. Most important, because of new printing technologies, it doesn't have to cost a lot or take a long time to produce.

Take a look into micro printing...this post just skims the surface of what's possible. How about 200 handouts to serve as take-away from your conference presentation? No sweat, it's done in a few days. As I said, Michael Calienes is a smart guy, and that is exactly what he did two weeks ago.

Looking forward to your comments online,

Hugh Butler
Your friend in the printing business