The Big Picture - June 2012 - (Page 4)

insight by Gregory Sharpless www.bigpicture.net Gregory Sharpless Editor/Associate Publisher gregory.sharpless@stmediagroup.com Britney Grimmelsman Associate Editor britney.grimmelsman@stmediagroup.com Walking the Plank I have just become aware that I’m terribly behind on my fads. Speciﬁcally, I’m told, I’ve been completely oblivious to one craze that has apparently been sweeping our country and the world for a while now: planking. As I understand it, planking consists of lying face down in an unusual location. Your hands must touch the side of your body and you have to stay rigid – mimicking a wooden plank, I guess – and someone then takes a photograph of you, followed by posting the photo to the social-media site of choice. Laughter then ensues. I have to admit that I just don’t get it. But now I know precisely why my parents were dumbstruck many moons ago when I told them how my friends and I had managed to cram a dozen of us into our ‘67 VW Bug. “What’s the point?” was, more or less, the response. And I really had no answer for them, but I felt that they were terribly “not with it,” and “just square.” While you can argue that it’s okay for you to be personally behind on popular fads like this, you don’t want your company to be similarly behind when it comes to trends that can a ect your business. Just a few for-instances: • Utilizing social media has certainly moved beyond fad to trend. If you’re not utilizing major tools such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Twitter to reach out to clients and prospects, you are missing the boat (and it’s a mighty big boat). • Considering and implementing sustainable practices and technologies. Yes, many clients will ﬁrst look at quality, turnaround time, and price (and not necessarily in that order), but if you can show them sustainable options, you might be surprised at how many will jump at the chance. • Evaluating and updating your output technologies and options. UV, it’s safe to say, is not a fad. Latex is not a fad. Eco- and/or light solvents are not fads. If you have yet to implement at least one of these technologies into your operation, it’s past time to implement a research-and-buy strategy to do so. Our associate editor, Britney, just forwarded me a photo of someone planking alongside a jet engine, which I hope is not a “before” shot when the engine was then turned on. Thinking about giving planking a try in your shop? Make sure to forward the photo to her: britney.grimmelsman@stmediagroup.com. Laura Mohr Art Director laura.mohr@stmediagroup.com Bill Parsons Art Director Marty McGhie, Craig Miller, Jared Smith Columnists Linda Volz Production Supervisor linda.volz@stmediagroup.com Lou Arneberg - East and Midwest US, Eastern Canada Ben Stauss - West and South US, Western Canada, Europe, Asia Business Development Managers Rick Bachelder, Kathy Boydstun, Terry Corman, Scott Crosby, Brandon Gabriel, Michael Garcia, Kirk Green, Robert Kissel, Tina McLaughlin, Craig Miller, Carmen Rad, Greg Root, Jared Smith, Mark Taylor Editorial Advisory Board Tedd Swormstedt President Steve Duccilli Group Publisher Christine Baloga Audience Development Director Kari Freudenberger Director, Online Media Subscription Services (847) 763-4938 tbp@halldata.com bigpicture.net/subscribe bigpicture.net/renew Single Copies/Back Issues Debbie Reed debbie.reed@stmediagroup.com THE BIG PICTURE (ISSN 1082-9660) is published 12 times annually by ST Media Group International Inc., 11262 Cornell Park Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45242-1812. Telephone: (513) 421-2050, Fax: (513) 362-0317. No charge for subscriptions to qualiﬁed individuals. Annual rate for subscriptions to non-qualiﬁed individuals in the U.S.A.: $42 USD. Annual rate for subscriptions in Canada: $70 USD (includes GST & postage); all other countries: $92 (Int’l mail) payable in U.S. funds. Printed in the U.S.A. Copyright 2012, by ST Media Group International Inc. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the consent of the publisher. The publisher is not responsible for product claims and representations. Periodicals Postage Paid at Cincinnati, OH and at additional mailing o ces. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Big Picture, P.O. Box 1060, Skokie, IL 60076. Change of address: Send old address label along with new address to The Big Picture, P.O. Box 1060, Skokie, IL 60076. 11262 Cornell Park Drive Cincinnati, OH 45242 tel (513) 421-2050 fax (513) 421-5144 4 THE BIG PICTURE JUNE 2012 http://www.bigpicture.net http://www.bigpicture.net/subscribe http://www.bigpicture.net/renew

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Big Picture - June 2012

The Big Picture - June 2012
Contents
InSight
Wide Angle
Up Front
Business + Management
Floor Your Clients
Destination RIPs
Back to Work: ISA Sign Expo
Job Log

The Big Picture - June 2012