Wednesday 17 March 2010

Follow Me, Tweet Me, Like Me.... Recommend Me

"Social Networking" is all the rage and pretty much everyone I know is using Facebook, Linked In, MySpace, Bebo, Twitter, Blogger, Flickr, YouTube.....and so on and on and on......

But though these sites were primarily for personal us, they have been drawn into the business domain as more and more companies create profiles, pages and posts.  However, is this really necessary, or just a cry to anyone prepared to listen (or read) that "we are better than them....so there!"

Well, surely its a bit of this, everybody likes to be popular and some companies like to feel they have done a good job, especially when comparing themselves to someone they might perceive as being further "up the ladder" than them.  Indeed maybe some companies think this is all social networking is for, to see who can shout loudest!

In reality, social networking, done correctly, should be an extension of a company website, and should promote interaction, banter, feedback and, most importantly, recommendation from clients and potential clients alike.  Different social networking sites perform different functions for business, much as they do on a personal level, and signing up to them all is not particularly advisable.  Imagine customers logging in to a Flickr page you have never used, and noting that nothing has been updated for 2 years!  That hardly gives the right impression about a company, static and stuck in the past.....
The best solution is to choose a mix which suits you and your company and fits in with your business, allowing updates at regular intervals and as often as appropriate (eg: Twitter at least daily, Blogger a few times a month etc).  We at Dischromatics took the view that we should have a Facebook fan page for client interaction, photos and short "snippets" of our daily work, plus banter, a MySpace page to look after our musical clients, a Blog for more lengthy insights and Twitter for short snappy up-to-the-minute updates which are also fed to the website.  We also have news items on the website for contract and product information, plus I personally have a LinkedIn profile for recommendation amongst the business community.

All-in-all, its rather a lot of effort to keep on top of social networking at the same time as running a business, but does it work and is it worth it?!  In short, yes it is!  Time is a great factor in building up a network and though our new site is just over a month old, and the social networks have only been linked to it since that time, we have already built up a considerable follower and fan base, received several recommendations ourselves and found industry contacts for jobs I needed done.  I would recommend the right blend of social networks to any business, large or small, provided you have the time to update.

Next step, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or Blogger and get in touch!!  LIKE ME!!!!

Friday 5 March 2010

Low Quantity, Retail Quality CDs & Unique Productions

We've all read that the download market is killing the CD. Not so, it may be wounding the CD animal, but the chances of it killing the beast completely are neglible not least for nostalgias sake in owning something tangible to keep physically, rather than just on a computer, but also to give the musicians artistic streak another outlet in the design of the CD label and packaging.

Musicians from all over the UK produce a handful of CDs to sell at their gigs and shows and although they do not produce the thousands of copies that allows them to opt for replication of CDs and complex packaging, they still want professional looking packages to whet the appetite of their fans.

This is the reason Dischromatics made the bold move to purchase a Digital print press a few months ago, plus numerous items of finishing equipment and subsequently developed specific high quality products that were not available elsewhere in the market place for such small order volumes.

Items such as Digipaks and Card Wallets, as well as CD Booklets and Rear Inlay Cards are printed and correctly folded, stapled or perforated - just as if our clients had purchased 1000 copies of replicated discs. Not only are these items printed on one of the best Digital Printers on the market, guaranteeing a quality comparable to lithography, but the production is also fully manufactured on site - start to finish - allowing us to control the quality and the timing of the order to meet any deadlines our customers might have.

Even more impressive is the fact that as this method allows the production of ANY quantity of product, we can now completely personalise any production, with individual names and images on any disc, inlay, booklet, digipak etc. The potential for added value and extra revenue - not only for musicians - is untold. Imagine a completely individual CD of a favourite band as a birthday present or a collection of school photos personally printed for each of the students.....

We are immensely proud of the quality of product we can now produce on-site and the speed with which these can be produced. We have other duplication houses now wanting to purchase digipaks and CD packaging from us because they simply cannot find them elsewhere. But we realise words are easy and will not convince everyone, so visit our website, fill in the contact form and request a sample to see for yourself. We are convinced you cannot fail to be impressed too!