Smarter Media

BUSINESS IS GREAT IN 2012! WE ARE HIRING

2012-02-08T08:49:00.000-08:00

Smarter Media has an immediate opening for an Outside Sales Rep. Learn more at: http://www.linkedin.com/jobs?viewJob=&jobId=2521217&trk=jobs_share_fb

Who controls our time?

2011-11-02T08:55:00.000-07:00

Sunday Nov 4 is the day we "fall back" to regular time in the US. That is unless you live in Arizona, Hawaii or Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. They stay on regular time all year.

Of course, many people in our lives control how we spend our time, but who keeps the official time? The U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C., maintains atomic clocks that help us measure standard time, but the observatory has nothing to do with daylight saving time (DST).

The Interstate Commerce Commission was initially charged with regulating DST back in 1918. Since 1966, the duties belong to the Department of Transportation. This makes perfect sense given the history of timekeeping prior to the 20th century. Back in the 1800's local towns kept their own time. The advent of railroads required accurate uniform time to be kept , or else trains might run into each other, or at least be unpredictable. To be able to publich timetables, the railroads needed standard time.

In 1883 the U.S. railroad industry established official time zones with a set standard time within each zone. Congress eventually adopted the idea, writing it into law in 1918.

Daylight saving time was practiced during World War II, but didn't gain wider adoption until after the war. Congress passed the Uniform Time Act in 1966, standardizing the start and end dates, but amended it to allow each state the option of not observing DST. This was desirable for certain states that had territory spanning separate time zones within the same state. Arizona and Indiana opted out, but Indiana has recently begun to observe DST.

Who controls YOUR time and how can you get some of it back? I was just getting around to that...but I've run out of time. Got to makes some sales calls, run some errands, grab a quick lunch, and take the dog to the vet. To be continued....

Recycle and Get Rewarded at Smarter Media

2011-08-23T19:21:00.000-07:00

Banners and yard signs are important marketing tools for many businesses and organizations. But, they typically don't get recycled. In fact, most banners and sign decals contain PVC which cannot easily be recycled due to the chlorine gas released. Even so-called biodegradable materials can take years to break down while taking up landfill space. However, Smarter Media is now offering tough, lightweight banners for indoor or outdoor us which are 100% recyclable! AND...you won't pay more to go green. In fact, we will give you a rebate when you return your banner to us to recycle!

IT PAYS TO RECYCLE YOUR BANNERS...

Smarter Media now uses banner materials made of High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) material which can be turned into fabrics, water bottles, totes, etc. To help make sure your banner stays out of a landfill, we are offering a generous incentive. Return your banners to us and get a credit toward purchase of any products or services (and we have many to offer).

Example - A 3 'x 8' full-color banner gets you a $15 credit (toward future purchases) when you return it to us for recycling. Larger banners have even greater credits.

We'll print the rebate info and recycling logo on a corner of the banner. This will show your commitment to recycling, and remind you, your staff, or volunteers not to trash it!

PLASTIC YARD SIGNS, TOO.

We also will recycle any plastic yard sign & stake you bring us...no matter where you bought them. But, if you buy your next signs from Smarter Media, we can offer a similar rebate program to the banners. Amount of credits vary based on the dimensions of signs and banners and quantity purchased. Ask us for a quote.

Call 918-499-0331 or 866-499-0331

There is ONLY ONE PLACE in Oklahoma that gives you greener sign options

...AND pays you to recycle...SMARTER MEDIA.

Tim Airhart

Smarter Media

Do Vehicle Graphics provide a good ROI?

2011-03-03T12:24:00.000-08:00

Smarter Media designs and installs graphics of all sizes, but did you know we do vehicle graphics, too? One of the first questions we get is: "What's the Return on Investment with a vehicle wrap?" Consider this...vehicles with mobile advertising can attract up to 600 impressions per mile, that's tens of thousands of impressions every day. And, you get impressions even while parked in front of your business, at your clients' locations, and at retail or dining spots. Many cities have tightened restrictions on outdoor signage, but not on vehicle graphics.

According to the American Trucking Association, 90% of people surveyed do notice graphics on vehicles and 80% remember the product advertised on vehicle wraps. Further, 'Sign Facts' report that mobile advertising leads to 107% increase in sales on average.

More than 95% of Americans are reached by media targeting vehicle drivers and passengers. One vehicle wrap can generate between 30,000 - 70,000 impressions daily. Fleet vehicle advertising boosts name recognition 15 times greater than any other form of advertising.

Typical vehicle wraps have been estimated to cost $0.35 per thousand impressions. That's less than 1/10 the cost of other forms of outdoor advertising and 1/60 that of magazine advertising. Billboards have high upfront & monthly costs, and magazine and print ads have short lifetimes. Vehicle graphics last for years after the initial investment and will spread your brand over a wide area. Smarter Media has creative design ideas and utilizes premium materials and installation practices to guarantee years of satisfaction. Contact us today to learn more.

Small Things...Big Rewards

2010-11-22T07:53:00.000-08:00

"Many a small thing has been made large by the right kind of advertising" - Mark Twain

However, the opposite is also true....many large business ideas have been made small by the wrong kind of advertising and promotion. Our next few posts will be about simple steps you can take now.

Keep in touch with your customers

We believe in using Social Media and Email Marketing, but there is still something special about receiving a personalized holiday greeting card. Christmas, Hanukkah, Thanksgiving, and New Year cards are ideal ways to keep your name in front of your customers. It's easy! It's fast! It's affordable! And, it's not too late!
to browse hundreds of designs and place your order today!

The rich and the poor

2010-07-26T15:10:00.000-07:00

Generally speaking, images come in two ways: bitmaps (sometimes called raster) and vectors. How often have you sent your .jpg or .gif logo (the one you simply downloaded from your company website) to the local print shop only to be told the resolution isn’t high enough? Frustrating, right?

First things first…Let’s talk about pixels. A pixel is a dot of light that builds up all the shapes and colors you see on your monitor. If you had a magnifying glass or got really, really close, you can physically see each tiny square. When talking about pixels per inch (ppi) it is referring to a display device, whereas printers use the term dots per inch (dpi) which refers to an output device such as a printer.
Image resolution relates to the amount of detail in a given space. The more resolution (higher dpi), the better quality your image will have. The lower the resolution, the visual print quality is poor. Take for example the company logo you got off your website. Images created for websites are usually 72 dpi. They are considered low resolution and for viewing only. Frankly, they look really ugly when you enlarge them. On the other hand, you may have the company logo in an .eps (encapsulated postscript) format. This is ideal for your local printer and it’s like they’ve won a golden ticket from Willy Wonka.

Bitmaps and vectors each have their own file types and associated software. Bitmaps have the following popular file extensions: .bmp, .jpg, and .gif. Vectors graphics have extensions such as .eps, .ai (Adobe Illustrator) and .wmf. Pdf files can also be vector files, but we will save the PDF chat for another blog.
Bitmaps/raster images support a wide color range. The only restriction is the resolution. A good rule of thumb is if using web or low resolution images, they need to be at 100% of your final printed piece. There is nothing worse for a designer than to be given a two inch .jpg from the web that you want to use on a poster size print or retractable banner stand. It is simply not going to work. There’s no magic wand a designer can wave or fancy program to use that will make your poor .jpg look good. If your poster is 18” x 24” and you have a cute cartoon that you want 9” wide, your .bmp or .jpg needs to be 9” wide. Another way to tell if your image is acceptable is to look at the file size. The smaller the file size, the more likely it will not be good for quality reproduction.

Vectors on the other hand are created with a bunch of mathematical calculations. When you resize a vector, you are simply changing the math, so there is no revamping of the pixels, and the quality stays the same. The only downside is you are limited to 256 colors and you cannot view or manipulate the images unless you have the proper software such as Adobe Illustrator.

Hopefully this helps clear up some muddy waters about bitmaps and vectors. Next time you take your image files to your local printer (that would be us here at Smarter Media), your job will go off without a graphic hitch.

Who is on your A List?

2010-07-02T12:04:00.000-07:00

If you are in business (and intend to remain so), you must recognize your best customers and meet their needs. One valuable exercise is to sort your current customer list into A, B, & C lists. The "A list" contains the clients who are ideal. They account for most revenue, best margins, least hassle, etc. You need to nurture them and aggressively seek more like them. They may be the hardest to catch and all your competitors covet them. It is important to have more than a couple of A list customers, so that losing a a single client won't sink you.

For our company, "A list" attributes include the following:
+ Strong relationship exists with multiple client contact (preferably upper mgmt)
+ Regular recurring monthly spend
+ Good payment history
+ Time spent is good ROI for us
+ Outsources work that we are good at – graphic design, marketing, printing, etc
+ Size matters - meets certain annual sales & employee base criteria
+ They have physical assets – building(s), vehicles, multiple locations
+ They are our FANS! They refer other Class A&B prospects to us
+ We like working them, too!
+ There is potential for more growth with us

Your "B list" includes good clients that you want to attract and retain, but you won't invest as much time as with A list. For our company, some of the attributes are:
+ Perhaps only one solid contact in the company
+ More sporadic and smaller overall spending
+ Company size less important
+ Shows some potential for growth with us

Your "C list" clients are OK for incremental business, but you are NOT looking for more of them. If they seek you out and you can serve them without their becoming time-bandits, be nice and appreciate their business. You never know what they develop into, or who they may know. Otherwise, don't make the mistake of trying to develop relationships here. It will be one-sided and potentially detrimental to your business. Some of our C list attributes are:
+ No significant personal relationships
+ Price is everything
+ Typically a small business, individual, or home-based business
+ Very infrequent & much smaller spend
+ Sometimes slow payers
+ Time spent is not good ROI
+ No real potential growth for us

One last category we call our "T list". T is for Toxic. This is the customer that you can never please and who sucks energy from your organization. They may even be criminals out to rip you off. Don't waste another moment with them and dump them as politely and quickly as possible.

I recognize that your business and goals may be far different from mine. If you own a fast food restaurant or small gift shop, you will have your ideal target customer, but the transactions and relationships will be quite different. What defines a C list client for me, could be your bread & butter. Make your own list of attributes and don't worry if you have to go thru this exercise several times to get it right. It's all about the discovery process.

Now that you have categorized your clients, how do you get more and retain the A&B list-ers? Simple...spend most of your time and resources with them and learn what they want from you! How? Well...that's all I have time for today. Besides, I'm still searching for those answers myself. I'll share more later. I'd love to hear your thoughts! Tim Airhart

NEW LARGE FORMAT GRAPHICS EQUIP

2010-02-17T09:00:00.000-08:00

Smarter Media has recently added new printing and finishing equipment to keep up with growing demand for large format printing and special applications. The equipment and software (manufactured by Mutoh) will be used for large format graphics, such as trade show booths, retail POS displays, banners, wall murals, vehicle graphics,
magnets, and much more. It will also print and cut decals and stickers in a wide range of sizes.

Smarter Media has continued to invest in technology and training to ensure we can exceed our clients' expectations. Whether you have a need for a fine art reproduction on fabric or canvas, or a rugged outdoor banner, Smarter Media is your creative, fast, and cost-effective source.

ORDER ONLINE PRINTING HERE!

2010-02-15T08:32:00.001-08:00

New for 2010…Smarter Media announces a 24/7 online design & ordering tool…the easiest way for you to design and order your business cards, brochures, posters, and other printing. Smarter Media is the source for all your marketing collateral and is known for our personal attention to your projects. This new tool gives you another option to design-it-yourself, edit online, and order full-color printing any time or day. You will be certain to get great value on our high quality, full-color printed materials. And, unlike most Internet bargain printers, we are easy to contact for assistance and eager to rectify any rare problems that may occur. Online convenience…local service. It’s the best of all worlds!

RU LICENSED TO PRINT?

2010-02-15T08:29:00.000-08:00

In Oklahoma, we love our college sports teams, arts, and academics (in no particular order). And, the universities in Oklahoma are some of the biggest brands around. Don’t shortchange your favorite school by buying unlicensed products, clothing, or printed items. Rest assured that Smarter Media adheres to the Collegiate Licensing Company’s rules, ensuring that any items we source have been licensed by the college thru the CLC.

Even if you are an alumnus, student or employee of a college, you are not free to reproduce and use the logo and brands of most colleges…even if you are giving the items away. Licensing is about protecting an image as much as anything. According to the Collegiate Licensing Company’s website, “Licensing is the granting of rights to a third party that desires to associate itself commercially (for profit and not for profit) with an institution through the use of trademarks, names, logos, symbols and slogans.”

Smarter Media is a CLC Restricted Licensee for the University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University, and the University of Tulsa. This means that we are an approved source for working with these schools and their organizations to produce the products you need while protecting the brands. Our fees help support your school and its image.

GAIN WEIGHT IN 2010 (for your business)

2010-02-15T08:12:00.000-08:00

Smarter Media wants to help your business FATTEN UP the bottom line with creative graphic design, web design, digital printing & copying, promotional products, large format graphics, signs, banners and tradeshow displays, and much more.

NEED RESOLUTIONS FOR YOUR MARKETING FRUSTRATIONS?

You have probably experienced some of the following frustrations when dealing with your past vendors for marketing and document management. You don’t need New Year’s resolutions…you need real problem resolutions!

• Quality control – The finished product has mistakes, typos or wrong colors. Lack of proofing process and physical sample review.
• Missed deadlines or slow turn times – Promised dates not met and no back up alternatives available.

• Inadequate customer service and sales staff – Unknowledgeable, unresponsive or uncaring contact people.

• Hidden Costs – Some companies intentionally do not disclose full costs to the customer such as set up, shipping, or design time in order to secure the deal

• Vendors are too specialized – You have to research and purchase from multiple companies to get complementary items. Example: Outdoor banner and a promotional item for a business’ grand opening.

• Internet Nightmares – It is difficult to get a sample of the product or printing you are ordering on-line or outside the Tulsa area. Communications breakdowns, mistakes, lost or damaged shipments…with no local contact to turn to.

• Artwork Problems – The “print-ready” art you submitted to the printer had to be reworked several times or worse yet, looked different than you expected. Experienced delays and added expense.

• Too light or too heavy support – Big advertising agencies have a lot of overhead and aren’t interested unless you have a big monthly budget. Home-based marketing people, graphic & web designers, and print brokers are often hard to reach and have no back up resources. They leave town and your project stops.

• Lack of Integrity – Not uncommon to see copyright infringement, plagiarism, or licensing issues with some vendors.

If any of these sound familiar, turn to Smarter Media for the resolutions! Our dedicated, creative and friendly team will give your project the attention you deserve. Smarter Media offers you the level of creative support that you need, on your terms. We can be full-service or a-la-carte…your choice.

Frustration results when a problem has no satisfactory resolution. Resolve to chose Smarter Media in 2010 and start gaining!