Repeat after me . . .

If I were to pick the number one issue that gets clients into trouble, it would be lack of planning. So, repeat after me, "I WILL plan ahead!" C'mon now, with enthusiasm.

Remember that poster from a couple decades ago, where there's no room for the "d" in "ahead" so it looks like it's falling off the edge of the paper? I know, you have loads on your plate, and you can't possibly imagine where you'll find the time to stop the freight train and plan ahead. But let me just tell you, there are costs and frustration galore associated with not planning ahead.

Say you need to produce a brochure to help promote your business. You contact a designer, and tell them you need 500 printed brochures in-hand in a week. If they're still willing to speak to you after that, beware. Chances are they'll not only charge you a significant (i.e., 25% - 50%) rush charge (because, after all, they need to set aside other work to push your job through), but you may end up paying a rush charge with the printer as well. For color laser jobs, that's usually not as big an issue. But if this is something that needs to go on a press, most printers require 5-10 working days to prep, print and trim your job. And if the printer does quality work, odds are they're going to be booked in advance. Sometimes you get lucky and there's an opening; it's always worth asking. But in terms of having a successful and somewhat sane experience producing print collateral, planning ahead will give you better results and up the odds that your print piece will actually bring you a good return.

Some suggestions for planning ahead:

• create an annual publications calendar, with key events and drivers for print collateral;
• for something straight-forward, like a tri-fold brochure, aim to have text written and finalized at least 4-5 weeks prior to an event;
• if your designer won't be handling the print buying for you, book the printer when you hand off text to the designer; and
  
• allow approximately 2 weeks for design AND 2 weeks for printing.
  

Now, let's say our mantra together: "Plan ahead, plan ahead, plan ahead . . ."

Oh Brave, New World!

It's been on my mind for over a year now to start a blog, but I couldn't seem to get past the apparent selfishness of it. I mean, really, who's going to tune in to what I have to say on a regular basis? Aren't bloggers just people who sit alone and type away into the wee hours of the morning about whatever pops into their minds? And yet. I feel the pull to do just that. So I did what I always do in situations like this: I turned to Google.

The web has increasingly become my Magic Eight Ball of choice. "Should I blog?" "Concentrate and ask again."

Actually, I entered "reasons to blog" and got 16,700,000 results from Google. And that included at least one dud, which was "Reasons to know your Ghetto!" which led me to an adult site. Hmm. Verrrry interestink.

What I learned from this small amount of research is that blogging isn't quite as selfish as I'd thought. For one thing, with 24 years' experience working as a communications professional, I think I have a few tidbits to offer up to the world that might just help Somebody, Somewhere. But among other reasons to blog were things like connecting and contributing to the collective wisdom,engaging in discussion, and learning from each other. My favorite quote was, "Professionalism is more than consumption, it is contribution." (Rovy Bronson.) I don't know who Rovy Bronson is, but that quote pushed me over into the camp of folks committed to blogging. (We all seem to quote Rovy, yet I couldn't quite find out who he is.)

So, why tune back in for more? Well, I'll do my best to put forth modest pearls of wisdom that relate to how best to tell your story, how to raise awareness of you and your business, and how to avoid common promotional pitfalls that are costly and time-consuming.

"Is anyone still reading this?" "Ask again later."