Category: Community

Adapting through Times of Challenge

Posted on Posted in Community, Marketing, PrintingTagged , , , , , , , ,

2020 has certainly been a historic year, and we’re only in April! We’re addressing new challenges and discovering unique solutions.

Stafford Printing is fortunate that we’ve been able to remain open during this pandemic, and we’re thankful to the clients who allow us to provide print and signage. We opened 33 years ago out of a desire to do something I enjoy . . . using typography and art to promote, inform and entertain.

To quote the opening of I Am A Printer:

I have been around for 570 years
I invented the Renaissance and caused the Reformation
I have recorded war and peace [and the 2020 pandemic]
My pamphlets and documents created America
I take ideas and information and make them tangible
I print lofty Bibles and lowly forms
I am a printer

Today, combining print with digital tools creates dynamic communication that inspires, compels you to act, and stirs memories.

Again, I thank you for your business, your referrals, and your testimonies, and I leave you with this question: in this time when businesses and organizations are living through a major challenge, how are you adapting?

More to come . . . and soon. Meanwhile, it’s never too early to start planning for the future, so let’s talk about your post-pandemic marketing efforts!

Responsible Marketing During COVID-19

Posted on Posted in Community, Marketing Strategy, PrintingTagged , , , , ,

Fear. Stress. Helplessness.
Whether you’re caring for elderly parents or homeschooling your kids, people across the globe are struggling with big emotions during the COVID-19 situation.
How do you lead well in times like these? While daily leadership is essential for your business, crisis moments reveal the quality of your vision like nothing else. And while you may be exhausted or overwhelmed, now is not the time to push pause on your leadership. What are the “next best steps” you can take in this hour of uncertainty?

1. Increase the Frequency of Communication

During hard times, the frequency of communication should go through the roof.
Even if you have bad news, it’s important to acknowledge this ASAP. While you may not have all the details, a prompt announcement can minimize speculation, reassure panicked contacts, and let people know that you are proactively addressing each challenge.

2. Be Authentic

Now, more than ever, people are craving connection.
Since many of your customers and subscribers are working from the kitchen table, this is an important chance to re-tool your communication. Get in touch with your own feeling of isolation and use this to inform your messaging. From email communication to print mailings, review all your messages through the lens of people who are stuck at home. Ditch the corporate-speak and seek a more human tone for your brand, and use this framework to empower empathy while focusing on others’ needs.

3. Break Up the Depressive Mindset

All of us need a break from 24/7 bad news. So, how can you bring positivity in this hour?
Noting the deluge of video-conferencing, Audi of America recently launched a series of specially curated images to serve as a glamorous backdrop in virtual meeting rooms. Now enthusiasts can bring their favorite Audi with them to their next conference call or virtual happy hour, and Audi plans to release new images weekly. Simple pleasures make a big difference in tough moments!

Now, make it personal. How can you sound a note of joy or generosity today? Could you post a funny video, release a helpful blog, highlight hero stories, or offer incentives that benefit customers or people on the front lines?
Or look at your own product mix and ask: “what could I change to help my customers?” Do you have a paid or premium service that you could offer for free to help people get by over the next few months?

4. Sow Seeds of Honor

When you look at your schedule today, things seem rather quiet and eerie.
Companies of all sizes have sent people home, and every distraction has been silenced. While the coronavirus has ushered in strange times for all, good leaders won’t just hunker down. Instead, it’s time to push back with a different spirit.
In an age of mocking and disdain, today is a great day to show respect and gratitude. Whether personally or professionally, use this forced pause to repair a strained relationship, to say thank you, or to serve others. Make that difficult phone call. Donate blood or serve at your local food pantry. Show public or private appreciation for your leaders. And appreciate people who don’t deserve it (despite their inadequacies).
As you honor people, they will honor others. Perhaps this is a chance to shift the atmosphere and proactively build honor into the fabric of your network. As a leader, you WILL set the pace for others.

Connection is the New Currency

Though today’s challenges are extreme, it’s important to remember they’re only temporaryIt may not be easy, but many of us will come out of this stronger. Though it may feel that the waves are continuing to rise, take heart. Prioritize connection, and the uncharted waters can be parted in order to lead you toward a prosperous future and a newfound hope

The Power to Help in Times of Need

Posted on Posted in Community, Customer ServiceTagged , , , , , , , ,

I went through a fast food chain drive-through today to pick up sandwiches. As I made it through the line, the car in front of me pulled out and drove off. I was next in line and asked the cashier if everything was okay. She said the driver didn’t have enough money for the food. I asked, “why didn’t you just give it to her, or let her come back with the money?” She said that she was not a manager and didn’t have the authority to do that. I pointed out that the the manager was standing twenty feet away, so why hadn’t she just asked? Her response: “have a good day, sir.”  End of conversation.

By contrast, the employees at Stafford Printing are empowered to help you. They don’t need to ask me, as the owner, whether we can extend terms – 90 days same as cash, for example – for the privilege of serving you. If you need print, a sign, a poster, or even a floor graphic, please let us help you. We are willing to help by donating, settling up later, or simply bartering a meal for a “We’re Open” banner!

We’re thankful that Stafford Printing has been designated an essential business by both the governor of the state and the United States Postal Service. But more importantly, our customers have deemed us essential by continuing to send us work. We thank you, and look forward to the day when we can talk about the virus in the past tense.

The Importance of Giving Back to the Community

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The holiday season is very nearly upon us, and for most of us that also means it’s gift-giving season in some capacity. While family, friends, and coworkers are usually at the tops of all our lists, it’s also important to give back in a wider sense, and as business owners there’s a particular responsibility to keep this in mind.

Those who are familiar with the 32-year-plus history of Stafford Printing know of our commitment to the community. Whether through monetary contributions or donating our services, we have a longstanding tradition of supporting our local community in any way we can.

The list of who we support is long, but here are a couple of examples.

  • We received acknowledgement today from Legal Aid Works (@legalaidworks on FB) for being a long-time sponsor of their Jazz4Justice event. We feel it’s important for low-income area residents to have equal access to legal services, and the organization’s dedicated and experienced staff work hard to help clients fight for their rights in many different types of cases, such as housing, family law, consumer rights, unemployment benefits, and immigration.
  • Another organization we proudly support is Loisann’s Hope House, a shelter whose mission is to take families from homelessness to permanent housing. I serve on the Board of Directors and am part of a team that coordinates the annual Concert of Hope, a fundraiser that brings world-renowned performers to the stage to benefit the shelter.

There are many other groups and agencies we work with; these are just two recent examples. The Stafford region is exceptional when it comes to support for our civic organizations, and as a small business owner it’s incumbent that we donate our time and talents to help our community.

If you haven’t already, take some time this week to plan out exactly how you’d like your business to give back this holiday season, as well as the rest of the year.  You can donate money, offer free services, or even arrange for you and your employees to volunteer your time at a local organization.  Whatever way you choose to contribute, you’ll be not only helping the community, but also enriching the culture at your own place of business.