Small and Medium Business Printing Blog

Who will win Round 1? Do you want to take the Officejet Pro Challenge -- Laser Edition?

2009-08-18T01:18:00Z

As you can see from the leaderboard, the first round of the Officejet Pro Challenge is too close to call in this final fourth week of feedback from our five small businesses. Who do you think has delivered the most useful insight into how the HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless can help small businesses get professional quality color printing with significant cost and energy savings?

If you haven't voted, be sure to head on over and check out this week's collection of blog posts. We asked the five companies to test-drive the HP Creative Studio for Business and use the free customizable templates to make some simple marketing materials for their own business. From business cards and flyers to trifold brochures, I think you may be pleasantly surprised by what these business owners were able to create within a short amount of time using the HP Creative Studio -- and by their feedback on the quality of the printouts.

So make your opinion count and vote for your favorite posts. The winning small business will receive a prize package that includes keeping the printer, 1 year's worth of Original HP ink and paper, and a professional design package from Logoworks by HP.

Wish you could take the HP OfficejetPro Challenge? The call for entries for Round 2: The Laser Edition is now open. Go here to learn more and enter.

HP Officejet Pro Challenge Week 1 Leaderboard

2009-08-04T01:12:00Z

If you own a small business, I think you'll be interested to hear how you can save up to 50% off color printing cost per page and save up to 50% energy, too. You're just not gonna hear about it from me.

In the HP Officejet Pro Challenge, 5 small business owners have agreed to set aside their old printers to test drive the new HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-in-One and blog about their experiences.

HP thought it would useful for small businesses to hear firsthand what other small businesses think about printing everyday documents and marketing materials using the new HP Officejet Pro 8500 in comparison with their old printer. So useful, in fact, that we're asking entrepreneurs and small business owners to vote for the feedback they like most.

The small business who receives the most votes for the best posts will get to keep the Officejet Pro 8500 printer, plus they'll receive 1 year's worth of Original HP ink and paper and a custom design package from Logoworks by HP.

According to the votes for Week 1, the small business who provided the most useful feedback about opening the box and setting up their Officejet Pro 8500: Rheinart Marketing.

Up this week: See what the businesses think about printing costs and supplies -- and vote for the best post!

Angela LoSasso manages HP's Small Business Wiki and writes for the Small Business Marketing Guide. You can also find her on Twitter.

Take the HP Officejet Pro Challenge for Small Business

2009-07-06T23:52:00Z

As a small business owner, odds are good you keep a keen eye on expenses. You think technology has its place: It should work for you and improve your bottom line. If this sounds like you, then read on...

HP is inviting all U.S. small businesses with 20 or fewer employees to check out the HP Officejet Pro Challenge. We want five small business owners to swap out their current non-HP printer and test drive the award-winning HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-in-One for 4 weeks. We want you to learn firsthand how you can get professional quality color printing while saving up to 50% cost per page and up to 50% less energy than comparably priced laser printers.

Simply share your experience online with other small business owners via HP's Small Business Community. Members of the community will review and rate your feedback. The participant who receives the most votes for "useful" feedback will be the grand prize winner.

The grand prize winner will keep the HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-in-One and will also receive a year's worth of free HP ink cartridges and paper plus a design package from Logoworks by HP.

Interested? Then hurry: You need to enter by Friday, July 10, 2009 to be considered for the challenge. See the details here.

Angela LoSasso manages HP's Small Business Wiki and writes for the Small Business Marketing Guide . You can also find her on Twitter.

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DIY Marketing: How to successfully launch your brand with no money, no agency and no expertise

2009-05-12T23:19:00Z

I've owned my own business. I've helped launch and manage two successful dot-coms (Netflix and CNET). And I currently work for HP (which is ranked #9 in the most recent Fortune 500 listing). So I've seen my share of marketing and brand-building efforts - both good and bad.

Here's one marketing secret I want to share: You don't need a dime in your marketing budget to successfully launch and build your brand. You simply need the right resources, a bit of time, and the commitment to learn, improve, and share.

Free DIY Marketing Resources

The adoption and acceptance of social media is very good news for small business owners. The quality of marketing expertise that's available via blogs, communities and online conversations is staggering and could cost you thousands of dollars were you to actually pay for it out of pocket (I did when I had a business). But why would you, if you can get the same expertise for free (or at incredibly affordable rates)?

Your brand's "story" (the mission statement, logo, brochure, web site) is often the reason customers decide to spend money with you. Start building the brand story for your business by checking out these free resources:

Small Business Marketing Guide:

Top small business marketing experts such as Guy Kawasaki, Anita Campbell of Small Business Trends, and Duct Tape Marketing's John Jantsch share their expertise, strategy and tips to help you develop and evolve the compelling story of your business . (As of this writing, the Small Business Marketing Guide also offers free marketing webinars, too.
HP Creative Studio:

This 2009 Webby-Award winning site offers dozens of free, professionally designed templates that you can download, customize, and print for your business within minutes, including:

The HP Creative Studio is also a great asset to find tools, access to discounts, and other DIY and affordable design services (such as Logoworks and Stock Layouts) that professional marketing agencies use every day.

Twitter:

Get expert advice, get opinions and share your expertise with world (or just your neighborhood) - in real time. Any marketing expert worth their salt is on Twitter, and you get their sage advice for free. Better still, many experts will follow you back and respond to your questions. Even better still, when you're ready to test drive your new marketing materials, the Twitter universe is a great place to ask for feedback and opinions. (Author and marketer Tara Hunt asked her Twitter followers to rate the jacket design of her new book "The Whuffie Factor", and she got hundreds of opinions plus free designs in response.)

Use the following resources to get started and put Twitter to work for you (I've also included links to the resources' Twitter account):

How to Use Twitter to Grow Your Business (via @Copyblogger)
50 Ideas on using Twitter for Business (by @ChrisBrogan)
We Follow (@wefollow): This is a user-powered Twitter directory that makes it extremely easy to find people by topic, company or interest. (You'll find me in WeFollow's HP category.)

Take the first few steps to launch your brand - there's a world online ready and willing to help. Including me.

Angela LoSasso manages HP's Small Business Wiki and writes for the Small Business Marketing Guide . You can also find her on Twitter.

DIY Marketing in 3 Easy Steps and 15 minutes or less (plus, get a 20% off coupon)

2009-04-25T15:18:00Z

I've said this before but I'll say it again: Whether your business is just launching or has been in the black for years, your brand is -- or should be -- as unique as you are. Your "story" is often the reason customers decide to spend money with you.

The expertise, strategy and tips shared in the Small Business Marketing Guide (brought to you by HP) will help you develop the compelling and unique story of your business -- whether that brand story is a logo, a brochure, your company letterhead, a website, or all of these and more. I want to help you start sharing that story -- without breaking the bank. And it starts with three easy steps.

Visit the HP Creative Studio and select a free template.
Download the template and customize it with your information.
Print it, share it, and start building your business.

It's really that easy. But I'm betting you'll be more likely to give it a try -- and succeed -- if I show you how.

Follow these steps to get customized, professionally designed letterhead and envelopes for your business in 15 minutes or less.

Step 1: Visit the HP Creative Studio and select a free template.
I selected the "Stationery and Envelopes" category.

Then I selected the FREE "Circles" Letterhead Template. (You can choose from more than 25 FREE professionally designed letterhead templates by using the arrows to scroll through the thumbnail menu.)

Then I downloaded the matching "Circles" envelope template.

Step 2: Customize and Save your new Marketing Materials
Tip: In Microsoft Word, I first do a "Save As" to rename the files and save them to my notebook. (I find it's better to have a locally stored copy to edit, tweak, and have available for future use and printing.)

Get started by selecting the text and replacing it with your company name. I'll show you what it looks like before and after I change the text.

Here's what it looks like after inserting my own text:

Be sure to customize the contact and address information in the footer of the page, too:

Then do the same for matching envelope by editing the placeholder text to insert your company name and address. The before and after...

Step 3: Print it, share it, and start growing your business. (And get a 20% off coupon!)

You now have professionally designed, customized letterhead you can print yourself. But I'd be remiss if I didn't share one more piece of advice: If you want professional quality color marketing materials that you can print yourself (at up to 50% less cost per page and energy costs than laser), I highly recommend the HP Officejet Pro 8500 and Original HP Officejet Ink and Supplies.

Through May 5, 2009, you can save 20% ($80) on the new HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-in-One. Get the coupon and terms here and see the All-in-One (print, scan, copy, fax).

Related articles from the Small Business Marketing Guide,
brought to you by HP:

From John Jantsch: Incredible, Credible Marketing Materials

From Anita Campbell: What Google Can Teach Us about Printed Marketing Materials

From Guy Kawasaki: The Art of Branding

From Dane Carlson: Make your marketing market you

More from Angela LoSasso: Top 5 reasons Small Business Can Hit Print Affordably

Got a question or comment? I invite you to send it my way.

Angela LoSasso manages HP's Small Business Wiki and HP's Creative Wiki. You'll also find her on Twitter.

See The Truth about Print and Prosper Cost of Ink Claims

2009-04-05T16:53:00Z

(Update: In the time since this post was first published, HP delivered an official response. Go here to see what HP thinks about the Printing Costs of HP Printers.)

I hope you'll check out my .02 on The Truth about Print and Prosper Cost of Ink Claims over on the HP Inkjet Printing Blog.

Got a question or comment? I invite you to send it my way.

Angela LoSasso manages HP's Creative Wiki and HP's Small Business Wiki. You'll also find her on Twitter.

Top 5 reasons small business can hit print -- affordably

2009-03-04T17:03:00Z

Just because your company is classified as a small business, it doesn't mean your marketing can't rival that of a Fortune 500 company.

You want and need impact, yet you need to save money while your technology works to make you money. We get it. And we want to help.

Here are my Top 5 reasons small businesses can hit print -- affordably -- with HP and the Wireless HP Officejet Pro 8500 system.

1. Look big. Save big time.

The Wireless HP Officejet Pro 8500 delivers professional quality COLOR printing for up to 50% less cost per page than laser.
It's easy to economize because the Officejet Pro has four individual ink cartridges, which means you only need to replace cartridges that run out. The water-resistant HP 940 Officejet Inks also offer premium durability (so they hold up to weather and heavy handling -- why do I think of realtors and pizza delivery menus?)
With the HP Creative Studio for Business, Marketsplash and other key HP partners, you can affordably create, customize, and print agency-quality marketing materials yourself.

2. Be kind to the Environment (and your wallet).

The Wireless HP Officejet Pro 8500 can save up to 50% energy vs. lasers.
With its auto-duplex feature (geek-speak for double-sided printing), you can print on both sides of the page, saving paper and cost, and avoid print-shop minimum charges.

3. No messy cords + get bonus points for sharing.

When you have an Wireless HP Officejet Pro 8500, you are now officially untethered from your desk so you can print from anywhere in the house or office within range of your wireless network.
Anyone on your wireless network can share a single printer. (It supports Ethernet, too.)

4. You wear a lot of hats. Your printer should, too.

Print. Scan. Copy. Fax. The Wireless HP Officejet Pro 8500 is a versatile HP All-in-One. No more need to buy and supply separate machines.
Print photos without a PC. Insert your camera's memory card, use the color display, select and print your photos. Yes, it's that easy.

5. Peace of mind: It's HP. It's reliable.

Get first-class support 24x7 toll-free or via email in as little as an hour through HP's renowned Total Care support.
Get exclusive offers and discounts on supplies, plus get free next-business day shipping with My Print Rewards.

For more info, check out these related links:

Computer Shopper Reviews gives the Wireless HP Officejet Pro 8500 an Editors' Choice award
Check out the specs, features, fine print and more in the HP store and find an authorized reseller near you.
See my colleague Bret Bottger's post in the HP Inkjet Blog for more expert tips and info.

Angela LoSasso manages HP's Creative Wiki and HP's Small Business Wiki. Inbetween creative projects, you'll find her on Twitter.

Five free eBooks to help build your business today

2009-02-21T01:49:00Z

Best advice I ever received from a mentor: There's a wealth of business expertise out there. Always be willing to ask questions, listen and learn.

Luckily, people much smarter than me are willing to answer and share. Download, print, and curl up on the sofa with these eBooks written by leading small business experts:

9 Steps to Outstanding Market Success, by Oliver Fritsch and Ines Bitsch
PR for Startups (I also recommend The Essential Guide to Social Media), by Brian Solis
100 Best-Kept Marketing Secrets, by the Readers of Small Business Trends
Lose Control of Your Marketing, by David Meerman Scott
Unleashing the Ideavirus, by Seth Godin

Ready to launch your own DIY marketing?

Get professional color printing for up to 50% lower cost per page and use up to 50% less energy than laser.
-- Learn more about Officejet printers and ink
Visit the HP Creative Studio for marketing materials, tools and resources you can start using today.
-- Grow your business with the HP Creative Studio
Check out cool DIY and affordable custom designs from MarketSplash by HP
-- Get 100 free business cards from MarketSplash

Angela LoSasso manages HP's Creative Wiki and HP's Small Business Wiki. Inbetween creative projects, you'll find her on Twitter.

Choosing Fearlessly

2008-07-02T14:56:00Z

Anneliese Olson
Director, HP LaserJet Category Management

Choosing Fearlessly? Is that something you do in your business every day? I have talked to a lot of customers who take risks in their businesses every day but do not want to touch their technology decisions with a ten-foot pole. When you’re in business, you usually want to be focused on running your business, not worried about the technology that runs it.

Take a look at this latest video dialogue HP is having with our customers (click the video on the right-hand side). Have a listen to testimonials with other small and medium business customers like you.

What do you think? Let us know by using the comment link below this post. The team is testing some new waters with this approach.

Technorati tags: hp, Hewlett Packard, printers, laser printers, laserjet, inkjet printers, small business, medium business

HP Blogs are migrating to a new platform

2008-05-21T20:16:00Z

Anneliese Olson
Director, HP LaserJet Category Management

I wanted to let you know that HP blogs will be migrating to a new platform over the next week. As of Friday, May 23, I won't be posting to my blog and won't be able to receive any comments submitted. Please hold your comments until June 1 when our new site will be live.

New HP eBook: “Nine Steps to Outstanding Market Success”. HP talks with author Oliver Fritsch

2008-05-20T20:58:00Z

Anneliese Olson
Director, HP LaserJet Category Management

Have you wondered what eBooks are? Do you ever wonder what next step you should take to catapult your business to the next level? I had a conversation recently that should help answer both questions for you.

I sat down with marketing expert Oliver Fritsch, the creative mind behind HP’s eBook “Nine Steps to Outstanding Market Success”. Oliver is the CEO of Cendesic, a full service search and digital marketing agency. “Nine Steps to Outstanding Market Success” is a new book for small business owners that’s geared at providing actionable marketing and sales advice. The advice is practical, a breeze to read, and each chapter is full of checklists, worksheets and tips.

You can download this book free from HP.com for the six months before its official publishing date (a $39.95 value). The first three chapters are available for download now, and a new chapter is available for download each month. This month’s topic is “Prospecting.” It really focuses you in on thinking about who your customers are and how you approach and manage them in the best way.

During our interview, Oliver talked about why he started a small business and the freedom he feels due to owning his own business. Oliver shared some great thoughts during our conversation about how to get started with your business. Have a listen to Oliver’s insights and advice now.

To listen to our entire SMB Community Podcast series, go here.

Technorati tags: hp, Hewlett Packard, printers, laser printers, laserjet, inkjet printers, small business, medium business

How a Chat with HP can save you time and headaches!

2008-05-14T21:43:00Z

Anneliese Olson
Director, HP LaserJet Category Management

Shopping for tech products can be a chore. Often that’s because it’s difficult to find a quick answer to a simple yet vital question.

Who hasn’t experienced the pain of shopping in a big box store and not being able to find someone – anyone -- with enough expertise to explain a product feature or comparison product? And while websites are packed with info to help you easily research a purchase decision, not every question gets asked and answered on the FAQs page.

Sometimes, you just need 30 seconds with an expert. We understand. And that’s why HP small and medium business shoppers can get assistance in real-time with our HP Chat team.

I talked with HP Chat manager Diann Davids last week. HP Chat provides pre-sales support for hp products online on hp.com for small business, enterprise and public sector customers. They are chartered to help customers with their purchase process by answering questions about product specifications, helping customers understand their needs, and creating solutions for customers to meet those needs – regardless of whether you buy products from HP or your favorite reseller. The HP team offers live chat Monday through Friday from 8am to 8pm EST (5am to 5pm PST) for many product lines.

(I’ve personally used HP Chat function on several occasions. I recently upgraded my home computer to Windows Vista and had to get new drivers working for my peripherals. The support I received from HP Chat was fantastic.)

I encourage you to take a listen to our conversation. Diane has a great ability to focus in on customer needs and wants to make sure HP meets those needs. Come see if the team can meet your business needs: visit hp.com and engage in a chat conversation today!

To listen to our entire SMB Community Podcast series, go here.

Technorati tags: hp, Hewlett Packard, printers, laser printers, laserjet, inkjet printers, small business, medium business

Branding Bootcamp: Build your company’s story

2008-05-06T17:41:00Z

Does your business have a brand? Can you rely on your brand to represent your company? More importantly, does your business have a story? Is it easy for people to understand your value proposition? If you answered no, or you are at least scratching your head, you need to take a look at HP’s Branding Bootcamp …

Branding Bootcamp is a new offering from HP that helps you and your business be more successful in communicating your brand’s value and telling your story. We are working with small business owners like you and walking them through the steps needed to build a better brand.

Our first case study features Sweetpea Bicycles, a small business in Portland, Oregon. Sweetpea wants to enhance and expand their marketing materials to cover customer acquisition, product manufacturing, and repeat orders from their existing customer base. But they’re not sure where to start.

HP – with the help from the members in our Small and Medium Business Community –will take Sweetpea Bicycles through the process of developing a complete marketing kit, including a logo refresh, brochures, letterhead, postcards, and more.

You can participate in the featured case studies by voting, contributing comments, asking questions and sharing your experience and expertise. Your opinions could possibly affect the design decisions that Sweetpea has to make, so make your voice heard.

In return, HP’s Branding Bootcamp will provide you with tools, templates and step-by-step guides for building your brand no matter what stage your business is in. HP will summarize each phase of Sweetpea’s Branding Bootcamp into free eBooks that you will be able to download and use for your business.

Have some fun with this!

Like all businesses, we at HP need to evolve and change too. To do that, we need to hear from you. What do you think about these tools? Do you have recommendations on how to improve them? Please share your thoughts by submitting a comment.

Technorati tags: hp, Hewlett Packard, printers, laser printers, laserjet, inkjet printers, small business, medium business. Branding bootcamp

Podcast Series: HP and Staples-- Serving SMB customers is our job

2008-04-08T13:42:00Z

Anneliese Olson
Director, HP LaserJet Category Management

Serving SMB customers is at the heart of what I do here at HP. I had a great conversation recently with someone else who cares a lot about those same customers. I’m excited to share with you the first channel partner interview we’ve done via podcast for this community.

This conversation was with Candy Murphy from Staples. She is Vice President of Staples’ Contract Technology Solutions business and is responsible for serving small business customers through all their “non-store” selling motions. Staples has a strong business-to-business selling motion and looks to help small businesses solve problems. Candy has a great and interesting background and has been an insightful business partner over the past few years.

Take a listen and let us know what you think. What kinds of things do you consider when you are choosing where you will purchase HP products and services? You can also check out the HP store within the Staples site here.

Technorati tags: hp, Hewlett Packard, printers, laser printers, laserjet, inkjet printers, small business, medium business, Staples

Free eBook for Small Businesses from HP: Nine Steps to Outstanding Market Success

2008-03-19T17:40:00Z

Anneliese Olson
Director, HP LaserJet Category Management

Nine Steps to Outstanding Market Success is a new eBook from HP offered to small businesses to help improve your marketing activities and increase your sales. You can check out the eBook website here.

How does it work? Every month we will publish a new chapter that you can download; All chapters are available for free before it is published and sold (retail price will be $39.95 at that time). There is also a nice feature on the site that allows you to sign up for e-mail reminders when a new chapter becomes available for download.

The book is organized well. The chapters are as follows:

Chapter 1: Focusing
Chapter 2: Innovating
Chapter 3: Prospecting
Chapter 4: Budgeting
Chapter 5: Branding
Chapter 6: Being Found
Chapter 7: Promoting
Chapter 8: Connecting
Chapter 9: Growing

It really goes through all the steps you would need to consider when starting a business, developing your company’s brand, staying true to your business purpose and philosophy and figuring out how and when to grow. The creators of the book are Oliver Fritsch and Ines Bitsch, who are part of Cendesic; both have sales and marketing expertise that, when brought together in this eBook, delivers a powerful tool for entrepreneurs and small business owners.

I downloaded and went through the first chapter myself to get a feel for it. Chapter 1 is all about “focus” and figuring out what business you are really in. It is about getting really clear about your passion, what your skills are and honing in on defining what you are trying to sell as a business owner. The part I liked the most was about understanding your strengths. Knowing what you are good at and how you plan to use those skills is critical to running a business. By knowing your strengths, you will be able to determine which areas will require the assistance of others.

Is your focus clear in your business? How did you determine what you could do on your own versus what you needed help with?

Feel free to share your ideas and experiences by using the comment link below.

Technorati tags: hp, Hewlett Packard, printers, laser printers, laserjet, inkjet printers, small business, medium business, small business marketing