Write Here...Write Now! 

Yesterday I attended the debut of The 21st Century Bride. The content was geared toward retailers, event planners and service providers to the weddings industry. The focus was on building a strong personal brand, effectively using your website and social media, and examining both classic and new marketing strategies to best attract the 21st century bride – or customer (it provided current, sage advice relevant for any small business).

The program was top-drawer. Here are just a few of my take-aways, both tech and classic, that are on target for our industry - one that provides the products to celebrate personal, lifecycle events.

• Design your website with the user in mind. Look at her multi-dimensionally. Understand who she/he is, how she’s using your site and for what purpose, what time of day she’s online, what services she seeks and so forth.
• Video is a great story teller! Integrate it into your website and refresh the content consistently. Use it to depict your clients’ unique vision of their events and show how they unfolded, thus telling the story, selling the experience rather than a particular product or service.
• Likewise make your website “aspirational”. Use photographs to portray a gorgeous custom invitation, unique party favor, unusual custom gifts.  Make the viewer aspire to do something just like the photo!
• Consider podcasting – taped audio of a conversation, an interview, an event description that, again, tells a story.  These builds authority, trust, influence.  The speaker called it “theatre of the mind” – what a perfect description!
• Build your brand based on a relationship with the product or service you provide - not the transaction.   
• Think about your current client as your future new client. The more fulfilled her needs are, the more positive the experience, the more likely she is to refer you time and again.
• Finally, the best marketing strategy ever? Caring! There is no replacement for reliable follow-up, going the extra mile to acknowledge something special in your client’s life, checking in if a span of item has passed.   

One of the speakers quoted Maya Angelou: “People will forget what you said, forget what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel.” 

I believe this wholeheartedly.

My best, 

Patti Stracher
Show Manager

Buyer Registration for NSS 2011 - Please Take Note of Our New Process 

Registration for the 2011 National Stationery Show is open, and requires your attention this year. No longer will we automatically mail badges to past attendees – instead, this year everyone is asked to pre-register to receive an e-badge.  The easy, new registration process can be completed in less than 3 minutes, and aims to simplify the experience by providing buyers with the opportunity to not only register for the Show, but also select and purchase events and seminars at the same time.  The e-badge sent after acceptance of your registration can be brought to a badge print terminal at NSS, and quickly printed for immediate access to the Show floor.

For qualified buyers, the pre-registration process still provides complimentary registration. For those registering onsite, a $50 fee will apply. To avoid this fee, register today here! 

Already registered for NSS 2011, but need to add programs and/or events to your registration? Just click here to add them to your existing registration. 

Eco Trends in Stationery 

By Patricia Norins, Publisher GIFT SHOP / GREENRetailer

Eco-conscious consumers have been voting green with their wallets for a while now and green paper has consistently been a top eco-staple. As technology makes new kinds of papers and recycling options available, the variety of green stationery grows ever stronger and attractive. Here are some enduring trends in environmentally and socially conscious stationery that no retailer can afford to ignore.

Inking the Deal
Vegetable dyes and soy inks are environmentally friendly alternatives to petroleum-based inks. Green vendors are increasingly switching to these inks and dyes to create vibrant and colorful patterns on a variety of stationery.

Recycled Still Rules
Looking for a “must-have” when it comes to green stationery? Look no further than recycled paper stock—a no-brainer for true greenies. Even better, recycled paper is more than just a nod toward the eco-conscious; it looks chic and far removed from the dull papers of yesteryear. It’s no wonder—recycled rules!

Going with Wind
The devoted eco-conscious consumer pays attention to every aspect of the production cycle. Sure, a stationery product might be made from recycled stock but is its manufacturing process truly green from beginning to end? Wind energy is being harnessed by vendors who are pushing the envelope when it comes to green production—and customers are sitting up and taking notice. 

It’s Only Fair
Cultures around the world have much to contribute to the global market in terms of styles and trends. This is especially true when it comes to colorful and bold stationery designs. The socially conscious consumer pays attention to the sourcing of everyday products. As a result, fair trade products are booming. Stationery fairly traded from around the world is increasingly popular with the socially conscious, globally aware consumer.

Tree Huggers
Who says you have to cut down trees to make paper? Not any more. Paper made from stones and other easily renewable materials is catching on. Even better, the manufacturing process consumes significantly less energy than traditional ones. 

Can’t Pooh-pooh This!
Talk about true recycling! All manner of dung is getting a second look as a component for fun stationery. Elephant dung leads the charge here. Stationery products made from this truly renewable material look great and, as an added bonus, tell a great story. And yes, they don’t smell.

Judge the Product by its Cover
Most stationery needs a good and attractive cover and the question of how to make stationery sleeves green is now taken care of. Biodegradable sleeves are made in with a wide assortment of natural materials—including corn. The resultant sleeves are attractive and green

Sow Green!
A veritable garden in a card. Such is the thesis of the plantable card which was introduced a couple of years ago and has grown in popularity ever since. The cards (and bookmarks too) are impregnated with seeds and the entire package can be planted in any garden. The idea continues to please green thumbs and non-gardeners alike.

Doing Good
It’s a twofer that most consumers love—buying a gift that will also do good at the same time. Socially conscious stationery vendors are coughing up proceeds of sales to a variety of charities and consumers love to join in the effort.

A Good Wrap
Gift bags have long been an important category in stationery. The fact that they can be reused over and over again makes them naturally green. These days a colorful variety of cloth wraps is also sharing the spotlight—making reusable packaging even more cheery, and sales, bright.

Showers and Soirees: The New Bridal Market Around the Bride
By Sharon Naylor

Today’s bride-to-be isn’t the only one looking for elegant invitations and stationery products. Every bride out there, from first-timers to encore brides, is surrounded by style-conscious bridesmaids…an average of 4.3 bridesmaids per bride, according to the bridal industry’s trend-tracking survey site TheWeddingReport.com. And these bridesmaids have rejected e-invitation sites in favor of gorgeous, colorful, trendy, personalized, eco-conscious print bridal shower invitations. They want their choices to impress everyone from the shower guests to the bride, who loves it that her ladies care enough to put effort into the design and provide her with a fabulous print invitation as a keepsake. Add in the new trend of stylish bachelorette party invitations and your retail opportunities double per wedding group.

Bridesmaids are also on the hunt for pretty, colorful accent cards they can use for shower games, place cards, creative signage and more. Stationery is every bit as important to bridesmaids as it is to the brides, and their group-cost-splitting mentality leads them to consider more upscale designs and lines.

Not to be left out, the mothers of the bride and groom also host their own events, such as the rehearsal dinner and the morning-after breakfast, and they too wish to express the elegant styles of their party, use classic or contemporary stationery designs and eco-friendly lines, in the print invitations that they’ll send out to guests. The bride, these days, gets all the glory for the wedding’s beauty…the moms wants their chance to shine as spectacular event hosts as well. Choosing or designing custom invitations fulfills their wedding-planning dreams.

And of course, bridal shower gifts are experiencing a renaissance in wrapping. No one is content to pop a shower gift into a dollar-store solid-colored gift bag. Extra thought is given to wrapping that is a work of art, so that the giver’s present stands out in that sea of bridal white and pretty pink wrapped gifts, and also makes a modest-cost registry gift look more extravagant. Even gift cards are now being wrapped exquisitely in creative gift boxes. Don’t forget bridal shower favors that come in decorative favor boxes and containers. As more bridal shower hosts “DIY” their favors, they need you even more to help give their homemade goodies a beautiful presentation.

Bridesmaids and moms may research these items online for inspiration, but TheWeddingReport.com says only 28% purchase online, much preferring the tactile experience and fun of shopping in-person at stores like yours. This market is a strong one, even in today’s budget-conscious age, since it’s all about giving the bride the celebration of a lifetime. Bridesmaids and moms will spend more to impress more, in every aspect of their soiree plans.  Invite them to your stores and host a special bridal event for just the ladies – brides, bridesmaids and moms – as a stationery-centric ‘bridal show’ of sorts, a girls’ night out and a sensory, experiential introduction to your stationery lines.

Sharon Naylor is the author of more than 35 wedding books, including Bridesmaid on a Budget, The Mother of the Bride Book, Mother of the Groom and more, www.sharonnaylor.net. 

 

Style & Stationery Combine On A Red Carpet Event…
The Paper Runway!

Paper has always reflected and even influenced cutting-edge fashion and trend. From oversized damask designs to animal prints, from bling to brocade, from modern twists on 60's mod to classic and classy lace motifs, fashion and fashionable paper have been inseparable.

This year, at the 2011 National Stationery Show, we celebrate the Fashion of Paper with an oh-so-chic event, The Paper Runway. In partnership with nationally known retailer Kate's Paperie, NSS presents a collection of one-of-a-kind paper dresses and accessories created by some of the latest women’s apparel designers - Lela Rose, Susan Woo, Yeohlee, Jen Kao, and Donald Deal - and others by cutting-edge, developing designers from the visual merchandising and design school, New York City's LIM. Fashioned completely out of paper products—gift wrap, ribbons, greeting cards, social stationery—provided by NSS exhibitors, the students’ works will compete to win a cash prize of $1,000 provided by Kate's Paperie, and the top designs will be displayed in the windows of Kate's Paperie during the prestigious New York Fashion Week.

The Paper Runway will be located in the corridor connecting both sides of the National Stationery Show. This exciting exhibition will also showcase phenomenal paper dresses created in the art studios of NSS Exhibitor DCWV.

All NSS participants should visit the red carpet and cast a vote for their favorite student creation on Sunday, May 15 and Monday, May 16. One winner and two runners-up will be announced on Tuesday morning. So, put on your Paper Fashionista hat, and join us on The Paper Runway!

The Paper Runway is presented in partnership with Kate’s Paperie.

How's Business? (Part two of a two-part series)
By Kathy Krassner, Owner, Krassner Communications

To find out how the stationery businesss is really doing these days, I asked the four knowledgeable retailers participating in "Top Retailers Talk Top Trends" – a panel discussion that I'll be moderating in May at the NSS. Sharing their thoughts are Holly Bretschneider, owner of Salutations in Charlotte, NC; Harriett Malmon, owner of Francis-Orr in Corona Del Mar, CA; Melinda Morris, president of Lion in the Sun in Brooklyn, NY; and Daniel Mulhern, owner of M Milestones, Inc. in New Canaan, CT.

Q. To stay successful, what new directions are you taking your store?

Melinda Morris: We brought a lot of our custom design and printing in-house. We launched our own line of custom invitations and made them available online to open our products up to a wider audience. We believe the future of business is going to be online; and while we will always have a storefront, you also have to have an online capability to compete in today's market.
Daniel Mulhern: I'm adding product groups that are unique and special. I feel if you have something someone else doesn't have, you can still demand greater price points. My goal is to gain a larger share of my client's wallet. I cater to my client's stationery needs, hostess gift needs and that quick birthday gift under $30. It is important that you increase the number of items they buy in a transaction versus only selling fewer expensive items. You need to have more transactions in a given day.
Holly Bretschneider: I have started to design and sell my own private-labeled line of notecards that can be printed "while you shop," which provides my customers with a quick turnaround and my store with a higher profit margin. I have spent much more time on refining my marketing to the wedding customer, as this is our bread and butter. I have launched a new framework for bringing any new line or product, which is based on a set of criteria that the item/line be either people-positive (think fair trade), eco-friendly, charitable or, ideally, all three.
Harriet Malmon: I honestly don't plan on making any great changes. I will continue to buy carefully and stay current without being too trendy. It seems to work.

Q. What trends are you seeing in the stationery business?

Harriet Malmon: I think letterpress remains strong. In our store, people seem to be willing to pay more for quality papers and good/unusual design. We are fortunate to have an affluent demographic.
Holly Bretschneider: A marked decline in orders for holiday photo cards, birth announcements and moving cards – much of which I attribute to the rise of [the online stationery company] Tiny Prints (they have a great model that is tough to compete with in these categories). In terms of design, I am seeing slate gray replacing chocolate brown as the hot color – especially paired with yellow; and gray with purple. I anticipate seeing a lot more in the bright-pink range, given that honeysuckle was recently announced as the Pantone "Color of the Year." I am also starting to see a swinging back of the pendulum to more meaningful correspondence as people tire of the constant stream of electronic communication.
Melinda Morris: DYI is big right now, including rubber-stamped or hand-drawn elements and unique individual touches; personality is key.
Daniel Mulhern: I'm seeing increases with my higher-end lines of stationery. If the lines are of great quality, they still warrant the higher price point. I feel the imprintable business is continuing to become less important. The kids' imprintable business, along with birth announcements, continues to be challenging. If something is customizable, it is considered special and desired. We continue to increase our business in the customized gift and stationery area. Key factors in success today are – Unique, Customizable, Well Priced, Speed of Delivery, and Service!

(Kathy Krassner, owner of Krassner Communications, is an industry veteran who currently serves as the Director of Communications for the Greeting Card Association as well as Editor-at-Large for Gifts & Decorative Accessories magazine. She can be reached at krascom@yahoo.com or via LinkedIn.)

Exhibitor Bytes

First Time Exhibitors: The Mentor Progam is live on LinkedIn. Join the chat, ask questions and benefit from the conversation. Log into LinkedIn, click groups and enter National Stationery Show in the search bar on the right hand side.

Set Up Manual: Early planning minimizes errors and keeps you calm! Please take the time NOW to read the manual. Click here.

Call for Product! “The Paper Runway' is an exciting red carpet fashion exhibit that demonstrates the paper-fashion relationship in 3D. It will feature fabulous couture paper dresses designed by leading women’s apparel icons, as well as submissions to a design competition among emerging talent at New York City's LIM College. The students' works will incorporate products from NSS exhibitors. Please donate product including greeting cards, invitations, paper, ribbon, giftwrap and more. Click here to donate.

Great Intel at the Show! Register now for educational programs created just for you! Topics include: Social Media, Rep Relationships, Mastering Your Sales Mojo and Offshore Sourcing. Click here to learn more and to pre-register. 

Opening Night Fun! Party on the Battery, Sunday, May 15th 6:30pm - 9:30pm. Enjoy a fabulous evening with friends, colleagues and customers. In addition to fun and networking, your ticket includes an extensive buffet, dessert, open bar and dancing. We’ll provide complimentary shuttle service! Order your tickets today!  Cost: $65 per person.