VANCOUVER—PacBlue Printing in Vancouver recently posted a short corporate video on YouTube, which was produced with Hush Magazine, a publication also based in Vancouver. Nico Slobinsky, the printer's marketing communications manager, said it took close to a month to produce the video which features PacBlue staff.




The video also appears on the PacBlue website, but television is too costly an option, he said. The video was sent to some clients and media contacts and is generating some buzz, he said.

"We're getting a lot of 'likes' and 'shares' [on Facebook] ... we also got a few emails and a few comments on YouTube," explained Slobinsky. He said the video has been effective in reconnecting with some clients, noting one person commented on the video they have been a loyal customer for the past decade. "All the feedback has been positive, with just one 'dislike' on YouTube."

As of July 21, the video was viewed 267 times.

PacBlue is plugged into other social media tools including Facebook and Twitter, and Slobinsky said he regularly blogs on the company's website. "Social media is part of my workflow ... it's part of engaging the customers out there, a lot of our competitors do not do that," he said. "It doesn't represent a lot on the bottom line, but engaging them ... certainly reinforces the already existing relationship."

The main challenge was coordinating the video, he said. "We didn't use actors ... it's our own staff, and we are a production company. So to pull someone out of production, it's not easy."

PacBlue, a digital printer, has an almost 60-year history with a background in reprographics and digital reproduction, notes its website.