TORONTO—Four seminars took place on the third and final day of Print World. Here’s what we learned:

Darrell Keezer, founder of Candybox Marketing took to the Print World Seminar stage at 11 am to dole out advice on using social media. He educated the audience on the difference between having a website— a static, generic page— and building a web presence— an interactive goal oriented website with social media links and a regularly updated blog. He implored business owners to stop speaking corporate to their audience and to start speaking to them like you would a friend. He touched on mobile websites and the importance of making it just as smooth and information-rich as a desktop website. “Mobile marketing is no longer a fad, it’s a trend,” he said.  He also shared his views on LinkedIn stating, “If you’re not on LinkedIn you’re not in business.” Keezer also shared a lot of useful stats: Smartphones are checked on average 150 times a day, 93% of people go online for product information, 62% of people buy products online and 64% of people use social media.

Canada Post’s Eleanor Rafter, took the stage again at 12 pm to talk about selling direct mail.

Stephen Vooro, partner, investment advisor at Richardson GMP gave a seminar at 1 pm on the steps needed to get your shop ready for sale. According To Vooro there are five steps necessary to getting this done:
1. Start early. Two to three years beforehand.
2. Assemble your team. Surround yourself with credible people who will help you through the process. 
3. Do your homework. Improve the value of your business and discover its worth.
4. Prepare your business. Clean up issues before the sale. Using the business for personal expenses can be a drag on your earnings.
5. Plan personally. Plan for your life and that of your family after the sale.

Michael White, partner and trainer at Effectivation Inc. spoke at 2pm on sales strategies that work.  White says it’s critical that senior leaders in business embrace change when it comes to marketing and social media. He also said its important to ask clients questions about provided services, and then build a database of those experiences and use it to better the business and the relationship with clients.  White also touched on “The Experience Economy,” which is when a company uses its atmosphere to sell themselves and attract a following. Disney, Starbucks and Vegas are some examples.

We’d like to thank all of our speakers who participated in the Print World 2014 seminars. Until next time.