KEYS AND OTHER WORDS

Wow! I am so rarely stunned into silence, but they got to me today. The phone call started out like the possible solution to a problem that has plagued us for several years. This nice young man was willing, for a fee, to insure top of the page placement on internet searches for Graphic Chemical. We know that we are a world leader in printmaking supplies, and probably the majority of printmakers in the US do too.

Internationally, printmakers recognize our name as a manufacturer of inks etc, but they tend to purchase from local distributors. In order to grow our business, the internet exposure seemed like just the ticket. Then reality reared its ugly head.

I sent the list of key words off to this nice young man named Joe. The list was kind of a no-brainer, terms like:

                                  
 Japanese paper                            printmaking supplies
 paper                                         handmade paper
specialty paper                            ink rollers
 printmaking paper                       plastic plates
screen printing ink                       etching ink
 Graphic Chemical                        Stones Crayons
 hand made paper                        intaglio
litho plates                                 litho stones
 collograph                                  zinc plates
copper plates                             Speedball
Akua Kolor                                 Akua Intaglio
Charbonnel                                etching tools
  ImagOn Film

and so on. We could have come up with a hundred words easily. The problem is
that the cost involved with this was along the lines of the cost of another
employee! Here's the rub... if I do that we'll get great placement for whatever
period of time we choose. As a lawyer friend of mine once told me, he defends
his clients until their last dime. Joe would have pushed our placements right up
to my last dime. Well, guess who ends up paying for our indulgence? That's right
 ....you do!

Don't worry we won't go that route, we'll have to find a better way to let our
customers know what a great deal we can offer them. Any suggestions?