Print and Social Media Marketing: So Many Questions

I came across my job search notebook from 2006 when I was laid off from NBC and I'm amazed by both how much has changed and how much is still the same.

Six years ago Monster.com was THE job search engine, now I barely look at it. The first iPhone was released in June 2007. I was not using Facebook or LinkedIn, neither were my peers. Social Media Marketing and blogs did not even exist!

One question I asked myself then is still valid today: Do you think your current job will exist in five years?

Print was still a robust industry in 2006, full of car books, annual reports, magazines and books. The paper industry was not viewed as a public enemy. Home Entertainment was phasing out VHS tapes for DVDs. People bought books in real bookstores and from Amazon.

Now the print industry is getting back on its feet after a drastic decline in 2008. We lost some of the best printers in town over the past five years, but thankfully, many have remained as robust as ever. The Advertising Production Association of Los Angeles, my original social media marketing source, once with over 700 members has declined to 250 members and will mark 2012 as its final year. The paper industry has a tough job in convincing America that it is the sustainable resource it always has been.

My way of thinking about the future has changed. In 2006 I was asking myself "What do I want to do for the next 20 years?" Now I realize the old model of remaining with a company for the "rest of my career" is no longer viable. I have always been the loyal employee, working 5 or more years, but those relationships are no longer the norm. Now I want to focus on what is new and how I can contribute in a fresh way.

One question remains personal to me from 2006 and now: How can I help the print industry? Is there a function I can take on as the voice of the print industry that will help both vendors and buyers connect to what's next?

There are so many events offered for personal and professional growth. I wonder who has time to go to them all. And if one goes, what happens to that knowledge? I would like to be the person attending informative events and reporting on them to my industry peers. That's why I started Pinkyonthepulse.com. Can Print and Social Media Marketing work together?

One last question: What's next?