Pinnacle Publishing, LLC
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Summer 2009

AHHH, Summer Time!


"There aren't enough days in the weekend."  ~Rod Schmidt
 


INDUSTRY NEWS


OLD DOESN'T MEAN TUNED OUT

A recent article in YP Talk newsletter states that "most of the Yellow Page naysayers will tell you that the industry’s print products are only for little old gray haired ladies as they don’t want or understand any of the new technology now available.  Well, that really isn’t true.  Sure they love their print products, but according to the TNS Compete and the Consumer Electronics Association joint study - “Greying Gadgets: How Older Americans Shop for and Use Consumer Electronics”, the age segments of 50-something, 60-something and 70+ actually use many technologies at or near comparable rates of the younger age segments."

The key general conclusions from the report writers indicate that Older Americans:

  • Really are a lot like younger Americans in their technology adoption behavior.

  • Are active online, with over 60% of people over 50 using the Internet.

  • Embrace technology and technology products at a rapidly increasing pace.

We already know that “older” people are also heavy users of print Yellow Pages.  It looks like they are just as interested in using the Internet to find information online, but don’t hesitate to reach for the book--a most trusted source for them--to make local buying decisions.


Read Full Article

 


REINCARNATION OF A PHONE BOOK

“Going Green” seems to be the politically correct thing to do these days with paper and any materials that may be recycled, but what about going “creative”. At Mountain Telephone, that’s just what one of our customers did. Instead of stacking the book in a corner with all the others or simply discarding it in the trash, Ms. A. L. Herr decided to get her creative juices flowing. Ms. Herr, a Mountain Telephone customer from 1987 - 2007, said she wanted to show Mountain Telephone her appreciation for all the years of good service before moving back to her home state of Pennsylvania. From this desire, she was somehow inspired to handcraft a teapot & bowl set using nothing but her phone book.

Ms. Herr said she used every single page of the book. Each page was cut into 9 pieces and every page was folded exactly alike. The small pieces were folded in tiny triangles and folded in a manner that they could be hooked together for shape and strength. Ms. Herr even kept uniform color patterns with diagonal stripes of white (name/ number listings), blue (informational pages) and, of course, yellow (yellow pages). She said she worked on her project every chance she had a free minute. Ms. Herr said it was always a topic of discussion at the airport. Her creation is truly an amazing piece of ingenuity for which we are exceptionally grateful.  (Click on the teapot for more pictures.)



INTERNAL INFORMATION


NEW CLIENTS

Welcome!  We've recently signed two new telephone directory publishing agreements.  We are excited to be given these opportunities.

 

Delcambre Telephone Company, Delcambre, LA, has signed an agreement for us to publish their upcoming directory.  This directory publishes annually in January.

Gardonville Cooperative Telephone Association,
Brandon, MN, Lowry Telephone Company, Lowry, MN, and Runestone Telephone Association, Hoffman, MN, have all signed an agreement for us to publish their upcoming Vikingland, MN, directory. This directory publishes annually in February.
 


We publish 134 publications in 16 states.

If you would like a copy of our current client list, please contact us.

 


ANNOUNCING...

Today’s telephone companies need not only compete with a host of new entrants to their market areas, but also show that they can constantly innovate and demonstrate technological superiority to any other entrant within their marketplace. With online competitors such as yellowbook.com, superpages.com, and yellowpages.com all looking to capture advertising dollars from your advertisers in your markets, you can’t afford to do without the best online platform.

Pinnacle Publishing has partnered with the technology company, ImmersiFind, based out of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, to develop localsolution.com; an outstanding SEO (search engine optimized) platform that houses your local data and is revenue generating! 

Pinnacle Publishing is dedicated to providing directory innovations that promote usage and revenue growth. As an extension to your print directory, our local search platform provides the best of both worlds by providing the industry’s best advertising options for you and your customers.  Your users will want to come back to localsolution.com time and time again and make it their destination for comprehensive information.

Localsolution.com will be LIVE in August.  Please watch your e-mails for further updates as well as for upcoming informative webinars.  For more information see our Featured Topic below or contact us
 


DIRECTORY CONTACTS MEETING


The first ever directory contacts meeting was held in Bemidji, MN, at the Hampton Inn this last May. There were 33 people in attendance representing 18 Telephone Companies in 7 States.  Topics included our directory procedures, print and online directory options, marketing your directory, the printing process, and a special presentation by guest speaker Mike McKinley entitled "Together We're Even Better".

The Pin-Tel Awards for Best Directory Cover and Best Directory Content went to Garden Valley Telephone in Erskine, MN, and the Pin-Tel Award for Best Directory Marketing went to NU-Telecom in New Ulm, MN.  Congratulations!

Check out some photos!
 


PINNACLE PUBLISHING GOLF DAY


For the first time ever, all of the proceeds of our golf day will go towards the Minnesota Telecom Alliance (MTA) Foundation Scholarship Fund.  Please also note we will hold our event on a new course, Territory Golf Club.  Contact Amy with questions.  We look forward to seeing you there!
 


EARLY CHILDHOOD CHAMPIONS

The Bemidji, Minnesota Early Childhood Initiative (ECI) has presented Pinnacle Publishing with the Early Childhood Champion (ECC) award for flexibility given to employees for school activities and appointments.  ECC is a continuing project that recognizes local businesses that support young children and their families.


Pictured are LeeAnn Shogren, Pinnacle Publishing Human Resources Administrator (left) and Ginny Kurtzweg, ECI Co-Chair



PINNACLE CONTACTS

Please CLICK HERE for our company contact list which will assist you in reaching Pinnacle Publishing employees.
 


FEATURED TOPIC


WWW.LOCALSOLUTION.COM

 

Local search engines are fast becoming the yellow pages of the internet.  When searching for information on the web, end users are looking for the most relevant results for business and residential searches.  Localsolution.com can give the end user what they need.  Localsolution.com provides the most up-to-date local data for both business and residential listings making it a unique platform. End users can search your directory coverage area listings or access a national database to find what they’re looking for. 
 

Localsolution.com has 5 attractive and competitively priced products that allow advertiser’s to

showcase their products and services. With video, photo, enhanced business profile pages, and

more, there’s something for everyone!  Questions?  Contact us.


 


STAFF SPOTLIGHT


MARKETING

The Marketing Department at Pinnacle Publishing is responsible for many “behind-the-scenes” projects.  From creating this newsletter, directory flyers, and other materials for Sales Executives to helping with the debut of the Directory Contacts Meeting, we creatively administer it all.  We keep up to date on industry trends and educate employees.  Because of the rising popularity of local search, great attention is given to the promotion and enhancement of our new online platform www.localsolution.com.  We also develop examples for newspaper, radio and television advertisements, along with newsletter articles for telephone company use.

The Marketing Department is located at the Bemidji Headquarters.

Pictured above are: Caralee Nowak, Graphic
Designer & Online Directories Coordinator
& Rosie Berg, Supervisor


INDUSTRY EVENTS


Representatives from Pinnacle Publishing will be attending these industry events this quarter.  We hope to see you there.

MTA - Minnesota Telecom Alliance Golf Day; Hutchinson, Minnesota: July 13

OPASTCO - Organization for the Promotion and Advancement of Small Telephone Companies Annual Summer Convention & Tradeshow; Colorado Springs, Colorado: July 25-29

Pinnacle Publishing Golf Day; Territory Golf Club, St. Cloud, Minnesota: August 10
 


QUOTE OF THE QUARTER


Sing out loud in the car even, or especially, if it embarrasses your children." ~Marilyn Penland
 


ARTICLE SUBMISSION

Do you have information that you would like us to publish in our newsletter; such as, an update on a company project, volunteer stories, contributions made, industry information, fun article, employee promotions, etc.?  If so, please submit it to news@pinnaclepub.com.
 


The goal of this newsletter is to inform our telephone company clients about the “happenings” at Pinnacle Publishing.  We would appreciate any feedback you may have about this newsletter and invite your suggestions on the content.  If you wish to subscribe or unsubscribe, please reply to this e-mail message stating either “Subscribe” or “Remove” in the subject field. news@pinnaclepub.com
 

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Pinnacle Publishing, LLC