Imagine dreaming up hundreds of pieces of original content every year for companies like Bank of America, Pitney Bowes, and United Healthcare. For Touchpoint Media, it’s all in a day’s work. Find out how the custom-content solutions provider transitioned from traditional publishing to online mastery, and how Tech Guru’s smooth operations keep Touchpoint Media humming.
From Page to Screen
“We liked what they were doing,” says Touchpoint CEO Steve Farbman of the company he acquired in 2003 with Jim McEwen. At the time, TPG Sports was primarily printing magazines for amateur sports organizations. Custom publishing involved layouts, design, advertising, and production. Steve remembers dreaming bigger. “We asked, ‘Why only sports?'”
Immediately, Touchpoint Media branched out. “The model was print, and that’s the legacy of the company,” explains Steve. The company reached beyond regional level golf and youth hockey and soccer and added clients in banking and technology solutions. “We grew the additional skill set of content development,” says Steve. Previously, clients would have an editor feeding Touchpoint content. Today, Touchpoint creates the content from start to finish for most of its clients.
The Touchpoint of Today
With the exception of a stunning print lifestyle magazine called Cambria Style for natural stone manufacturer Cambria, in the last four years Touchpoint Media has successfully transitioned to digital. “The piece we’ve added in has been email communications,” Steve says. Though they began doing email campaigns in 2012, in 2014 Touchpoint Media is on track to create 300 pieces of email communication, and growing. “Email and content are what’s driving Touchpoint Media now.”
Though Steve and other employees work in New York, most of the Touchpoint Media staff is in Minneapolis. Since hiring Tech Guru to manage the company’s IT services, content can be shared and updated in real time across the miles in an instant with Dropbox.
Off and Running Online
“Personally, I’ve been thrilled,” Steve remarks of the transition to working with Tech Guru. Touchpoint Media had postponed switching tech service providers in anticipation of a major upheaval, but the transition was smooth. “They’ve been responsive,” Steve says of the minor glitches that came along with switching people from PCs to Mac computers, and adjusting to Google Mail from Outlook.
Tech Guru VP of Operations Micah Thor divulges how the transition was barely noticeable. “The timing was perfect,” he says. “We did it all in one night, after doing major planning and employee training ahead of time.” Weekly calls were held before and after, and Tech Guru persisted with one issue that lingered after the migration was complete. “One employee had an issue with her Mac,” says Micah. “We didn’t give up, and eventually had to replace her entire computer, before we were able to put her issue to rest.”
Your Creative Outlet
Interested in taking your company’s communications to the next level? Contact Touchpoint Media to learn more about what some creative minds can do for your organization’s message!
Dan Moshe helps business owners in the Minneapolis area with all things tech, and is the CEO of the Caring IT company Tech Guru. He cares about your business as much as you do!