Categories

20 years ago, people laughed at the idea of digital printing having any merit.  Today, some of the greatest brands in the world not only embrace digital printing, they sell it.  If printers need to change from a mindset of selling print to one of providing innovative marketing solutions, then digital printing is a critical component to success.  Print has evolved from a craft industry dependent upon the skill of the person driving the equipment to a manufacturing industry driven by technology.

Just 15 years ago, we could not print a one-off product. Now you’ve got Internet companies with 100 digital presses printing photo books one by one.  We’ll likely see even more significant changes over the next few years that may be hard to imagine now.  It’s not too late to embrace digital printing.  However, those that don’t invest over the next couple of years, may well miss the boat.

Just as many other technologies have made a transition from analogue to digital (video and photography being examples) rendering the former technology obsolete.  Nearly 20 years ago, Benny Landa, inventor of the Indigo press and often considered the father of digital offset printing, predicted, “Everything that can become digital will become digital—and printing is no exception.”

Just because there may be less volume of print, does not mean there will be less value. We are often reminded daily that print is most effective and has greater value when it is most relevant.  Variable data printing offers the opportunity to create relevance through personalization in a way never seen before.  Despite this established assertion, there is frequently less value associated with shorter runs and smaller volume—despite the added value that variable digital printing capability brings to a project. In short, customization and personalization are enormous values because they are market based.  And being market based is what defines an MSP.

Print ain’t dead! Print is nostalgic. It is tactile and it can help create real emotion. Just like the old pinball machine we used to play, print holds memories. We can flip through the pages of our old high school yearbook or we reference an old “Harvard Business Review” that had a great article on segmentation. Either way, print has staying power. In addition to touch and feel, print is fun. The ideas and the technology that is emerging from our industry are really very cool. QR codes, page-turning software, augmented reality, and virtual store fronts are just a few of the creative new tools coming from our business.

According to our friends at the Print Council, the top 10 ways help your clients prosper are..
1. Print is for keeps.
2. Print is portable.
3. Print drives higher ROI.
4. Print is beautiful.
5. Print plays well with others.
6. Buyers seek print.
7. Print is credible.
8. Print puts them in control.
9. Print is personal.
10. Print is everywhere

The signs are everywhere. Start selling signage. The range of large format projects out there is astronomical. Ranging from the signs you see at restaurants and check-out lines at the grocery store to the big and bold messages on water towers and billboards. But don’t let your eyes get too big. The best advice experts gave CANVAS regarding large format projects was to start by thinking small. Print providers should determine which type of large format business they want to go after, and then do some research on the technology available. In other words, obey the speed limit and know your limitations.

Adding large format services to your repertoire may bring in new customers. But the best strategy may involve building from within. That is, offering your best customers these services first and prospecting for new customers second. We suggest when the sales team and principals talk to their customers is to look for an opportunity to go beyond your traditional small format job to transition into poster-banner business.

Read the signs because there are all kinds of opportunity. The retail opportunity includes clothing, grocery stores, and restaurants. Vehicles deliver a message in ways few other mediums can. Events offer another chance for marketers to spread their message. So, take note, that selling signage is a natural derivative of traditional print and expands your value.

Marketing campaigns come with more than just a brochure. Often a customer needs help with the little things, that is materials such as pens, T-shirts, coffee mugs and other products that help promote
a brand or product. Sometimes getting business means taking on the role of coordinator for a customer. Blue media will sometimes get requests from customers that include more than its package of services. When the large format print provider created signage and promotional materials for EA Sports’ Madden 2010 release party, the customer also requested smaller items be included in the mix, such as player towels and water bottles. If it’s a big-enough project and the customer requests a piece of the puzzle be included on the invoice that you don’t do, that’d be an area where you could outsource also.

More and more printers are recognizing the value in adding promotional products to its list of services and have become Advertising Specialties Institute (ASI) distributors. They believe the move has created a new stream of customers. They may have been selling some ad specialties and promotional items, but weren’t as competitive as they are we with AS. It might take longer than expected to create awareness that you are carrying these products, but it is a smart decision. It provides you with add-on sales to current customers and these are sales that we wouldn’t have gotten a couple of years ago.

It is amazing how much the print sales representative has been relied upon over the years. Sourcing print is only part of it. For example, CANVAS has conducted surveys that demonstrate that print reps control 72% of all paper specification.

To some, selecting the right paper might seem like a small detail. However, paper is, typically, 33% of the cost of a print job. The cost alone deems paper selection a critical element of a project. The substrate itself plays an even bigger role. Often times it has been said that paper is the fifth color. By utilizing the right paper, a marketer can add another dimension or element to the design. In turn, paper has an enormous impact on the relevancy and impact of a piece.

With the advance in technology and the decrease in run length, some might think that paper’s influence on a project has decreased. However, the shorter runs demand that a printed piece resonate more with an audience. Paper or substrate selection cannot only improve the impact of a project, it can downright differentiate it. Whether printing with digital or traditional offset lithography, paper is still the vehicle with which a message is carried. No need to fool around with such an important piece of the puzzle. MSPs will be called on to consult on paper selection more than ever.

Business cards, forms, signage, and anything that you cannot produce or cannot produce cost effectively can be outsourced. Some traditional printers get a little squeemish about using trade printing. However, if you are truly a market based organization, does it really matter where the assets reside?

If your clients are asking you to source something, then the battle is won. Just because you don’t print business cards, doesn’t mean you should not be the agent of sale. In addition, why would you walk past an opportunity just because you don’t have the capabilities “in house”? The answer is you no longer will. When client A ask “Can you print our business cards?”, you answer “Yes, and we’ll even put a on a QR code with our campaign management software that directs people right to your contact info or LinkedIn profile”. Your designer can design the cards, you can input the QR and you can outsource it to a partner trade printer. Now, that is being an MSP!

Technology can be a remarkably scary thing. However, technology keeps progressing and has become a cornerstone to our wonderful industry. The technical explosion that has occurred in the marketing services industry is born out of the fact that printers have been the vehicle for communication for hundreds of years. It should follow that new ways to connect with markets should sprout from print.

Campaign management software is all around us and involves utilizing integrating marketing to create and nurture leads. New tools like page turning software, sales automation software and store front platforms have combined with newer versions of customer relationship management (CRM) tools and personal URLs (PURLS) to provide an offering that is unparalleled.

These tools marry very well with print and create the opportunity for any printer to present themselves as the most savvy marketing service provider. Lead creation, data base management, and tracking are critical to all marketers. The suppliers to our industry continue to push technology to the limits. Their endeavors allow MSPs the chance to become more than a vendor of print. The afford us the chance to become part of the marketing supply chain.