MI4P, Author at Marketing, content, & technology to help printers sell more printing

A great website can make all the difference for your print business. It can draw in potential print buyers, inspire, answer questions, and provide essential resources. Your website can be your greatest salesperson or a thorn in the side of your branding. Below are four websites, that in our opinion, excel in the area listed. Take a few minutes to take a peek and gather some insight, knowledge, and inspiration from printers doing their websites right. Ignite Printing in Brockville, Ontario: Branding Ignite Printing has a look all its own. A quick visit to this website and you’ll see “nice people; nice printing,” as their tagline says, but you’ll also see excellent branding. With a fun, groovy look, Ignite Printing knows how to make a great first impression. You’ll see evidence of this uniqueness in their website sliders, call-out boxes, their sidebar ads, and other areas throughout the site. If you’re looking for a new look and feel for your brand, Ignite Printing is the perfect website to gather up some inspiration. Supreme Graphics in Arcadia, Wisconsin: Testimonials Next on our list is Supreme Graphics. This website makes our list because they understand how to grow their business with testimonials

Which marketing approach would you say best describes your print business: multichannel or omnichannel? While some of you may have been able to instantly offer a response to that question, most likely, a larger majority of you stopped yourself and thought, “Wait… there’s a difference?” The truth is that multichannel and omnichannel marketing are more than trendy marketing buzzwords; they’re two notably different marketing approaches that can help you build relationships and sell more printing. Definitions: Multichannel vs. Omnichannel Marketing To start with the basics, let’s look at what these two different words even mean. Are omni- and multi- interchangeable? The short answer is no. If you were to strip this whole blog post down to semantics, you could say that “multi” means some while “omni” means all. Multichannel marketing focuses on using multiple channels to strive for the highest level of customer engagement. However, these channels are often in insolation of each other. Omnichannel marketing also focuses on using multiple channels; however, the focus is more on providing the ultimate customer experience by interactively connecting all of the different channels. While all omnichannel marketing uses multiple channels, not all multichannel campaigns are omnichannel. If you’re still confused, here are

If you hop on social media for even a few minutes, chances are, you’ll see inspirational quotes and quips flying past your fingertips as fast as those chocolate candies Lucy and Ethel were trying so desperately to wrap. Consider this well-known quote by Maya Angelou: “If you’re going to live, leave a legacy. Make a mark on the world that can’t be erased.” But what if you read that quote, and instead of feeling inspired, you feel defeated or question if your mark on the world even makes a difference? If this is you, you’re not alone. Most entrepreneurs struggle with these types of feelings in one way or another, and it’s not all bad. These self-reflective feelings often lead business owners back to the drawing board to create better work or spur them on to pursue better goals. So how about you? Have you given any thought to the legacy your print business is leaving? Today is the day to remember that what you do matters and how you can make a difference with your print business. 4 Ways You Can Make an Impact as a Print Company Owner 1. Keep Money Circulating in Your Community With every sale made

Making connections with your prospects and clients is a sure-fire way to ensure you create and build long-lasting business relationships. And your secret weapon in making those connections? Direct mail and website content. While you may struggle to find the time to write, design, and execute new content, you can find the help you need right here! Check out the latest content available for download now. New Direct Mail Content Printer’s Press The March issue of the Printer’s Press newsletter, available for download now, is packed with compelling content that’s both practical and fun. You’ll find a print theme throughout, showing how readers can meet the needs of their audience through connection and printed services menus. Menus aren’t just for restaurants, as your readers will soon find out in this latest issue. You’ll also enjoy these other great content features: Home care tips for spring A travel highlight of a Bavarian-style village amidst the Cascade Mountains in Leavenworth, Washington A unique coffee-for-two newspaper advertisement The top ten largest fish ever caught As well as other great recurring features, including “Can You Guess the Year?”, trivia, Ben’s friends, and more! Coffee Break More smiles are headed your way with the latest

“Coming together is a beginning; Keeping together is progress; Working together is success.” – Henry Ford Henry Ford, the founder of Ford Motor Company, was a visionary on innovation whose love for learning and perseverance profoundly shaped the 20th century. Ford, and innovators like him, have the self-confidence, vision, and leadership abilities to see things differently, and the courage to change them. Innovators give themselves permission to think out-of-the-box, and they let their ideas percolate into fruition. So, ask yourself: Are printers innovators? Are you an innovator? Mike Jensen, President and Owner of Tri M Graphics in Owatonna, Minnesota, believes that innovation can not only help printers stand out, but it helps their print buyers as well. In fact, the foundational mission of Tri M Graphics is “Building Relationships through Innovation and Integrity.” But let’s back up a little. Introducing Tri M Graphics Centrally located in southern Minnesota, Tri M Graphics has a rich history. Like many family-owned printing companies, the beginnings of Tri M Graphics started as a garage hobby and quickly escalated into a future-changing family career. “My dad, Jon, was actually a sider before starting his printing company,” explains Mike. “In 1985, while hanging some siding on a

Pop quiz! Name one thing you can do for your business that will help build relationships, drive traffic to your website, increase your search engine optimization, and give you an incredible return on your investment. If you said content, you win! While producing content might seem like a lot of work, it doesn’t have to be. Check out the stellar content headed your way this month with a few simple clicks of your mouse. Coffee Break Coffee Break is your opportunity to send smiles to your audience every month. This 8.5″ x 14″ newsletter is packed with fun jokes, one-liners, and a fact-a-day calendar. It’s perfect for your front counter or stuffing with your invoices. As February is the month of love, the February issue of Coffee Break (available now) features some pickup lines you’re sure to get a kick out of. Here are some to get you started: I hope you know CPR, because you just took my breath away! I’m no photographer, but I can picture us together. If you were words on a page, you’d be fine print. If I had a nickel for every time I saw someone as attractive as you, I’d have five cents.

There’s a quote by Zimbabwean-born and Canadian-based philosopher Matshona Dhilwayo that goes like this: “The ordinary think inside of the box, the extraordinary think outside of the box, but the genius thinks inside, outside, below and above the box.” Dick Olenych, owner of Spectrum Printing (Home of the Happy Printers) in Virginia Beach, Virginia, uses this genius-described way of thinking to position his print (and other) businesses differently from anyone else’s. Dick’s interesting perspective and approach to the world of business are worth exploring for yourself and your print business. Introducing Spectrum Printing: A Marketing Foundation While many small- to mid-size printers found their start in the world of print through the family or production side of entrepreneurship, Dick had a different beginning. Dick spent 25 years in the unique dynamics of corporate America running national programs. In 2005, Dick decided to go into print, seeing the print industry as a customer-focused industry that suited his mentality and an ever-changing space due to technology. “Little did I know that owning a small business could be so difficult,” says Dick. “I came into print through a sales and marketing background, which I believe makes it easier for me to position for success.

A new year is on its way, and your marketing needs to be ready for it! Check out what’s coming in the January 2022 direct mail marketing content from Marketing Ideas For Printers, available for download now. (P.S. Don’t miss it! We’ve added something new to help you drive more traffic to your website and sell more printing.) Business Forum Looking to spruce up your business-to-business connections in the new year? The Business Forum newsletter gives you the perfect opportunity with compelling and informative content. In the January issue, available for download now, you’ll find: Tips to digitally improve your business How to improve efficiency with time-blocking, and A focus on large-format printing! Printer’s Press The Printer’s Press newsletter is #1 for a reason! This month you’ll find an outline of ways you can help your print buyers with their direct mail marketing, fun new hobby ideas to try, last-minute travel tips, and ideas to help your prospects and customers make connections. NEW!!! Printer’s Press now offers 12 website ads to choose from to drive readers from your newsletter to your website. These ads are included in the InDesign layers panel within the artwork, so you can quickly turn on

If you’ve been in an Adobe product as of late, you may have seen warnings flash on your screen telling you the end is near for Type 1 fonts. But what’s the deal? Should you be worried? While it’s not a fontpocalypse, it is worth paying attention to and may require action on your part before Type 1 fonts are completely removed in 2023. Here’s what you need to know. What are Type 1 Fonts? Type 1 fonts (also known as PostScript, PS1, T1, Adobe Type 1, Multiple Master, or MM) were developed in 1984 to encode vector-based design into a specific file format. Or, in other words, the purpose of these fonts was for professional typesetting. The vector technology of these fonts helped create and ensure the print quality that publications desired. At the time, Adobe only had two types of fonts, respectfully labeled after their internal specifications as Type 1 and Type 3 fonts. Type 1 originally contained 13 base fonts initially reserved as Adobe-only, while Type 3 was intended for more general use. In 1991, Apple was fed up with the hierarchy of Adobe-imposed limitations and decided to go their own way as Apple often does. They

What is the one thing every print owner needs to be successful? Is it sales, prestige, rockstar employees? How would you answer that question? Author and speaker Brian Basilico would tell you that the one thing you need is relationships. Or, as he says it, “Relationships are the currency of business.” But have you ever thought about what exactly it means to build and focus on relationships as a business owner? And how to create and develop relationships that ultimately turn into sales for your print business? Ralph Irwin, Owner of Irwin Printing in Republic, Missouri, has this growing-through-relationships concept figured out in a way that might surprise you in its simplicity. But, before we dive into that, let’s meet Ralph and Irwin Printing. Introducing Irwin Printing: Building on a Legacy Founded in 1974 by Ralph’s father, Irwin Printing is built on a solid legacy of dedication and passion for helping customers and their businesses thrive. “It all started with my dad,” says Ralph. “He was incredibly hardworking. Some of my earliest memories are of sleeping on the shop floor or not seeing my dad because he’d work late or get up early to make sure he got everything done.” “I

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