Let’s recap what we’ve uncovered so far on what it takes to be a smart printer:
- Smart printers anticipate and accept change.
- Smart printers know and understand their audience.
- Smart printers embrace their different.
Today, we’re going to look at how smart printers handle marketing. Now, before you start thinking, “Ewww, marketing. I’m a printer, not a marketer,” remember that:
Marketing is really about one thing: spreading the word about how your print company can help others.
Think of it like this: If you saw a print buyer (or anyone for that matter) struggling with an obvious pain point, and you had the solution to fix it for them, would you keep quiet?
Of course you wouldn’t.
That’s why smart printers tell their print buyers about the solutions they offer on their website or the quality services they can provide through direct mail and other marketing services… because it makes the lives of their print buyers easier.
If you’re struggling to get the word out about your print and marketing solutions, below are five things smart printers do to value and pursue marketing.
1. SMART PRINTERS CHANGE THEIR MINDSET
Smart printers have come to grips with the fact that just because they put up a fancy-pants website doesn’t mean their print buyers will instantly flock to it.
Instead, they’ve retrained their brains to ALWAYS be thinking about marketing in terms of getting people to their website. That means every single piece of marketing content that their audience sees says, “Visit our website.” They’ll even remove their phone number altogether for a while, knowing that if print buyers want to call them, they can find the phone number on their website.
If you’re new to online ordering and trying to get people to order printing from your website, follow the lead of smart printers and change your call-to-action buttons to say things like “Order Here” or “Start Your Order Now” instead of the options to call or email you. And remember, as smart printers know, not everything has to be an order. Perhaps the first win will be getting an estimate. That estimate can start the digital dialog online and then eventually get turned into an order.
2. SMART PRINTERS DON’T FALL SHORT ON CONTENT
What do you think a smart printer would say if you asked them, “Why should I go to your website? What value can you offer me?”
Smart printers would let you know that their website will:
- Answer your questions
- Inspire new ideas
- Provide valuable education
- Guide you through a buying process
- Make a connection and solidify credibility
Smart printers maintain that kind of high-value website with consistent, relevant content. Not only does it keep them bookmarked as a valuable resource to their audience, but it’s also one of their most priceless tools for inviting people to their website in the first place.
3. SMART PRINTERS PROMOTE
Here are a few ways smart printers spread the word and drive people to their website:
A. GENERIC DIRECT MAIL/SOCIAL MEDIA/EMAIL PROMOTIONS
These promotions are be geared towards current customers and built around this one idea: “Place your next order online and receive XX% off!”
B. LABELS
Retrain current customers with labels to place on all of orders that say something like, “Want great tips for how to maximize your print marketing? Visit our website at www.acmeprintingusa.com!”
Or, “Did you know you can place your print orders directly from our website? Order online next time and receive XX% off!”
C. BUILDING INTEREST THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA
Smart printers balance their curated content (content that links to other companies or sources) with content that brings them back to their own website.
For example, they will pull snippets from the Ideas Collection tips, from the Printer@Work email newsletter, or from the white paper content to use as social media posts that provide value and invite print buyers back to their website for even more, additional benefits.
D. EXTENDING AN INVITATION THROUGH EMAIL
Similar to the social media concept, smart printers do the same thing with email.
Without overwhelming their audience, smart printers will email one piece of educational content each week even if it means cherry-picking the blog content they already have. Here’s an insight to how they do it: they grab the first paragraph or two of one of those pieces of content and combine it with a “Read More” call-to-action button at the bottom that links the reader back to their website.
E. DIRECT MAIL
Smart printers remember their print roots and send their website invitations with direct mail.
Their direct mail content features how-tos, such as how to build the perfect direct mail campaign, best design tactics for your postcard, or some other type of list. They put part of their list on their direct mail piece with a teaser similar to, “Visit our website to see the remaining tips.” Or, they’ll use other teasers like jokes, trivia, or challenges that then directs their readers to their website for the answers/punch lines.
F. EMBRACING BLOGGING
Smart printers know that blogging is one of the best ways to get their name and content in front of their audience because:
- They’re written for humans, and search engines love blogs too.
- They’re educational and conversational.
- They help to increase the frequency of fresh content provided on your website, and search engines love that.
- They serve as a content bank for all other marketing efforts. If they need a social media post or email content, smart printers will use the content in their blogs as a resource for their audience and draw them in.
- They build credibility and authority and show your audience you know what you’re talking about.
READY, SET… PROMOTE!
One final thought: Smart printers know that their businesses are worth promoting, and you should too.
Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you’re too small to offer or promote anything of real value. You have the solution print buyers are looking for. So, get out there and tell them about it.
