Marketing Ideas For Printers Archives - Marketing, content, & technology to help printers sell more printing

Welcome back from the whirlwind adventure that was Printing United in Las Vegas! We trust you had an incredible experience exploring the latest innovations and creating meaningful connections within the vibrant printing industry community. As you settle back into your daily routine, remember that it’s crucial to harness the wealth of knowledge and inspiration you gained at Printing United. Here’s a comprehensive guide to ensure your tradeshow experience fuels continuous growth and innovation in your professional endeavors. Capitalizing on Your Tradeshow Experience Unpack the Knowledge Begin by meticulously reviewing and organizing the wealth of information you gathered. Dive into the brochures, business cards, and session notes you collected. Dedicate ample time to sift through everything, identifying key insights and trends. Consider employing digital tools like a mind map or a project management app to create a comprehensive visual representation of your takeaways. This not only aids in retention but also provides a quick reference for future projects. Share the Wealth Organize a detailed team meeting to present the highlights of your tradeshow experience. Develop a structured presentation or discussion points that cover groundbreaking technologies, innovative strategies, and potential partnerships. Encourage open dialogue, allowing team members to ask questions and offer

If you’ve ever felt the pinch of a tight budget, you know the importance of making value-driven decisions. A central question of economics is this: how do we assess the value – or the economic WORTH – of a product or service? For example, is it “worth” paying more for cookware that will last twice as long? Is it “worth” investing in a star NFL quarterback if it means more people will follow your team? As a professional printer, maybe you’ve asked a different version of this question: Is it “worth” investing dollars into your own direct mail marketing? It Costs Money NOT to Market Your Print Business As digital marketing continues to expand, many printers have answered this question with inaction. Maybe this describes you. Have you drifted toward ambivalence or stopped sending direct mail marketing altogether? Perhaps the price tag on direct mail (including both time and financial cost) has discouraged you from using this time-tested tool. Here’s an important truth to consider: It costs money NOT to market your business. While direct mail takes effort, it is also an important building block to your future success. When you overlook this strategic marketing channel, here are three different

Meet Joe. Joe owns a professional printing company with a solid website and room to grow his capacity. But Joe has a problem. He’s not getting new customers. Joe is actively advertising and eagerly seeking new leads, but his efforts continue to fall flat. He wonders: Why am I not getting more orders? Why can’t I make more sales? Meet Jolene. Jolene works for a healthcare clinic that has recently tasked her with ordering various print marketing pieces. Jolene feels nervous, uncertain, and intimidated. Through an online search, she locates several printers in her area, but when she visits their websites, she finds cumbersome product menus and sterile ordering pages. Though she’d like a local printing partner, she’s confused about what to order and how to succeed in the process. She’s not even close to pulling the trigger on a purchase and finds these list-style pages overwhelming. She decides ordering from a national big-box printer might be best. Moving Prospects to Commitment Joe wants to sell printing. Jolene wants to buy from a local printer. So, what went wrong? Why is it so difficult for printers and print buyers to connect and succeed? While the process is complicated, the answer

With the first half of the year behind us, it’s time to look toward the last few months of 2024 and make some solid marketing plans. While you may not be able to overhaul your entire marketing scheme, it is easy to add an already-designed, easy-to-produce newsletter or postcard to grab attention and get the word out about your company’s products and services. The direct-mail options we provide are the ideal answer to a need for simple, straightforward marketing. 5 DIRECT MAIL PACKAGE OPTIONS FOR PRINTERS Coffee Break If you want your marketing to stick out amongst the mail your customers receive, then the Coffee Break newsletter is the right choice for your company. Whimsical in its presentation and light-hearted in its content, Coffee Break is sure to make a positive connection with your customers. Here are a few of the jokes found in this month’s edition: Health inspector: “I’m afraid you have too many roaches in here.”  Restaurant owner: “How many am I allowed?” So, let me get this straight. You drive across town to a gym to walk on a treadmill? Get them laughing and thinking about your print shop with Coffee Break’s clean humor, unique calendar, and

While January has a certain fresh-start feeling, August is a close second. There’s a shift that happens as fall approaches. If you’ve felt that and wondered how to capitalize on it, consider the power of new marketing to reach your current and prospective customers. We specialize in fresh looks for your print shop, and we’d love to talk to you about adding one of our well-designed pieces to your marketing lineup. Contact us today! 5 DIRECT MAIL PACKAGE OPTIONS FOR PRINTERS Coffee Break Connecting with your customers is easy with the Coffee Break newsletter. Easy to produce and exciting to receive, this full-color newsletter is a lighthearted way to get your name in front of your customers. Jokes, cartoons, a unique calendar, and the right amount of advertising make Coffee Break a great addition to your marketing plan. Here are a few of the jokes you’ll find in this month’s newsletter: How come fish are so skinny? Cause they only eat fish. “Where’s everyone going?” one chicken asked another as they ran along with the flock. “The farmer said some men are going to lay a sidewalk out front, and we all want to see how they do it.” Make

Your print shop works hard to produce quality printed materials that your customers are proud to distribute to promote their businesses. It seems only right that you would also produce quality printed marketing materials to promote your own business. The direct-mail pieces we provide allow your print shop to let someone else (us!) handle the marketing while you focus on giving your customers the attention and care they deserve. We’d love to work with you to add a monthly direct-mail package to your marketing plan! 5 DIRECT MAIL PACKAGE OPTIONS FOR PRINTERS Coffee Break Send a smile through the mail with the Coffee Break newsletter. Easy to produce and distribute, this humorous newsletter is marketing your customers will look forward to receiving. Even better, the jokes and monthly calendar make Coffee Break the kind of marketing that gets passed around the office. Here are a few of this month’s jokes: What did the bald man exclaim when he received a comb for a present? “Thanks, I’ll never part with it!” I’m writing a book on all the things I ought to be doing—it’s an oughtobiography. Coffee Break is a newsletter with staying power that keeps your company name and marketing

Birchbox is a beauty subscription service that revolutionized the way consumers discover and experience cosmetic products. Launched in 2010, Birchbox introduced a unique concept of delivering monthly boxes with a selection of sample-sized beauty products to subscribers for a flat rate of $10. This approach eliminated the need for customers to invest in full-sized products, growing customer confidence in the products and loyalty to the company that delivered them. After realizing its colored outer packaging gets damaged in transit to customers, Birchbox added a pristine internal box with the company name featured in foil print. Recipients loved it, and shared unboxing photos and videos widely on social media. This amplified the Birchbox “experience” of unwrapping luxury, value, and convenience each month. The momentum certainly paid off: Birchbox grew to 850,000 subscribers in just three and a half years. The Undeniable Power of Packaging As tempting as it is to think of ourselves as rational, logical individuals, the truth is that human beings make snap judgments, and quite often, this is due to packaging. Printers know this, but print buyers may need some reminding about why investing extra resources into packaging is worthwhile. Why is this avenue of marketing so important?

Welcome back to another edition of Sell More Printing, where we explore real-world sales and marketing strategies that you, as a printer, can adapt to boost your business. Today, we’re venturing into the mystical world of video games – yes, you read that right – with a spotlight on Zelda. Our journey begins by exploring how Kathy, our fearless Director of Client Relations at Marketing Ideas For Printers, found business wisdom in this pixelated world, all while gaming with her grandson, who absolutely loves that his grandma is a gamer! Leveling Up Client Engagement with a Zelda Twist Get a picture in your mind of Kathy, controller in hand, navigating the landscapes of Zelda; her brow furrowed in concentration. In between helping her grandson find the Master Sword and rescuing Princess Zelda, she had an ‘aha!’ moment. Kathy thought, “If Link can save a kingdom with a little strategy and a lot of heart, why can’t printers use similar tactics in their day-to-day business?” Just as Link journeys through Hyrule, facing dragons and solving puzzles, you, too, can embark on an adventure with each client, armed with your mighty print solutions! How This Helps You Sell More Printing In Zelda,

Diving into the online print market is no walk in the park. Giants like Vistaprint and Shutterfly dominate the scene with their vast offerings and savvy marketing, setting a towering standard for smaller printing companies aiming to establish their spot in the market. Yet, there’s room for the David’s in this Goliath’s world. Smaller print businesses can carve out their niche by crafting a standout brand identity, offering tailor-made services, and mastering digital marketing that offers a human connection with their audience. Let’s unpack some strategies to transform these challenges into golden opportunities for printing businesses of any size to stand out and excel in the bustling online print market. Taking on the Online Print Giants: What Are You Up Against? Price Wars Smaller printing companies find it challenging to compete on price with giants like Vistaprint and Shutterfly. These titans can afford to slash prices and offer irresistible deals, making it tricky for the little guys to do so. But it’s not just about the price; these big names also have a marketing muscle and brand recognition that can be daunting. Building Trust and Recognition Gaining a foothold against well-known online giants is a steep climb. These established brands

Summer can mean a slower pace when it comes to the busyness of life. But don’t let that slowdown trickle into your marketing efforts. Staying front of mind through the summer months requires intentionality. Take a look at the print marketing options we offer, and consider adding one of them to your lineup this summer! DOWNLOAD OF THE MONTH CLUB The April download from the Download of the Month Club is a rack card featuring seven reasons print buyers should choose a local printer rather than a big-box store. It is designed to be mailed, displayed at your front counter, or thrown into existing jobs to highlight the benefits of printing locally. If you struggle knowing you should promote your print business more but don’t have the time to put it all together, the Download of the Month Club is your self-promotion shortcut. With new, ready-to-print files provided to you monthly, each download is thoughtfully and precisely created to meet the marketing pain points of your business and give you a well-rounded collection of marketing collateral. For only $9.99 a month, you can grow your business with compelling writing and impossible-to-ignore design, all neatly packed and delivered to your inbox.