Have you ever received a marketing message so on target it was almost like they were speaking directly to you? In an age where targeted marketing has become the norm, customers expect companies to understand what they need and help them move forward. If yours is one of the many businesses struggling to grow sales as a commodity printer, John Leininger has a piece of advice on how to get your foot in the door—51 pieces to be exact. A Professor of Graphic Communications at Clemson University for 28 years, John regularly presents at industry events around the country. After talking to many print and graphic arts professionals and getting to know more about their sales strategies, he was surprised by what he found. A number of these business leaders had little understanding about the important dynamics of their vertical markets. What did he do? He developed a hugely successful course at Clemson University that focused on sales prospecting. One of the assignments he had the student work through was to analyze 180 integrated marketing case studies. With the help of his students, he composed a list of 51 proven prospective sales objectives that you will be able to hear at the 2014 Print Leadership Summit. But first, here’s how he did it. Learning the ways of a Successful MSP John created a new course that taught his Clemson University students prospective sales strategies to sell targeted integrated marketing services in the graphic communications industry. With intense focus on using online tools to research potential customers, this class showed them how to understand a client and uncover new vertical markets to pursue. In other words he was preparing them to become successful MSPs. Uncovering the Answers His students read through a total of 180 PODI Case Studies. After analyzing each case, breaking down their main campaign objectives, and recording the overlaps, they came out with a list of 51 objectives. This list is pure ammo for print sales reps who research their customers and can now pinpoint the objectives to target their specific needs. It provides the ice breakers to open new doors and reach niche vertical markets. Some of these objectives your sales professionals can use include: 1.            Maintain and develop a brand image, both on a national and local level (different concerns for versioning and personalization at these two levels). 2.           Provide a completely automated system to create a print campaign online and automate the postal prep and mailing. 3.           Reduce the costs (by reducing time, effort, storage and waste) and improve turnaround time involved in producing and distributing marketing collateral and support documentation (through the use of a Web-to print portal or managed fulfillment services)....

This blog was adapted from “Position Web Design Service in Your Print Shop” by Brent Weaver, CEO, uGurus. You can read the full article in the April, 2014 issues of Printing Industries of America: The Magazine. Brent is a featured speaker at the 2014 Print Leadership Summit, June 2–3, in Dallas. Did you know that between 2008 and 2013, global print revenue shrunk by 5.2%?   The rapid growth of digital is giving printers many more options. If contracting print margins are hurting your profits, it’s time to take action. If you’ve considered diversifying your business by adding digital services to your existing portfolio, you could be on the track to recurring revenue and greater profits. Some of the digital services you may want to offer initially for your clients are: Web development for company websites and e-commerce sites Supporting services like SEO and social media Marketing automation, including managed email marketing But, unfortunately, you can’t just add this new service and expect your customers to beat down your door for them. To avoid confusing customers when integrating digital, one of the important things to considerer first is your brand: How are you going to position these services externally to your customer base? That’s where we looked to the expertise of Web design pro Brent Weaver. The CEO of uGurus, Brent helps Web professionals build their business and consults with Web entrepreneurs. You’ll have the opportunity to meet him at the 2014 Print Leadership Summit when he presents “Selling the Online Business Ecosystem.” But for now, here are two smart branding options and his tips for how to position Web services without deterring or confusing your customers. Option 1: Add to your existing offerings Bundle print and Web services and advertise new services under your existing brand. Why this is a good option: A quick way to advertise without a large investment. Since your existing customers are already familiar with your brand, it’s an easy way to educate them about new services. Bundling services and advertising, “we do Web too!” is relatively simple for any size business to implement. What to watch out for: Existing customers may be confused by the change With a marketing message already focused on print, Web services may not sync with this message Option 2: Create a separate brand and offer Before you completely commit to a new offering, create a new, digitally focused brand even though internally you still do all the work. Why this is a good option New digital offering is separated from your brand’s primary offering Acts as a test for your new service before you fully commit Your existing internal team can manage the new brand What to watch out...

This blog was adapted from “Position Web Design Service in Your Print Shop” by Brent Weaver, CEO, uGurus. You can read the full article in the April, 2014 issues of Printing Industries of America: The Magazine. Brent is a featured speaker at the 2014 Print Leadership Summit, June 2–3, in Dallas. Did you know that between 2008 and 2013, global print revenue shrunk by 5.2%?   The rapid growth of digital is giving printers many more options. If contracting print margins are hurting your profits, it’s time to take action. If you’ve considered diversifying your business by adding digital services to your existing portfolio, you could be on the track to recurring revenue and greater profits. Some of the digital services you may want to offer initially for your clients are: Web development for company websites and e-commerce sites Supporting services like SEO and social media Marketing automation, including managed email marketing But, unfortunately, you can’t just add this new service and expect your customers to beat down your door for them. To avoid confusing customers when integrating digital, one of the important things to considerer first is your brand: How are you going to position these services externally to your customer base? That’s where we looked to the expertise of Web design pro Brent Weaver. The CEO of uGurus, Brent helps Web professionals build their business and consults with Web entrepreneurs. You’ll have the opportunity to meet him at the 2014 Print Leadership Summit when he presents “Selling the Online Business Ecosystem.” But for now, here are two smart branding options and his tips for how to position Web services without deterring or confusing your customers. Option 1: Add to your existing offerings Bundle print and Web services and advertise new services under your existing brand. Why this is a good option: A quick way to advertise without a large investment. Since your existing customers are already familiar with your brand, it’s an easy way to educate them about new services. Bundling services and advertising, “we do Web too!” is relatively simple for any size business to implement. What to watch out for: Existing customers may be confused by the change With a marketing message already focused on print, Web services may not sync with this message Option 2: Create a separate brand and offer Before you completely commit to a new offering, create a new, digitally focused brand even though internally you still do all the work. Why this is a good option New digital offering is separated from your brand’s primary offering Acts as a test for your new service before you fully commit Your existing internal team can manage the new brand What to watch out...

This blog has been adapted from an article by Steve Deitz, President/Creative Director, 900lbs of Creative, and keynote speaker at the 2014 Print Leadership Summit, June 2–3,Dallas, TX. Remember when companies first began talking about applying augmented reality to printed materials? What seemed like science fiction is becoming, well, reality, and providing some uniquely creative, engaging marketing pieces for companies. If you’re not familiar, augmented reality adds new layers to the traditional print campaign. Using their mobile device, a reader scans a flat, 2D marker. The result is 3D virtual content that appears, simultaneously, layered on top of the 2D marker and the physical world. It also adds an additional layer of interactivity and creates a visual, tangible storytelling experience. Basically, it blends the user’s physical world and digital content into a single, multidimensional image. But does augmented reality really work in the real world? Well, try feeling the sensation of driving over rugged terrain or the experience of redesigning your homes—all through print! Here are a few campaigns that showcase how companies are successfully marrying this technology with traditional print campaigns. Drive a Land Rover How would you like to experience the adventure of driving a Land Rover vehicle? The car company designed a fold-out cover for the November 2013 issue of Esquire magazine that engaged readers with a white-knuckled virtual ride over rocky terrain. The cutting-edge spread featured three augmented reality-enabled pages that delivered a multi-sensory experience, including audio and vibration. Plus first-person perspective images gave readers the feeling they were in the driver’s seat. This campaign reached Blippar’s “Top 5 Most Liked/Shared” augmented reality experiences in history. Try Before You Buy with IKEA No one enjoys buying a piece of furniture only to find it doesn’t fit in your house or go with your décor. IKEA created a solution. Using the IKEA app and their catalog as the marker, the company was able to let their customers “test drive” IKEA products in their homes before making a purchase. The results were thousands of customer-shared pictures posted on social media sites, and the campaign’s positive effects are still being felt today. Imagine Your Lego Creation One of the first companies to put augmented reality into action, Lego created a package in 2009 that, when held up to a kiosk in their store, would display a 3D finished version of that product. The marker is the printed imagery on the front of the box. Today, kids and parents can get the same experience at home when they hold their mobile device in front of the Lego catalog and engage their imagination when they see what they can create. This feature has proven to be an effective sales tool...

This blog has been adapted from an article by Steve Deitz, President/Creative Director, 900lbs of Creative, and keynote speaker at the 2014 Print Leadership Summit, June 2–3,Dallas, TX. Remember when companies first began talking about applying augmented reality to printed materials? What seemed like science fiction is becoming, well, reality, and providing some uniquely creative, engaging marketing pieces for companies. If you’re not familiar, augmented reality adds new layers to the traditional print campaign. Using their mobile device, a reader scans a flat, 2D marker. The result is 3D virtual content that appears, simultaneously, layered on top of the 2D marker and the physical world. It also adds an additional layer of interactivity and creates a visual, tangible storytelling experience. Basically, it blends the user’s physical world and digital content into a single, multidimensional image. But does augmented reality really work in the real world? Well, try feeling the sensation of driving over rugged terrain or the experience of redesigning your homes—all through print! Here are a few campaigns that showcase how companies are successfully marrying this technology with traditional print campaigns. Drive a Land Rover How would you like to experience the adventure of driving a Land Rover vehicle? The car company designed a fold-out cover for the November 2013 issue of Esquire magazine that engaged readers with a white-knuckled virtual ride over rocky terrain. The cutting-edge spread featured three augmented reality-enabled pages that delivered a multi-sensory experience, including audio and vibration. Plus first-person perspective images gave readers the feeling they were in the driver’s seat. This campaign reached Blippar’s “Top 5 Most Liked/Shared” augmented reality experiences in history. Try Before You Buy with IKEA No one enjoys buying a piece of furniture only to find it doesn’t fit in your house or go with your décor. IKEA created a solution. Using the IKEA app and their catalog as the marker, the company was able to let their customers “test drive” IKEA products in their homes before making a purchase. The results were thousands of customer-shared pictures posted on social media sites, and the campaign’s positive effects are still being felt today. Imagine Your Lego Creation One of the first companies to put augmented reality into action, Lego created a package in 2009 that, when held up to a kiosk in their store, would display a 3D finished version of that product. The marker is the printed imagery on the front of the box. Today, kids and parents can get the same experience at home when they hold their mobile device in front of the Lego catalog and engage their imagination when they see what they can create. This feature has proven to be an effective sales tool...

This blog is adapted from the article “The Future of the Print Industry” by Joseph Puopolo, CEO, Printchomp, and featured speaker at the 2014 Print Leadership Summit, June 2–3, Dallas, TX. What’s one word to sum up the future of print? Adaptation. Yes, what seems to be the law of nature also holds true for the print industry, along with many others. Those who adapt and effectively use new technologies will survive, while those who don’t … well, let’s say that it pays to listen to experts. But deciding which technology to invest in can be a major challenge for many print companies.  Here, one expert, Joseph Puopolo, CEO and Founder of Printchomp, a 15-year leader in the tech industry, offers insights into trending technologies and how printers can use them to their advantage. When Puopolo set out to find the most effective solutions for both printers and customers, he came to a realization. He noticed that, among the thousands of printers he’s worked with, four major trends stand out that are critical to future success. The future belongs to those who adapt to these changes in technology. Trend #1: Automation If you want to significantly reduce inefficiencies in your print shop, workflow automation is a must. This is a growing trend in both work and order flow. Automation has shown to be the most effective way to increase turnaround time and lower waste. Sales are rising too, thanks to the latest automated systems. While traditional sales methods still hold their importance, printers are building more intuitive automated lead-generation engines to help fill the new customer deficit. Learn more about automation as Poupolo presents “Automating the Flow of Data In and Out of Your Organization” at Printing Industries of America’s innovative 2014 Print Leadership Summit, June 2–3, Dallas, TX. Trend #2: Specialization A customer goes to a customized printer and gets a price quote. Then that customer takes the same job to a generalized printer and gets an entirely different quote! If your print shop has ever had to deal with a situation like this, you know why product specialization is growing. It allows for efficient product delivery at a reasonable price to the target customer. Specialized printers’ margins are often better than the generalized Jack-of-all-trades printers who may offer a wide range of products, but are often forced to rely more heavily on trade printers for most of their fulfillment. Trend #3: Integration In an on-demand world, customers don’t want to use multiple systems or go through multiple people to get what they need. Go through any fast food drive-through, and it’s clear—people just expect things to happen. Printers need to integrate their clients with their operation to...