Websites Build Your Brand —Morgan

HEADING UP the largest network of print buyers in the country, I’ve had the unique experience of talking to hundreds of major print buyers about how they source prospective print suppliers. Universally, when print buyers explore a prospective supplier, the first thing they do is research a printer’s Website. If the supplier’s Website doesn’t provide the information they are looking for, it’s probably also the last investigation a buyer may conduct on the company.

So, as a print supplier, you do have a working Website, right? It’s really no longer an option if you want to grow your business.

Your Website should properly tell the story of your brand—the type of clients you are trying to attract, the services you offer, how your establishment is different from your competitors, the quality that you produce, the geographic areas that you service, etc. Your company brand is the collection of the perceptions in the mind of your customers and prospects.

First Impressions Count

It’s that nebulous, roll-everything together, picture of your company. A printer that doesn’t manage its brand well could be instilling unwanted or untrue ideas about its own company. Other than your company name and logo, your Website is the first and, therefore arguably, most important part of managing your brand.

Unfortunately, from the print buyer’s perspective, most print suppliers have inadequate Websites and miss opportunities each day to capture new clients. If your company is one of the many that needs a Website “face-lift,” here are some things to consider.

First, don’t wait until your Website is perfect before launching a new site or a redesign. The beauty of the Internet is that it allows you to add as you go, and test what’s working and what isn’t. It’s better to have three Web pages that really work, then to put off the Website redesign until everything is perfect.