5 Thoughts on How to Market Print

• Be current—More print providers are effectively utilizing social media as part of their marketing mix. Those that do not will be at a competitive disadvantage.

• Be conversant—Marketing content is now about creating two-way discussions with your audience. Dynamic content on websites helps engage customers and improves the site’s search engine optimization (SEO). If your website is not as good as those of your top five competitors, you will be at a disadvantage.

• Be a leader—Many print providers are now promoting the use of QR codes. (I’m averaging one free consultation per day!) QR codes can drive new opportunities and are a great way to show that your company is on top of the latest trends and technologies. Customers seek that assurance. Be seen as a leader.

• Be mobile—Marketing is going mobile, and faster than most of us want it to. Pay close attention to this trend and seek out the opportunities.

• Be consistent—Using communication programs (any way of touching/staying in front of clients and prospects on a consistent basis, including blogging, social media, webinars, on-site events, newsletters, postcards, etc.) as a way to engage customers is no longer a “nice to do”–it’s a need to do. More than half of my B2B vendors have a vehicle to engage me on a consistent basis. Adoption is even more prevalent in the B2C market.

• Be frequent—Don’t discount human emotion and its role in sales relationships. A motivated competitor will often promise your customers better quality, service and price. At the very least, make sure that you communicate with your customers as often as your competitors do. In the end, it will come down to who’s better at building trust and making the customer feel wanted.