Put Your People Out in Front Online

Here’s something I do not get: Why would a printing company not list one single, solitary person on its website? If the content on a printer’s website is all about working with you as a partner or a team member, it makes no sense to me that there’s nary a name or title on the entire blankety-blank-blank site.

What am I missing? Seriously, if anyone out there has such a site, you must have a reason. But it eludes me.

• Do you worry about competitors stealing your sales and service reps?
• Do you have such a turnover rate that it would be too much work to update your current staff?
• Do you want to funnel all incoming leads through one “info@” or “sales” email address?

It’s my experience that professional print customers check out a printer’s website very carefully as part of their due diligence process. One of the things they’re looking for is the management team—names, photos and a bit of history.

A printer’s online presence is more critical now than ever, and it’s going to stay that way. Imagine that plant tours will dwindle and that new customers—including buyers and designers—will determine whether they want to work with you at all by what they find on your site.

Showing who’s in charge, or at least who’s in charge of customer care, is something every printer’s website should feature. Personally, I like to learn more about the management team, sales reps and service reps. Tell us a little about them, make them more human, and you’ve a better shot at creating the spark of a relationship with your company. What have you got to lose?