What Printers Need to Grow and Transform Their Business

We’ve all heard the buzz around the print industry’s fading star. The age of new media has taken over every facet of life from one side of the map to the other, and the question remains, what are traditional media industries doing to stay relevant? Just like that 1979 hit song, "Video Killed the Radio Star," many printers are humming to the tune of "Digital Killed the Printing Press." The reality is many don’t realize they can use the changing times to not only grow and transform, but thrive within the print industry.

The answer to the nagging question about what printers need to do to grow their business lies within two simple words: provide solutions. That’s right! In order to grow your printing business in the age of digital marketing, you must first focus on the services that you already offer customers. From your original services, revolve marketing your business around the solutions those services provide, then you are well on your way to becoming a marketing service provider.

How to Grow
Facing the facts, if you want to survive and thrive as a printer, becoming a “marketing service provider” has proven the most effective way to grow a print business over the past decade. Many providers find it effective to focus on the customer end of the services they already provide, and grow from there. Usually these services such as, display graphics, direct mailing, and convention printing, are ones that already stand out to new and existing customers. They are unique to each print business based off of location, experience, and so on. It is important to focus on advertising and selling the experience these services give not only to your customers, but to their customers as well.

Business Transformation
Printers transforming their business is nothing new, yet it can seem like an impossible task if you don’t know where to begin. In my book, "Business Transformation: A New Path to Profit for the Printing Industry," I cover just that: