Musings on Marketing Print - Part II

• More print providers are effectively utilizing social media as part of their marketing mix. Those that do not will be at a competitive disadvantage.
• Marketing content is now about creating two-way discussions with your audience. Dynamic content on websites helps engage customers and improve SEO. If your website is not as good as those of your top five competitors, you will be at a disadvantage.
• 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.
• Marketing is going mobile, and faster than most of us even want it to. Pay close attention and seek out the opportunities.
• The use of communications programs 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. It's even more prevalent in the B2C market.
• 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.

As we enter Q2, things seem to slowly be improving. I recently received this feedback from a new client that I wanted to share. I'm happy to discuss our programs and send samples – please feel free to contact me at anytime. Best of luck to all!“Patrick: Quick update on our first release of the newsletter. I got a call from someone who had given us one job previously. After seeing the newsletter, he said he wants to hire us as his company's marketing department now because it's clear we ‘do things first class.' Please convey our appreciation to your staff – we are delighted!”