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Marketing for Printers & Mailers

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3 Simple Ways to Grow Print Sales in 2019

Commit to growth in 2019! In many cases, this also requires a commitment to being a change agent. The following are three things to consider as you plan for a successful 2019:

  1. Have a marketing plan. Your brand needs to be in the right channel, at the right time, with the right message. A 90-day quick plan is easy to create, execute, and evaluate. Get through Q1 and then evaluate. Your plan should include at least three of the ten ideas in my report. Click here to receive the full report.
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3 Marketing Ideas for December

Printer Marketing PublicationsHere are the three best things you can do in December to help grow your print and mail business in 2017:

  1. Embrace and become highly proficient with LinkedIn (LI). With almost 500 million users, LI is today’s professional network and the best place to expand your reach, promote your personal brand, stay top of mind and generate traffic to your company website. Think you already have it down? What about LI Showcase or LI Sales Navigator? There are so many tools and strategies to explore. I just did a webinar for PIA on this topic. Reach out if you would like to discuss this.
  2. Develop a customer retention program. All sales growth begins with retention. It’s less costly to keep an existing client than to cultivate a new one. Follow the 90 day rule. Use a multi-channel strategy to engage each of your customers at least 4 times per year (good marketers shorten this to 30 days) in a non-selling manner. A company newsletter or magazine, customer education events such as a webinar or lunch and learn, brief email notifications that present useful, customer focused content, customer appreciation events, etc.
  3. Learn marketing. It’s no longer about learning to be a great closer or prospector. The most important trait a salesperson can have today is to be a good marketer. Smart marketing increases sales reach and effectiveness. Join marketing associations and LI marketing groups. Sign up for various marketing newsletters- there is a wealth of highly relevant information right at your fingertips! Being a smart marketer will also allow you to provide greater value to your customers and prospects.

Thanks to PIA for the opportunity to present to their members and thank you to my many loyal clients who utilize my company’s marketing services. If anyone would like information on our turn-key marketing solutions, please visit us on the web and submit a sample request. Cheers to a safe and joyous holiday season!

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9 Tips to Improve Your Website’s Effectiveness

Your company website is the FIRST place prospects go to evaluate you. How does your site compare to those of your competitors? Are you putting your company at a competitive disadvantage right from the start? Here are some things to consider:

Don’t assume people WANT to be on your website. In fact, they are only there because they are seeking information—and they want it fast.

Predictive behavior. Navigation links should be on the top and/or left side. That’s where people expect them.

9-second rule. If a web page can’t deliver the intended message within 9 seconds, it won’t be effective.

People read images before they read text. Make sure your pages are graphically pleasing and aren’t overloaded with content.

View your website as a 1:1 conversation with your best customer. Too many sites read like an owner’s manual.

Make it personal. People do business with people. Name names and avoid using generic email addresses as your company contact (sales@, info@, etc.)

Build trust and credibility. Add testimonials, company history, and community involvement. These things matter.

Consider a “Customer Bill of Rights” that is attributed to your company’s president and includes their contact info. People are always impressed when they have the ability to contact the president of a company. It’s extremely reassuring.

Make customer resources, newsletters, and other content available. Relevant content not only makes your site engaging, but it’s critical for SEO.

I’m happy to offer a free phone consultation to any printer regarding their website and marketing challenges for 2013. Contact me!

Patrick Whelan
Patrick Whelan
pat@greatreachinc.com
978.332.5555

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How Do You Stack Up?

Here is a partial print marketer’s checklist, which I think bears repeating. How well do your business development efforts stack up?

  • Is your database growing? If you’re prospecting, your database should always be growing. Data is at the heart of all marketing efforts. Maintain it, manage it, grow it.
  • How often do you touch each contact in your database? Aside from establishing relationships, keeping your company top of mind is critical if you want to benefit from the instability that exists in today’s print marketplace.
  • If a prospect or customer were to visit your website, what would their perception of your company be relative to that of your main competitors?
  • If a prospect or customer were to do a search for you online, would your company appear on the first page? SEO is more critical than ever.
  • If a prospect or customer were to search their inbox or collection of marketing collateral, would they easily find materials or communications from your company?
  • With so many people now utilizing social media, would it be easy for a client or prospect to follow you on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn? At the least two of the three?
  • With client engagement so critical, does your company produce a branded newsletter that offers a) high value content and b) is a good harbinger of your brand?
  • Is your company being proactive to assure your clients that you are staying abreast of the latest trends and technologies (think QR codes, PURLs)?
  • In terms of promoting your company’s marketing capabilities and services, does your company lead by example?

At the end of the day, most people will give their business to the company that is least likely to screw it up! Positioning your brand as a thought leader and fostering trust and credibility is the key to growth.