Many of your customers buy in cycles. You learn their patterns and when to talk to them about their new product collateral, business cards, and signs to support their next push into the markets they serve. The last couple of years have changed some of the patterns, so this is an excellent time to look at your prospective customers, what you can sell to them, along with any new patterns among your client base. Let’s start with some market trends.
Opportunities in print exist in every industry and business segment. You may serve a single market or sell to a wide range to keep your business humming. Compare your current customer base to what the survey says. According to Printing Impressions 2022 survey, the top five print markets are:
Follow the link to the survey. You’ll find that publishing, travel and hospitality, telecommunications, banking, insurance, and personal care round out the top ten, with only telecommunications and health showing a decline. Real estate grew by 19%, and government printing grew by more than 39%.
The team at Who’s Mailing What track what is printed and mailed and looks at the market from a Direct Mail perspective. They tell us that Retail, Finance, Nonprofit, Healthcare, and Education are the top direct mail segments in their database, and most are staying steady. Even if you don’t sell direct mail to your clients, they provide a good indication of which segments are actively buying print.
Opportunities often hidden in plain sight are the print requirements of people running for elective office and the groups promoting specific legislative action. Because this type of print is tied to election cycles, election printing doesn’t appear in many of the top 5 lists, but it can be a lucrative offering in any local market because it lends itself to bundles of print products to support a campaign.
Whether you are a specialist or are a general print provider, servicing clients in real estate, electioneering, and retail should be part of your strategy. Look at the clients you serve today. How many fall into one of these top-performing markets? To sell into these markets, build a compelling, competitive print bundle that combines brochures, cards, and signage in a package that makes it easy for a prospect to say yes.
Prepare sample bundles to show options. Everyone has a budget, but not everyone has the same budget. Build sample packages for low, medium, and high budget options that include different types of print. Make it easy for a buyer to add to the print bundle with a ready list of optional add-ons, like additional signs, window clings and magnets, and promotion item packages.
Consider building a marketing campaign to get the word out to these potential customers. EDDM campaigns that target specific ZIP codes are a great way to increase your visibility to people you have never met. Targeted direct mail to current and past customers is another way to remind and demonstrate your print offerings and bundles to the people and companies in your book of business.
Work with your 4over team to identify the best options for the bundles you build. They have insights into the market and can help you craft solutions for your customers that will help you to develop your business.
4over is always here to help you grow your business and deliver for your clients. And as a trade-only printer and promo provider, 4over will never compete with you—the best measure of our success is yours!
4over LLC is one of the largest wholesale trade printers in the US, with multiple production facilities across North America. A trusted source of print fulfillment since 2001, the company helps large franchise printers, single print shops, print brokers, graphic designers, photographers, and every type of print reseller in between grow profitable businesses by offering a vast selection of quality products at guaranteed trade-only prices. With capabilities such as gang-run offset, digital, grand format, and promotional printing, plus state-of-the-art equipment, 4over offers every customer savings, selection, and scale. Not yet a 4over reseller? Register Today!