Finding the Bridge to Buyers
The quest for customers in the print industry is as old as the print business. For most printing companies, the search for customers requires careful planning. While the industry trends for 2023 from the folks at Printing Impressions tell us that the food and beverage industries are big print buyers, it pays to look at their findings for the markets you serve.
You want customers and industries you can serve at a high level, so they are satisfied and stay with you as new projects evolve. You want customers that need what you offer across various formats and finishes. You may specialize in a specific segment or want to start growing in other directions and focus on customers in adjacent segments. And you don’t want customers who will take up hours of your time for a minimal reward. You want the perfect customer!
Begin your search with the 4over webinar Becoming a Go-To Print Seller! You will see what the current research says about the popular local markets. Then begin your search for the perfect customer, beginning with what makes you the perfect print provider. Your partnership with 4over is a great place to start, but there is more to consider. How would you describe your business in under a minute? Do you focus on specific segments, like restaurants, small business storefronts, or elections? Or are you a generalist, happy to take on everything from signs to catalogs to direct mail for anyone who needs print? Define the business you want to be, and then start the quest to expand your group of customers. No matter where you land, here are some buyers to look for in the markets you serve.
Education
In the education space, there are public schools, school districts, charter schools, private schools, and an array of community colleges, state colleges, specialty colleges, and universities. But there are more! There are schools for electricians and plumbers, mechanics and drivers, and even rodeo riders. While many will buy mass-produced material for some of their needs, there is always an opportunity to present the power of buying locally and focusing on immediate needs. From school spirit posters and banners to vertical postcards promoting the next school event, you have a treasure chest of options to offer beyond the generic print they buy.
Check your local listings for art schools. There will be artists of all types, from photographers to oil painters and sculptors to multimedia. Mounted canvas images of their art could be the ticket for them to promote and sell their art!
Send your own mailing to the local trade schools. Offer vertical postcards showing the courses they offer, their course calendar, and how to engage with them. These can be effective using EDDM sent into the neighborhoods and metropolitan areas they serve, so offer to help them segment by ZIP code to maximize their marketing budget.
For every type of school, you have options to offer personalized printing that spans promotional mugs, hats, and t-shirts to postcards, business cards, and signage. Don’t be shy! Show them what you can do!
Practice-Based Businesses
Doctors, dentists, veterinarians, accountants, lawyers, and a pantheon of other professionals can be an excellent focus for your marketing activities. A good approach is to consider the bundles of printed products needed for their practices. For example, doctors might want appointment cards, business cards, brochures for services offered, and signage. They may want signs to direct clients from the parking lot to their office. Most practices can use these types of bundles.
Lawyers may be looking for printing and binding for case notes. For large practices, offer business cards with pictures and practice specialties. CPAs and other consulting practices likely have the same needs. Don’t forget that consulting practices are found in many professional areas, from engineering to home inspectors.
Another large population to focus on are real estate professionals. They need brochures, pocket folders, business cards, and signage for active listings and open houses. Independent real estate professionals and those focusing on luxury homes may want collateral to differentiate them from the national companies, so offer Akuafoil and specialized substrates to help them distinguish their services.
Building a Speedway to Sales
As a printer, you are competing with every other printer in your area, plus an array of national printers. You are competing because buying print online is now the everyday practice, not the exception. It was already a well-established process before the pandemic; today, a printer without an online portal to sell print is like a fish out of water. But not every print company is a digital native, and that is where 4over can help.
Printer Bridge from 4over is a turnkey print eCommerce solution ready for your branding to attract customers who prefer to buy print online. It is the most efficient way to put your printing business on the fast track to online sales and position you as a digital-forward business. If you serve large clients, you can build a portal that features their approved products to make it easy for their buyers too.
Printer Bridge makes it easy for you to sell what 4over can produce — almost 250,000 product configurations! It includes automated marketing tools that make you more efficient in managing your customers. If you already have a website, talk to the 4over team about how to link to your 4over Printer Bridge to speed your way to profitability!
