How Printing Businesses Can Use Online Marketing To Survive In Today’s Digital Age

In the last five years, research has shown that there are 4.2% less employees working in a printing company, printing businesses are closing their doors at an annual rate of 3.2%, and the industry’s overall revenue has decreased 2.1% on average, per year. These were results found by IBISWorld, which is a leading industry research organization. To halt the decline, the printing industry needs to adapt to survive in this evolving digital landscape. That’s where digital marketing for printing businesses come in. Below are some useful solutions that allow you to continue running your printing business and improve its bottom line. Ready? Let’s find out more!

Utilize Pay Per Click Advertising

Have you seen those ads that were located at the top right corner of Google search results? These are targeted ads designed to help build awareness for brands. In some cases, they may be presented in the form of banner ads, which are also known as display ads, on another website. For some business owners, they may find the process of creating and targeting effective PPC campaigns rather complex. They may not have the time for that as well. In this case, you will benefit from handing off this responsibility to a digital marketing specialist.

Enable Call and Mail Tracking

When you run direct mail campaigns, be sure to put a unique phone number on each of them. That number should then route calls to your regular phone number. This way, you can track incoming calls, i.e. see exactly how many people are calling off of each campaign. By being in control of the results, you can use the data to tweak your message and website designs. As you discover what is most effective for your needs, you can improve your results with each campaign.

How do you know if your mails have successfully reached prospects? You can consider using an Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMB). An IMB consists of a wide variety of useful information for bulk emailing purposes, including delivery addresses, serial numbers, identifiers for mailers, services being requested, and more. Today, USPS machines are programmed to use the barcode to sort the mail and feed information back to the mailer!

Build a Business Website

Today, websites are a necessity for printing businesses all over the globe. In fact, they are considered to be the new storefront. Just look at these facts:

• Prospects never scroll past the first page of results.
• Online searches are usually performed to gain information about services and products.
• New customers tend to search online to find local businesses.
• A majority of consumers visit the website of a business before actually contacting them.

However, many small printing businesses do not have the experience or expertise to create their own sales-driven or marketing websites. That’s why it is recommended that you work closely with a trusted web developer that thinks like you do.

Send Out Email Newsletters Regularly

As long as you make sure your newsletters are relevant. Sending them out to your target audience can help your printing business connect with them better and eventually increase sales. When a recipient views your newsletter email, you are given the opportunity to highlight your latest printing services and explain their benefits. Some individuals are impulsive, and if you include incentives such as a special promotion or coupon, you can get the reader to take action!