Margie Dana

One more reason to have an enewsletter

I’ve been publishing a weekly enewsletter (Print Tips) since 1999. It’s my primary type of marketing, and because I see how effective it can be, I encourage most companies (especially solo-owned businesses like my own) to have one, too.

My tip today is about one lesser-known benefit of enewsletters – presuming you use an email management system with great reporting functionality. I use Constant Contact and am very happy with them.

With an online marketing company handling your enewsletters, you get access to reports – who’s opened your emails and who hasn’t. Who’s subscribed and who’s said good-bye. And you can see when your emails are opened – day and time.

My favorite part of these reports is the open rate: who opened your email, and more interestingly, Unique Opens vs. All Opens. Unique Opens are the number of email recipients who opened your email at all. All Opens will show you how many times a recipient opened your email.

I use this information in a few ways, depending on need:

To gauge how successful (popular) a particular enewsletter is. Really popular topics mean I should do more of the same.
To track particular individuals or companies that are regularly engaged with my enewsletters.
To see if my enewsletters are more popular with a particular market segment (printers vs. print customers).

This knowledge is really critical. Think about developing new business – wouldn’t someone who’s been getting your enewsletter for a while and opening issues often (think All Opens) be a good prospect?

As for me, I use this information if I want to interview someone for an article or post I’m writing. I also use it when I’m building a panel for an event. When I need to find someone, I export the All Opens file into Excel and sort by name. Voila!

People who are long-time fans of your enewsletter are more likely to do business with you than strangers are.

What’s the Role of a Printer at the Marketing Table?

My post two weeks ago, What Kind of Printer Gets a Seat at the Marketing Table?, got a lot of great comments, both on my site and on LinkedIn, where I published it.

I wrote that only a certain type of printing professional is likely to be invited to meet with a marketing team in the development of a campaign. Printers who are trusted partners, who’ve demonstrated they’re creative thinkers and well-rounded communications experts, and who are interested in helping clients find the right solutions are the pros most likely to get called into these meetings.

They are not your average print professionals. They are above average.

A comment made by Arlene Carroll, an Account Manager at Concord Direct, brought up a whole different element: How should printers who have a seat at that table present themselves? What’s a printer’s role there?

I was particularly interested in her comment because of who she is. I knew Arlene back when I ran Print Buyers International, and she was the Director of Marketing Operations at Brookstone. Her extensive history as a senior-level print customer adds a key dimension to her advice for printers – she’s been there and done that.

Here’s what she wrote in response to my post:

“…I find printers invited to the table early on need to be prepared to contribute to a complex discussion BEFORE moving to production solutions and estimates. I find the person printers send are under-prepared and often too quick to move to production issues and specs. Marketers at “the table” are considering many factors simultaneously; Analysis, Results, Tests, Audience/Segmentation, Creative/Copy, Channels and Trends to name a few. Printers need a representative experienced and confident to join this conversation and contribute at a high level. When the discussion reaches the right level, switch gears and become the production expert those at the table then need to achieve the goals on budget. I am experiencing this first hand – wonderful stuff!”

How should printers prepare for a conversation with a marketing team?

Are they expected to be active (and equal) participants? What kind of contributions should they strive to make?

What have your experiences been like in these situations, whether you’re a printer or a customer? Please share your stories here – including experiences that may not have gone so well.

Let’s help prepare printers for these meetings.

There are a million ways to say the same thing.

I was inspired to write this tip by a client, who asked if I could possibly write the final paragraph of a newsletter in another way.

Of course I can, and I did.

Whether you write your own content or hire someone like me, keep in mind that there are always different ways to express something in words.

The best content should do all of the following:

It should be a reflection of the client.
It should be written in proper English (grammatically and such).
It should be fresh and engaging.
It should make the point you need it to make.
It should roll easily off the tongue when read out loud (which I often do. Always helps).

Getting the tone right is as important as getting the concept right. Rewrite your content so it rings true in every way.

Margie Dana & John Zarwan Launch New Print Buyer Study: How Are Print Buyers Interacting with Their Print Providers?

BOSTON, MA and CHARLOTTETOWN, PEI Canada – March 22, 2016 – Margie Dana is teaming up once again with industry consultant and researcher John Zarwan to write a white paper for PRIMIR on how today’s print buyers interact with printers and other print providers. Are they inviting printers into early discussions as campaigns are developed, or do they contact printers once jobs have been specified? Are print buyers still the primary contact for printers within organizations that use print, or has this responsibility shifted to other departments?

“We wanted to understand how and when print buyers interact with their print partners. It will also mean we can compare the results with those of our last two print buyer studies (done in 2013 and 2014),” said Margie Dana.

Dana and Zarwan developed the online survey to focus on the key print-related responsibilities these customers have. For the first time, print providers are invited to participate, as Dana and Zarwan are keen to learn who printers target when they’re developing business, and with whom they ultimately develop relationships.

The team will publish their results in a white paper for PRIMIR and will offer a summary to those who take the survey and provide their contact information.

Print buyers, designers and marketers as well as printers, brokers and other print providers are eligible to take this survey.

The 2016 Print Customer Survey is accessible at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2016printcustomersurvey

About Margie Dana

Long regarded as a print buyer expert and trade writer, Margie Dana launched her new business in 2013 as a marketing communications strategist with a specialty in printing and print buying. She is a sought-after presenter at trade shows and conferences and still writes her popular Print Tips blog each week, as well as the newer blog: Everyday Content Tips for Everyday People. For more information, visit margiedana.com.

About John Zarwan

J Zarwan Partners works closely with a select number of companies, guiding them to develop and implement more effective and efficient business strategies. Their clients, which include commercial printing and packaging industry leaders, benefit from his extensive experience in addressing and managing change; market strategy and implementation; product planning and positioning; and market research. John Zarwan, founding partner, has been in the graphic arts, printing, and digital media industry for 30 years and is internationally recognized for his knowledge and insight on trends in the industry. He has spoken at major industry events and conferences around the world, and his articles on print markets and technology have appeared in various print and web journals. For more information, go to: www.johnzarwan.com.

About PRIMIR

PRIMIR is the premier market research association of the graphics communications industry. Members are from diverse segments of the industry and are foremost in their areas of specialty. For more information, go to www.npes.org/primirresearch/primir.aspx.

For More Information

Margie Dana

Margiedana.com

********

John Zarwan

J Zarwan Partners

E: http://www.johnzarwan.com/contact.htm

That Old Site’s Not Doing You Any Favors

Printers, consider this a public service announcement. When I find myself having conversations with print buyers, they usually drop a bomb with a random comment that needs to be shared.

For the record, I tend to speak with seasoned pros. Not occasional customers. Not crackpots. Not members of gen Z.

I was chatting with an experienced print production manager about working with the industry in general. The conversation tilted toward the challenge of finding new print providers when necessary. True, there are still over 30,000 commercial printers in the U.S., but expert print customers know that all printers aren’t the same. It’s difficult to make the right choice in a print partner.

She mentioned needing a printer in another part of the country, one where she had no experience. Then she added,

If a site is ugly, I don’t go any further.

I hadn’t asked about printers’ web sites. It wasn’t even part of the conversation. But there it was: her reality, and, I suspect, many other print customers’ as well.

How can prospects believe that you’re an innovative and contemporary print manufacturer, one that offers the latest in printing technology, if your site elicits “Ewwws!” and not “Ahhhhhhs!”

Hold a mirror up to your site. What’s your reaction? What vibe is it giving off?

If yours is a sore site for eyes, invest in a facelift. I think this print customer’s opinion is pretty common, and I don’t know many printers who can afford to turn off prospects with a dusty old, worn-out site.

Should you post your newsletter content on your web site?

Yes, please. That’s my default answer, and here’s why.

Assuming you’re sending a regular enewsletter to customers and other interested folks, and that it’s terrific information, by all means add this newsletter copy to your web site.

Most of the enewsletters I see, and all of the ones I write for clients and for myself, consist of one topic. The content is informational, not promotional. (Obviously, your content should reflect your specialty.) In some way/s, the newsletter should influence readers to consider your services. If not immediately, then eventually.

So why limit your newsletter’s audience to your email list? Please add it to your web site. Don’t worry about maintaining the format. If you look at this email tip on my site, it looks quite different. Plus, I add a photo there. Same goes for my weekly Print Tip.

Good quality content that speaks to your expertise belongs on your web site. Add your newsletter copy if it’s valuable information.

What 3 Perceptive Print Buyers Said About Printers

Just listen.

When I listen to print buyers* talk about printers, it’s hard for me not to jump out of my chair, screaming, “My God, why isn’t every printer listening to you?”

From time to time I’m involved in buyer events. Most recently, these events have been offered by Printing Impressions and sponsored by Canon U.S.A. So far, they’ve all involved highly experienced businesspeople who are responsible for sourcing print – no novices, no millennials, no recent college grads.

While three buyers may not agree with one another on every question, there are definite trends that you can identify if you’re paying attention.

The buyer intelligence I pick up from these conversations is important to the print industry. Here are a few insights from just one webinar:

Highly experienced print buyers view their printers as partners. They don’t want to switch, or find new suppliers, unless they have to.

Sometimes printers are judged more by the way they recover when they fall – how quickly, and how well.

The biggest mistake a print rep can make when calling on a new prospect is not doing any research. The reps whose MO is talking all (and only) about their company won’t get anywhere. Ask, “What do you need?” Listen.

Print customers want their print partners to suggest new ideas. Many depend on this. You have to want to help your print customers succeed.

Many print customers, in companies large and small, prefer to work with local or regional printers. This is particularly true when press OKs are an issue. The highly experienced print customer enjoys going to the printer.

More and more printers are responsible for data security. Think about insurance companies, health care, and financial services. This will involve having a signed agreement and large liability clause with a printer. And printers can expect a thorough due diligence process.

Many experienced print customers don’t care what output device a printer uses, but many do. They like to know how a job will run.

Color matching is an issue with print customers. Anyone surprised?

Print customers are curious about AR technology but really interested in getting into NFC.

Interesting, right? The buyers all spoke the truth that day. And believe you me, it all rings true.

How can you use this information to improve your business development?

*Any business professional in charge of working with commercial printers, including the sourcing of print. This is typically a print buyer, a designer, a marketer, or a procurement executive.

What Kind of Printer Gets a Seat at the Marketing Table?

I had a conversation recently about how early in the process a company involves their printer in the discussion about using print in a campaign.

Actually, we were chatting about including printers in the bigger picture, in which marketers decide which channels would be most effective. Are printers ever included?

Here’s what I think.

Only printers who have well-developed relationships with a customer (marketer, print buyer, creative) would be invited to have a seat at that table.

Only printers who have well-developed relationships and work for a progressive print manufacturer would be invited to have a seat at that table.

Only printers who have well-developed relationships and work for a progressive print manufacturer and are viewed as masters who think creatively would be invited to have a seat at that table.

Only printers who have well-developed relationships and work for a progressive print manufacturer and are viewed as masters who think creatively and who have a proven interest in helping marketers succeed using a variety of channels would be invited to have a seat at that table.

By printers, I mean salespeople or owners or print brokers or print executives. I know professionals in every one of these categories who are true visionaries. The manufacturers they represent are not your ordinary print shops, to be sure.

These are highly experienced, broad-minded leaders who exude brains, imagination and enthusiasm. Though I’d love to name names, I won’t.

When I read posts about inviting printers into the marketing chambers to contribute to campaign decisions, I only think about the rare professionals I’ve described. They really deserve a seat at those tables.

This could be an interesting discussion if you join in. I welcome your comments.

Who moved my bread?

Oprah’s not the only one who loves bread. I eat it at least once a day, often twice.

When on the hunt last week for my usual loaf (Iggy’s Small Francese) at Star Market, I couldn’t find it.

For years, it had been stacked in baskets by the deli section. This time? Not a loaf in sight. I abandoned my cart and searched.

Lo and behold, I eventually found it near the meat counter. Honestly, a pickle’s throw from the hot dog case. What a bizarre location. Who’d look there?

This brings to mind your web site – and how you organize the content.

Put information where your visitors expect to find it. For example, don’t hide the Contact Us information in the News section. Like the cheese, it stands alone.

If visitors come to your site and can’t intuitively locate important information that they seek, they’ll abandon you as surely as I left my shopping cart at the market.

But unlike me, they may not double down and go digging in all your virtual nooks and crannies. Please don’t hide the bread.

Monthly Archives: March 2016