Margie Dana

Print Buyers & the Paper Industry

FINAL Paper Sourcing Study Report- Dana and Zarwan 2014 If you’re in the graphic arts field, you know that aside from graphic designers, there are thousands of print buyers spread throughout corporate departments like marketing, production, and purchasing. I was one of these people for most of my corporate career. It felt like being part of a secret club.

Print buyers typically don’t have formal education in the graphic arts, though many come from the design side. I’ve also met plenty of buyers who worked on the printing side, especially after the recession several years ago.

That said, most corporate and agency print buyers learn about printing from their printers (plus experienced colleagues, if they exist).

But where-oh-where do these buyers learn about paper? Here’s why it matters: Paper accounts for between ¼ and 1/3 of the cost of a typical commercial print job, so understanding paper basics, appreciating the differences between different stocks, as well as how to specify paper efficiently, is critical for buyers. And just getting all sorts of paper news is important for these customers.

This past summer, I conducted a study of print buyers, along with my colleague John Zarwan, to take a look at their relationship with the paper industry.

We wondered if this community is getting the information they want and need in order to specify paper effectively. We wanted to know on whom they most rely to get this information, as well as how widespread their participation in common paper-buying programs are.

Our hope was that we’d uncover some useful information about print buyers that would help paper people and printers. To our knowledge, it wasn’t a study anyone else has done. There were 176 buyers in our study from all across the U.S.

Some of our key findings in this study are these:

Print buyers typically do specify paper for their print jobs. This simple fact alone is a good-enough reason for the paper industry to continue to reach out to buyers with information and education. Buyers are “paper decision makers.” Get your product’s information in their hands and in front of their eyes.
Swatch books rule! Most print buyers said that paper swatch books are extremely valuable to them. It makes you wonder, what else can these tools deliver to buyers? Can they play additional roles in the education (and influence) of print buyers?
For print buyers, paper education is a catch-as-catch-can process. They use a wide number of resources to keep up with paper changes, offerings, and industry news. This is good news and bad news. Paper companies and merchants have to identify these resources and make sure their products are represented.
Printers are primary sources of paper information. Perhaps you’re thinking, “same as it ever was.” Fair enough. But what does this fact suggest to both paper people and printing companies? To me, it says there are opportunities aplenty for paper companies to reach and influence print buyers through printers as well as directly.

Rivista colorata This study suggests many things. Knowing that print buyers are paper customers means that paper mills and merchants should cater to them. Buyers want more information from the paper industry to help them do their jobs responsibly. Perhaps it’s out there yet not in front of their eyes. This is entirely possible.

That buyers rely on their printers for this information means that the paper industry might improve or at least enhance its direct-marketing channels to the buyer community.

You know, it’s always been easier to reach and influence graphic designers when it comes to paper (and printing). Designers have fairly conventional job titles. They have magazines. They have professional associations and events. They’re major customers of paper (most of them) as well as graphic design software. All of this means it’s easy to find them and serve them.

Print buyers are a different breed. They have dozens of titles and work in many different corporate units. This won’t change.

A considerable challenge, therefore, is identifying print buyers. Worth the effort? Absolutely, for paper companies as well as printers. Once you do, this study indicates, paper education for print buyers will yield long-term results, for buyers and for the paper industry.

For information about our print buyer and paper study, and to purchase a copy of our report, please visit my web site.

12 Golden Rules of Marketing for Printing Companies

As I’ve developed my marketing business over the past two years, I often find myself giving the same advice to my clients. These 12 tips are some of the most common suggestions I share with print company owners, so I decided to compile them here “in brief” to help other print CEOs who might be struggling with their marketing plans.

Always approach any marketing effort from the perspective of your ideal customer. Get inside their heads. Don’t think like a printer; think like a print customer. What matters to them? What would impress them? What do they need to know about what you offer?
Remember this: what’s common knowledge to you may well be new and helpful information to your prospects. Basic print industry know-how and technical tips make for great content marketing.
If you serve particular markets or distinct types of customers (designers and print buyers and brand marketers, for example), develop marketing messages specifically for each type.
Make your marketing personal. Tailor it to your audience and make it about them. And give your marketing campaigns your personality. Try not to sound like every other printer. Put your own stamp on your web site, your direct mail campaigns, your videos, and so on.
Keep in mind that marketing your company is not about your equipment. It’s about what you can accomplish with it. What are its special features and capabilities that directly affect customers’ needs and/or solve their problems?
Keep in touch regularly with your customers and prospects. Use some combination of these channels: direct mail, email, social media, phone calls, events, videos, and blogging.
Confer with your sales and service reps regularly. What are they hearing from customers? What kudos keep cropping up? What complaints or other issues? This is important information for your marketing.
Load up your marketing efforts with visual imagery. It’s your business, for Pete’s sake.
Your sales reps are not in charge of marketing. Somebody else has to be.
Marketing is not a “one-and-done” situation. It’s a constant. It’s ALWAYS time for marketing.
Your marketing materials need a consistent look. Make them professional and proofread everything a thousand times. Recently I came across a gorgeous magazine ad for a printer. There was an unfortunate typo in the company’s tagline.
You don’t have to be everywhere – find the appropriate marketing channels and develop those muscles. Do what comes naturally and get comfortable with that. Maybe it’s videos, or blogging, or an Instagram account. Create a plan you can commit to and live with for at least 12 months, and go from there.

The late, great Michael Jackson sang “ When it comes to marketing your business, just don’t stop. Period.

*Got you up and dancing now, didn’t I?

Margie Dana Launches New Business As Content Stylist

CHESTNUT HILL, MA — April 23, 2013 – With her sights set on helping companies promote their strengths and corporate personalities through carefully crafted content, Margie Dana has exited the event production business and started a new company at margiedana.com.

Since 2003, when she founded the local Boston Print Buyers association, followed by the Print Buyers International group, Margie has been committed to bridging the gap between print manufacturers and their customers. Her newest venture is an extension of this mission. As explained in this new video, Margie now focuses on content strategy services for companies who lack the resources to toot their own horn.

As a former print buyer, Margie is sensitive to the issues and motivations of professionals who source print. And as the founder of a major print buying association that held annual conferences for seven years, she is acutely aware of the challenges that this market faces as print and print buying continue to evolve. She will draw on all of her previous professional experience to help clients articulate the benefits of their products and services.

Building communities through content

Ms. Dana might be best known for her weekly email newsletter, “Margie’s Print Tips,” which she started in 1999 to promote her first business. That newsletter is still published every Monday and will be housed on the new web site. “If it weren’t for my Tips newsletter, I don’t think anybody in this industry would know me,” said Dana. “I’m living proof that content builds communities, and now I want to help companies build their own communities by providing and publishing great content both online and off.” She has also launched a new blog, “Margie on Marketing,” which will be regular musings about business marketing trends – the good, the bad, the ugly.

Goodbye event producer, hello content stylist

After years of producing successful annual conferences for print buyers, Margie is exiting the event production business. With a desire to get back to her first love of writing, she’s honoring her late mother who (along with many English teachers) encouraged her to “use her words.” Services include writing and editing content, ghostwriting (such as social media posts), public speaking, and private event design. Ms. Dana will also continue to do market research about print buying.

“Too many companies in this industry have zero resources for developing good content about their work and their accomplishments. I’ve been itching to help them for years – not only in words but also in videos, images and in-person participation at appropriate events. Content development has always come easily for me. I think of it as content styling – and I’m certain that I can help clients increase their visibility in the same way. ”

For details about this new business, visit margiedana.com, where you can also sign up for Margie’s Print Tips as well as her Margie on Marketing blog.

About Margiedana.com

Margie Dana launched her new business in 2013 as a content strategist with a specialty in printing and print buying. As comfortable working in social media as she is in traditional media, Margie’s on a mission to help clients build customer communities through carefully crafted content. For details on her services and to sign up for her newsletter and new marketing blog, visit margiedana.com or send an email to .

A Peek into the Print Buyer’s World for 2013

In December I created and distributed a 20-question survey about the state of print buying today. My goal was to get a sense of how print buyers are facing 2013, whether print volumes were up or down, how large or small their buying staffs were, and the most preferred ways by which they chose new print service providers.

Respondents were not compensated and took this survey anonymously. I collected data from 162 print buyers, and from that data, I compiled a report that, I believe, yields interesting insights about buying print in a corporate setting as we begin 2013.

Once I collected the data, I thought about it in the context of what I know about print buyers, and then added my own interpretation of the data, as well as some conclusions and recommendations.

I thought I’d share some highlights of this research today:
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About 62% of these buyers had over 15 years of experience in the field
53% manage $1 million and up in print spend each year
Nearly 64% buy more offset than digital printing
When sourcing digital print for the first time, most buyers give preference to printers with whom they’re already working
The #1 most popular value-added service a printer can offer is mailing and fulfillment
More than half of buyers surveyed do not select print providers based on color management certification

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My thanks to all 162 participants of this survey. Most of them asked for, and received, a copy of my Executive Summary. I hope to do more surveys this year. The comments I gathered gave me lots of ideas. Print buyers have a lot on their minds and a lot to share.

For more information about this research report, please contact me at . Tips subscribers get a special price.

Look Beyond Printers’ Web Sites, Please

Part of my new business focus in 2013 is helping printing companies improve their web sites to more accurately reflect who they are and what they do. By now you know I am “all about the content.”

In recent weeks I’ve chatted with three different print executives about their web sites. In each case, these companies are very successful. But in each case, their sites don’t do them justice. They fall short. Their content doesn’t position their firms sufficiently, and even more than that, the pages just….sit there.

So I’m reaching out to all you print customers who might rush to judge a new printer too harshly by his or her web site. Know this: they’re probably (hopefully?) working on site improvements. They’re busy producing your materials, serving other customers, and jumping through all the hoops we customers like to brandish.

I do know you’re all busy, and if you’re looking for a new print partner, you have plenty of candidates. Still, please keep these truths in mind when you click on a printer’s site for the first time:

• Regular newsletters are a chore to maintain, and if you notice no newsletters or (worse), a sign that a printer’s newsletter just stopped long ago, don’t assume they’re in trouble. They’re probably just busy.

• Traditionally, printers are slow to adapt to new technologies. Many if not most of the nation’s printers aren’t social media savvy. You may not spot those telltale chiclets (link icons) for Twitter or Facebook or LinkedIn or YouTube on a printer's site. They will get there eventually.

• Most printers WILL have equipment lists posted (yay!). But maybe they haven’t updated them recently – yet they bought new equipment. If you think the company’s a good fit, send an email or call them to find out what’s new.

• I know all about news releases – and like newsletters, they’re a chore. Most printers handle their own PR, and if their “News” section is old or absent, don’t assume they haven’t been evolving.

• Maybe the worst offense is that many sites fail to promote the specialty/specialties that a company is REALLY good at. How can this happen, you say? Easy! These ink-on-paper cobblers are busy mending our shoes. They just haven’t put enough attention or resources on their web presence.

I’m not trying to make excuses for printers, but I have seen so many sites that fall short. I wanted to make this point: their sites don’t always tell the real story. It’s easy for companies to neglect their web sites.

I’m on a mission this year to help printers improve their customer content, on their site and everywhere else that matters. Print customers need to look beyond a web site as part of their due diligence. Speak to other customers. Speak to the CEO or a sales rep. If you have a hunch that a particular printer could fit your needs, do some sleuthing that will help you decide. In too many cases, the web site just doesn’t cut it.

Secrets to Selling to Print Buyers

Time has passed since our annual Print & Media Conference last October in Chicago, when 75 senior-level print buyers from a range of industries came together to learn and network over two days. As I look back on that event, I’ve made some key observations for print company owners and sales reps, which can help them make a bigger impact as they prospect for new customers in 2013. Here they are:

1. Right out of the gate, your sales reps and marketing efforts must spell out what differentiates your company from all the others. Don’t say price or service or quality. Be very specific and creative in how you articulate this.

2. Don’t sell to print buyers. Well, sell to them AND to marketers. I wouldn’t have said this 10 years ago, but today, everything’s different. You have to impress the marketers.

3. Sophisticated print buying pros know equipment. They came to Chicago for our event and to visit manufacturers at Graph Expo. They are seriously interested in new equipment, especially digital presses. They know what they’re doing. I’ve found that in many cases, they’re more knowledgeable about equipment than sales reps.

4. More corporate print buyers work in Marketing or Purchasing departments within their organizations than anywhere else. This is a gift from me to you.

5. Corporate print buyers are extremely interested in personalization. What opportunities exist today? How can they take advantage of this technology? Can they push it to the extreme? I say, if you’re a printer who offers this, sell it now. Feature it in any way you can.

6. Print buyers love meeting peers. If you can swing it, host breakfast meetings or lunch events for your customers. Make education a focal point, and whatever you do, avoid SELLING at these events.

7. Printers who find ways to help their customers work leaner and be more efficient will gain loyalty. I’m not suggesting you work for zero profit or steer work to a competitor who’s cheaper. What I am suggesting is that you and your sales reps always keep in mind the pressure that buyers are under to be efficient in their purchasing strategy. What suggestions do you have to help them? Don’t sell print; provide answers to their problems.

I hope you’ll share these ideas with your sales teams and make good use of them in 2013. Print buyer intelligence is hard to come by. Acting on these observations will help printers find more customers and build stronger customer relationships. I’ll bet my career on it.

5 Things Print Buyers Need from Their Printers Right NOW

I listen to conversations and comments by people in all sorts of print buying roles, across many industries. Often they share what they want regarding how to improve skills, reduce errors, or gain a deeper understanding of certain technologies and manufacturing processes. Much of the time they frame these conversations in terms of what they need from their printers. Here are a few things on that particular wish list this year:

1. A better understanding of personalization applications. If you offer them, have you

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really explained the process in full to all of your customers? Do they know what’s involved and how to take advantage of this capability?

2. Educational seminars about new equipment or prepress processes. These could be lunch-n-learns or breakfast meetings, after-work events or virtual events.

3. An appreciation of exactly what makes one print company different from everyone else. If you can’t differentiate yourself in a meaningful way and communicate that – you’re just like every other printer.

4. Increased knowledge about multichannel marketing communications.

5. Continued education about color management. What should they know, as people who prepare and submit files to you, and how can they improve their job files?

If you’re a commercial printer, any one of these requests would be worthwhile tackling as a New Year’s resolution to strengthen customer relationships. Maybe you could share this list with your sales reps and production team members, and solicit ideas from everyone. I think having a goal of strengthening existing relationships – especially through educational efforts – is an important one in this industry. Let me know if I can help. Again, happy holidays!

Random Thoughts on a Cold December Day 2012

Some days I have too many ideas swimming around my head to settle on just one topic for my column. Today’s one of those days. I thought I’d share a few of them.

Mark Bonacorso

Foremost on my mind this week is the sudden passing of Mark Bonacorso, a PR wizard in this industry who was so well liked and respected. I learned of his death on Facebook, and having been a FB friend of Mark’s, I had gotten to “know” his wife Molly and their love of life out there in Tucson. He was a dad and a chef and a dog lover. I am still very sad about this loss. I’d met him several times at industry events over the years and liked Mark very much. There's a lovely piece about him on PI here.

Print Buyer Survey

I really need your help. If you source print, please take our short survey. We’re gathering info for a report about key trends, such as how much of your work is offset vs. digital, how important is color management certification, how big a “buying” staff your company has, and what value-added services from printers mean the most to you. We’ll do more surveys in the coming months, including some for service providers. Please take two minutes to complete our survey? Thanks. Here’s that link directly – please share with buyers/designers everywhere: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2013PBIPrintBuyerSurvey

Four Things I NEED in Print

News online? Check. Ipads and Kindles in the house? Check. Actively engaged in social media? Check. Following family/friends via Facebook? Check. Holiday shopping online? Check. Yet there are certain things I need in print, being the emotional sap that I am. Here are 4 of them:

1. My son’s high school yearbook. Due out next spring, I’m just thankful the school’s still offering such a relic. $100 seems pricey, though.

2. Printed photobook of my minipoodle Charlie. No one loves you like your dog. I’d pay good money for a book that includes pictures of Charlie that chronicled his (good) life with the Danas.

3. Exquisite letterpress holiday cards. Never a fan of e-holiday greetings. Send me the real McCoy. Nothing moves me like letterpress.

4. Autographed copies of books by authors I admire. Novelists like J. M. Coetzee or Julian Barnes. Industry geniuses like Frank Romano or Dr. Joe Webb. Local columnists like Brian McGrory or Dan Shaughnessy. I want the books to display on bookshelves. Treasured trophies! (How do you get signed copies of e-books?)

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The Mother of All Challenges for Corporate Print Buyers Today

Like a bride too busy to enjoy her own wedding day, I’m just now looking back on our recent Print & Media Conference to digest the experience and articulate the take-aways. Feedback I collected from a follow-up survey helped, and certainly, phone calls and emails from folks who were there also contributed to the sum-and-substance of our event.

Still, when it comes down to identifying the show’s highs and lows, and what the overarching ‘buzz’ was, I tend to rely on my own hunches. With over a decade of event production in my repertoire, I can critique a conference to within an inch of its life.

At all of our shows, I focus on attendee mood. Attendees, if you recall from earlier posts, are primarily professionals in charge of their company’s printing. They’re in print production as well as marketing and creative roles. Some are in procurement.

Our daily Brainstorming sessions give me a ton of insight about our audience. I also pay close attention to comments they make during show sessions, and questions they have for our speakers. It’s during these particular times when I am lucky to be a fly on the wall of a print buyer happening. I ignore the trees and focus on the forest.

By far the biggest challenge faced by professional print buyers today is how and where to expand their knowledge and expertise beyond print. Print materials for corporate marketing campaigns have been in decline for several years, and it seems highly unlikely there will be a rebound. Predictably, the roles of professional print buyers have been affected and will continue to change over the next few years. Some have been moved out of print buying all together. Sad doesn’t begin to describe it. Others have been given new responsibilities, which may or may not be related to print and the graphic arts.

The Big Question is fairly obvious: what do these professionals do in light of their changing roles? Whether they’re still “majoring” in print on the job and have experienced little or no change in their responsibilities, or they’re in the midst of a significant change in their position, I believe they’re all asking the rhetorical “What’s next?” and “How do I prepare for a new role?”

I wish I had an easy answer.

Depending on their whereabouts in their organizational chart (Marketing? Purchasing? Communications? Creative?), as well as their level of influence in their organization, they have some big decisions to make.

Luckily, they have options. There are several paths they could take, and it all comes down to their talents, expertise, natural inclinations, self-motivation skills, and opportunity for professional development.

They could move into a number of new specialties and still take all the print production knowledge and expertise they have with them, to fortify their value as they expand their careers.

The specialties that immediately come to my mind are marketing, media (emerging and otherwise), mass communications, advertising, brand management, content management – and others on the verge of being defined.

There are a lot of doors through which print buyers can walk as they take a proactive role in their careers. I’d start by crafting a list of my professional skills, successes, talents, and accomplishments. Then I’d focus on my company and industry to identify the natural media choices for marketing and corporate communications. Hopefully, a picture will emerge that will highlight my options to advance within my current organization.

A big part of this career soul-searching is professional networking. Keep in touch with peers, with industry people who are influencers, and with acknowledged leaders who have an eye on the shifting focus of business communications and information consumption. Follow the trend watchers and find your new path.

Wherever you go, take your print expertise along with you. Think of it as your Swiss Army knife on your journey into new territory. It will absolutely come in handy.

Meeting the Corporate Color Match Challenge

By Guest Columnist Carol Cluppert

Carol is the Marketing Director for Ripon Printers in Ripon, WI, and was one of our participating PBI Print & Media 2012 sponsors. After the conference, she emailed me about her interest in this topic, so I encouraged her to write a Print Tip for everyone’s benefit. Voila!

While attending one of the sessions during the recent PBI Print & Media Conference in Chicago recently, I was intrigued by comments about the frustration of matching corporate colors accurately and consistently. The discussion gained my attention because, even as the marketing director for a G7-certified printing company that features top-notch equipment and craftspeople, I, too, occasionally experience slight variations in corporate color reproduction.

The discussion inspired me to revisit the topic. Here is some helpful information that should help you with corporate color matching.

PMS vs. Process Colors

Obviously, there are built-in advantages to using the actual PMS colors, but that’s not always possible. You may want to save money by printing your logo in four-color process, or there may be equipment limitations.

Yet even spot colors aren’t foolproof. The Logo Factory design center correctly points out that some colors will vary significantly from coated paper to uncoated paper. For best results, you need to ensure that your printer uses two different sets of inks, each formulated to match. This situation often occurs when companies print business cards on coated paper and stationery on uncoated.

Further, some colors like yellow and orange shift more than others. That’s because they require the reflection of the paper to create their particularly sensitive hues. One possible solution is to always print in four-color process, though that might not always be practical. And be aware that many spot colors do not accurately convert to process.

But should you elect to print in CMYK, be certain to use the Pantone Color Bridge Coated or Uncoated book that will convert your spot color with the greatest accuracy possible – and it also includes RGB blends. You can also try converting business cards from dull or gloss finishes to matte, which will perform closer to uncoated while still giving more pop to the printing.

Paper Color

The different colors of white paper stocks are also something to take into consideration if you’re particular about your corporate colors. Paper colors vary from cool to warm shades. While the differences may not be major, the color of your paper selection will influence the reproduction of your corporate colors. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when specifying paper:
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Process printing reproduces most accurately on neutral white paper. The neutral shade ensures that all colors printed on it will be in color and gray balance.

Consider setting up paper standards that specify particular paper brands and lines as preferred choices. Any variations from the specifications should still conform to grade, color, brightness and other applicable factors. But keep in mind that even within the same brand and line there can be slight variations from run to run.

Consider asking your printer or paper supplier for ink draw downs on the papers you’ve selected for PMS color usage as a further visual assurance that you’ll get what you’re expecting.

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In general, it pays to learn as much about the paper as possible. For example, International Paper’s Pocket Pal reminds us that artificial brighteners, such as fluorescent additives, can affect color reproduction since most are not neutral in color and have excess blue reflectance.

Building Printer Relationships

There’s value to building long-term relationships with a limited number of printers. Experience tends to contribute to a better understanding of your preferences. We suggest that print customers look for a few things that contribute to a printer’s ability to consistently reproduce accurate color:
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Modern, well-maintained equipment
Experience of their craftspeople
Continuous improvement programs
A collaborative approach to problem solving
Paper expertise
G7® certification, a method developed by the IDEAlliance GRACoL Working Group that enables printers to reproduce a similar visual appearance across printing types and substrates

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While nothing ensures perfection every time, following these suggestions should help reduce any frustrations you may be experiencing in your corporate color matching.

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Tag Archives: Print Buyers International

By Guest Columnist Carol Cluppert