Being Strategic: It’s Time for Focus!
Published April 17, 2014
The concept of re-evaluating your strategic business plan often gets pushed to the wayside as you get caught up in the day-to-day operations of your business. Erika Andersen’s book entitled Being Strategic provides a step-by-step model that business owners can use to build out their strategies. This article provides an overview of the book’s key points of advice.
Pitch Perfect: Everyone Wants to be a Better Communicator!
Published April 10, 2014
Results are determined by our words as well as our actions. This article explores Bill McGowan’s book entitled Pitch Perfect: How to Say It Right the First Time, Every Time can help you achieve the results that you want. It also highlights the key principles for effective communication that are highlighted in the book.
Print-to-Mobile: An Interview with GTxcel CEO and President Peter Stilson
Published April 7, 2014
Reaching target audiences typically means connecting with these consumers on their desktops, laptops, tablets, and/or smartphones. This article explores how GTxcel is working with its customers to turn a printed document into a browser-based digital edition that can be enjoyed by readers on a desktop/laptop, tablet, smartphone, or any web-enabled device.
Mobile Trends in 2014: It’s Time for PSPs to Pay Attention!
Published March 27, 2014
The Forrester Report entitled Predictions 2014: Mobile Trends for Marketers offers advice that also applies to print service providers as they evolve their businesses and leverage cross-media communications. This article offers recommendations for reaching today’s on-the-go consumers.
Big Data…The Right Data!
Published March 20, 2014
“Big Data” is a buzz-phrase that is tempting marketers with the promise of increasing customer engagement. While big data is part of the solution, the real power lies in using the right data. This article discusses the data challenge that today’s marketers face and explores how service providers can help them embrace data to deliver a relevant message.
Breaking the Mold at Dscoop9: Education, Collaboration, and Community
Published March 13, 2014
Dscoop9 took place during March 6 – 8 in Orlando, Florida. This article describes how this year’s event emphasized Education, Collaboration, and Community to help promote business growth.
The Way You Do Anything is the Way You Do Everything: Great Lessons for the Printing Industry
Published March 10, 2014
Before you can hope to change your company’s fortunes, you must first change yourself. This article highlights advice from Suzanne Evans’ book entitled The Way You Do Anything is the Way You Do Everything and discusses how print service providers can use these insights to make better investment decisions.
More than Four Colors: Adding Value to Digital Print
Published February 27, 2014
Recent technological innovations have led to an expansion of capabilities in digital printing services. This article discusses the ways in which digital printing output can be moved beyond four colors so that print service providers can increase the value of their offerings.
The Drive for Better Use of Data to Build Loyalty in 2014
Published February 20, 2014
When effective, loyalty programs can bring significant business opportunities to marketers and service providers alike. This article discusses the new media technologies that enable a connection with customers, while also exploring how loyalty programs can be used to engage existing customers.
Is It Time to Specialize Your Sales Force?
Published February 14, 2014
In today’s market, you must align your sales organization with your overall business strategy while also accommodating the changing demands of your customer base. This article discusses how taking a specialist approach can help you meet these objectives.
You’re Embracing Change… But What Are Your Customers Looking For?
Published January 30, 2014
Marketing industry pundits have been analyzing today’s trends and are making recommendations about how to do things differently in the New Year. This article summarizes the insight that is being delivered to your customers and prospects from a variety of sources.
2014: It’s Time for Service Providers to Embrace Change (Part 3)
Published January 23, 2014
The communications world is changing, and printers of all sizes are realizing that it’s time to reposition their businesses. This article is the third in a three-part series on the top trends of 2014 that can help you grow revenues and profitability. It evaluates the options for transforming your business model.
2014: It’s Time for Service Providers to Embrace Change (Part 2)
Published January 16, 2014
Service providers must support their customers with strategies that integrate print, mobile, online, and social media. This article is the second in a three-part series on the top trends of 2014 that can help you grow revenues and profitability. It discusses the implementation of emerging technologies to effectively engage customers and showcases new capabilities/applications that can open new revenue streams for your business.
2014: It’s Time for Service Providers to Embrace Change (Part 1)
Published January 9, 2014
The most successful firms in today’s graphic communications market have taken strong traditional printing businesses with a solid customer base and evolved into multi-channel companies that are equally focused on print and integrated offerings. This article is the first in a three-part series on the top trends of 2014 that can help you grow revenues and profitability. It focuses on the opportunities that exist for service providers of all types and sizes.
It’s Time to Think about Print to Mobile!
Published December 12, 2013
Technological advances have drastically changed the way people consume information. Today’s businesses must facilitate the movement between print and mobile formats to add value to communication. This article highlights how Roberts Communications is supporting consumers in the move toward mobile channels while still supporting print.
One Chance to Make a Good First Impression
Published December 5, 2013
B2B customers are more connected than ever, and this brings increased opportunities to reach prospective buyers with relevant, targeted information when they need it. This article discusses three areas of focus for service providers that are striving to make a good first impression.
The Lean Startup: Lessons for a Print Service Provider
Published November 21, 2013
In today’s printing industry, uncertainty is the rule rather than the exception. Citing Eric Ries’ New York Times Bestseller entitled The Lean Startup, this article explores how print service providers can leverage the advice in this book.
A Focused Approach: The Key to Success for MSP Digital
Published November 14, 2013
Embracing a vertical market approach offers a number of benefits to the marketing and operations sides of a business. This article outlines the benefits of vertical marketing and explores how MSP Digital is profiting from this approach.
Making a Difference with QR Codes
Published November 7, 2013
A recent Scanbuy report indicates that mobile barcode marketing continues to attract a global crowd of consumers as well as leading brands. This article provides key takeaways from Scanbuy’s study and discusses the ways in which QR codes are being used to make a difference.
The Cross-Media Beat Goes On
Published October 31, 2013
Seismic shifts have left marketing executives in a very different landscape from what they faced just a few years ago. Savvy print service providers must assess how they can fit in the continuum of today’s more lucrative marketing value chain.
Social Media: Content Counts!
Published October 24, 2013
Companies of all types are increasing their budgets for blogs, whitepapers, videos, Webinars, and other types of content marketing campaigns. This article examines how service providers are using social media across a number of platforms to effectively share content and differentiate their businesses in the eyes of their customers.
Social Media: Building Relationships
Published October 17, 2013
Social networks, communities, blogs, forums, and friends/followers are useful from a brand-building and marketing perspective. This article explores some of the ways that print service providers are building out their business-to-business social strategies.
RICG Makes a Good B2B Web Presence a Reality
Published October 10, 2013
New York City-based RICG recently rebuilt its Website, and the company is clearly optimized to appeal to B2B marketing executives. This article covers the key areas that RICG addressed during its quest to make a good B2B Web presence a reality.
Selling: It’s More Than Showing Up!
Published October 3, 2013
A first sales call is a make-or-break situation that only happens once. Prospects expect sales people to show up PREPARED and understand their unique needs. This article offers practical steps to harness Internet resources to learn a prospect’s business, marketplace, and key pain points.
It’s Time to “Disrupt” Traditional Thinking
Published September 26, 2013
There is a lot of talk in the printing industry about transforming and changing business models based on new technologies. Luke Williams’s book Disrupt: Think the Unthinkable to Spark Transformation in Your Business offers a five-stage process for practicing the disruptive thinking needed to facilitate change. This article highlights key points in the book and real-world examples of printing firms disrupting the status quo.
