New and emerging technologies are bringing major transformations to businesses of all types. Today’s business owners face a whole new set of challenges, and the printing industry is not immune. Josh Linkner’s book entitled The Road to Reinvention provides a clear path for firms that are hoping to transform their business models. According to Linkner’s book, the way that you position your company and communicate to your various audiences and target markets is a critical component of transforming your business. Business transformation actually falls into the category of storytelling. Even the best products and services can get easily lost in the shuffle, and competitors might gain ground not through product innovation, but by telling better stories. Linkner asks his readers to answer a basic question: “How can you reinvent your organization through the use of powerful stories in addition to product or process disruption?”

I will be speaking at the upcoming Inkjet Summit, which is taking place during April 27-29 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. To prepare for my speech, I decided to interview 20 firms that have established themselves as digital innovators by becoming early adopters of high-speed production inkjet technology. I quickly learned that a number of these organizations have achieved success by recrafting their narratives and finding new ways to articulate what they stand for.

When prospective buyers set out to learn about your business, one of the first places they will consider visiting is your website. A website can provide a lot of information about an organization. It is a public statement about the amount of thought that a firm has put into its brand. Rather than sending a bunch of different messages that won’t be received, your website must clearly and concisely communicate why your business is the best choice for the visitor. A well-designed website is the starting point for telling your story.