It sometimes seems like the rate at which the world moves forward in many ways, is hard to keep up with if you own a business. Emerging and changing trends, social media, evolving software and tech, new rules and regulations. It can be overwhelming for business owners and can feel like unless you stay abreast of the ever-changing landscape, you might get left behind or lose out on business. The good news is that that there are some trends that seem to be around to stay – one of these is selling online. The movement toward ecommerce has been growing steadily for the past decade but the pandemic was a catalyst for many businesses to move online in order to survive. Whilst this has meant that many companies have been forced to evolve and very quickly adapt, it has also meant that they’ve given themselves a new lease of life and taken a share of the online marketplace. Here, we take a look at how printers could optimise their business in order to keep up to date and grow their customer base.
1. Get your website sorted
When people are in need of a service, the first place most will look for this is on the internet. Indeed, latest studies show that 97% of people will learn more about a local company online than anywhere else. Furthermore, 61% of people are more likely to contact a local business if they have a mobile friendly site. With statistics like these, it goes to follow that any viable business these days should have an attractive, fit for purpose, responsive (mobile friendly) website. If your print business doesn’t have an up-to-date website, this should be a number one priority. Employing the help of a web design and development company who specialise in printer websites is the first step to getting you seen by a huge number of online customers.
2. Simple MIS to streamline
Does having the ability to manage your enquiries, estimates, orders and print workflow all in one place appeal to you? If so, a print MIS is the perfect solution for you. Even if you don’t sell your products online, you can have a print MIS solution, perhaps starting off with something simple which helps you get organised. One of the key benefits to an MIS is reducing administration and human intervention, which means you can invest that time into other areas of the business.
3. Storefronts for key clients
If you have key clients that order large amounts of print on a regular basis, giving them the opportunity to have their own client portal to log into and manage their own orders and print requirements is a huge selling point. The beauty of a web to print storefront is the many ways it can help clients, and your business too – from order management, stock control, price calculation, right through to brand integrity. If you are able to offer this as a service, you can be sure to attract new clients who require a printer that possesses web to print system capabilities.
4. Get selling online
Once they have a great website, a natural step forward for many print businesses is to step into the world of ecommerce and start selling their products online. Printer ecommerce can seem like an overwhelming prospect for some print businesses but if you speak to a software company who specialises in web to print systems, they will be able to support and guide you towards a set up that is appropriate for the stage you’re at with your business and some will provide bespoke solutions to meet exact requirements where needed.
5. Make sure your website is visible
In other words, ensuring your website is ranking highly on search engines for the keywords associated with your business. In a way, having a great website needs to go hand in hand with getting it optimised for the web as well. Digital Marketing, which encompasses SEO (search engine optimisation), PPC (pay per click) marketing, plus content strategies and social media, should be high on your list of priorities if you want to attract new customers and develop your print business. Getting expert advice on this should be a starting point. Contracting it out to a team of experts is sometimes the best option since it can be time consuming to do well, albeit essential.
The Online Print Solution – Experts in Optimising Print Businesses
If you are looking for ways to take your print business to the next level, speak to The Online Print Solution. With a friendly, UK based development and customer service team and over 15yrs of experience in their field, they can provide expert advice and guidance on printer websites, printer ecommerce and digital marketing for printers. Contact them today to find out how they could be the perfect partner to elevate your print business.