Marketing Commentary from interlinkONE
Marketing. Web-to-Print. Warehouse Management.
5 Reasons Why Printers Should Care About Google+
Posted by 
on Monday, July 11, 2011 
at 7:15 AM 
in Note: This post originally appeared on the Pinto’s Beans of Marketing Wisdom blog
Google+ has only been with us for a short time. But within its first week, it has generated buzz, bribes, and quite a few raving fans.
Should printers care about this social network? I think so. Here are five reasons why I think they should take action on it now:
1. It has Staying Power
While Google may have fallen short of their goals with their previous ventures into the social networking space, all indicators are pointing to the fact that Google+ is here to stay.
It has some tremendous features that users are already fawning over — whether it’s the ability to drag-and-drop people into your Circles, the easy way to share a variety of content, or the search options for finding people who you’re interested in connecting with, Google+ appears to have the necessary tools to steal some attention and web-browsing time from Facebook.
2. Marketers Are There!
As with many “new” things in the world of marketing, the first group of folks to rush there are (ta-da!) marketers. And guess what? Marketers need to buy print. They need direct mail pieces, newsletters, business cards, flyers, and other materials that will help them drive awareness and leads to their company.
By hopping onto Google+ sooner than everyone else, printers have a great opportunity to meet and develop relationships with marketers that could potentially become customers.
3. SEO
Everyone cares about their search engine rankings. And while Bing may be growing, Google is still the number one search engine in the world.
If you are wondering whether Google includes public content and profiles from Google+ within their search rankings, the answer is absolutely yes. Thus, printers can find ways to increase the effectiveness of their SEO efforts by creating profile pages for staff (and soon their business) and by sharing compelling content for public consumption.
4. Walk the Walk
Many printers are now looking to grow their business by offering marketing services and solutions that go beyond producing print. This might include QR Codes, personalized URLs, email, landing pages, web design, SMS/Text, and more.
It’s one thing to talk about other marketing channels. But it’s certainly more important to be using them yourself. By getting acquainted with Google+ now, it will open up additional conversations between printers and the marketing departments that they are trying to sell to.
5. Online Community Features
From everything I’ve seen, the majority of printers out there love helping each other. Whether it’s a trade show or conference, an email Listserv, or a LinkedIn group, many printers are willing to share information to help each other.
Google+ contains a number of features that will help people to engage with others both via video and text chat. I absolutely think that those features will bring benefits to businesses that find ways to put them to use. Along with peer discussions, I think that Google+ tools such as Huddle and Hangout might be great for project collaboration and customer service.
Moving Forward
I know that there will absolutely be some skeptics on Google+ being just “another social network”.
But from everything I’ve seen so far, I truly think that printers (and many other types of companies) will find business opportunities by utilizing Google+ sooner than later.
Tags Printers that Are Looking for a New Path to Profit
Recently, I had the chance to publish a book about a subject that I am quite passionate about — the printing industry!
There is no doubt that the worlds of marketing and communications are changing faster than at any point before in history. Channels such as mobile and social networks are increasingly playing a role in our our daily actions.
Is there still a place for print, mail, and fulfillment?
I think so! And in my book, “Business Transformation: A New Path to Profit for the Printing Industry“, I provide strategies, plans, and tactics for service providers to help them grow their business during these changing times.
What else can you find in my book? This video provides the answers:
A New Path to Profit for the Printing Industry
Yes, it is true. interlinkONE’s CEO John Foley, Jr. is officially the author of a published book.
Business Transformation: A New Path to Profit for the Printing Industry is packed with information — including strategies, business plans, marketing campaign ideas, case studies, resources, and more — to help print, mail, and fulfillment service providers grow their business as the worlds of marketing and communications continue to shift.
To order your copy of the book, please click here >>
John recently sat down with Cary Sherburne of WhatTheyThink to discuss the content inside of this publication. Here is a video of their conversation >>
A Social Media Animal?
Well, this quote may follow me around for a long time. WhatTheyThink’s Cary Sherburne said to me in this video, “You are an animal on social media!”
The bottom line is this – I absolutely see the benefits that print, mail, and fulfillment service providers can receive by using social media in their marketing efforts. And if you’re trying to position yourself as a marketing services provider, you absolutely must have a presence on social networks!
Here is the latest video in the Grow Socially Educational Series on WhatTheyThink.com. I hope that you enjoy it.
Podcast with John Foley, Jr. on Business Transformation
As you may know, John Foley, Jr. is the CEO of two companies — interlinkONE and Grow Socially.
Well, John recently down with one of his Grow Socially employees, Graham Spector, to discuss his new book “Business Transformation: A New Path to Profit For the Print Industry”. Fortunately for the rest of us, a microphone was there! They’ve published their conversation as a podcast.
To listen to it, simply subscribe to Grow Socially’s podcast on iTunes.
P.S. You can order your own copy of John Foley, Jr.’s book here >>
