Marketing Commentary from interlinkONE
Marketing. Web-to-Print. Warehouse Management.
Integrating Print in a Multi-Channel World
Posted by 
on Thursday, January 26, 2012 
at 9:22 AM 
in There is no doubt that channels such as mobile and social will continue to have a dramatic effect on the way that people and businesses communicate.
Thus, it will be an on-going effort to find ways to ensure that traditional channels such as print still have an effective role in the marketing mix.
Below is a presentation that was delivered by our CEO John Foley, Jr. that discusses the topic “Integrating Print in a Multi-Channel World”. We hope that you find it helpful!
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Tags john foley, johnfoleyjr, Marketing, mobile, multi-channel, offline, online, presentation, print, QR Codes, slides, social media, web Learn How to Grow Your Business at the PODi AppForum
![PODi AppForum 2012 [Logo] - Our CEO John Foley, Jr. will be speaking on Business Transformation for Printers](http://interlinkone.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/PODi_AppForum2012_logo-300x81.jpg "PODi AppForum 2012 [Logo] - Our CEO John Foley, Jr. will be speaking on Business Transformation for Printers"){kind=logo}
From January 23rd-25th, I will be in Las Vegas for the 2012 PODi AppForum. If you will be attending too, let me know! I’d love to meet up with you.
I sat down in front of the camera to discuss what I’m looking forward to in regards to this year’s show. Enjoy!
While I’m there, I’ll have the chance to deliver a presentation on January 24th the topic of “How to Transform Your Business into a Marketing Services Provider“.
I promise that this session won’t contain any fluff — from the beginning to the end, I will share inspiration that you can take home to help your print business grow! I’ll be sharing case studies, strategies, plans, campaigns, and other ideas to help you succeed.
Click here to learn more about the PODi AppForum >>
Is John Foley, Jr. the Next Mike Wallace?
Over the past few years, I’ve certainly seen my boss, John Foley, Jr., become quite famous throughout the industries that we work in.
He is recognized frequently at the conferences and trade shows that we attend… He has become a highly sought-after public speaker… and he’s appeared on many videos as the person being interviewed.
But recently, he decided to switch roles when it came to being in front of the camera. Yes, he’s still in front of the camera… but this time he decided to play the role of the interviewer. While at the Printing Survivor 2011 conference in Toronto, John sat down with a few of the attendees to get their thoughts on the printing industry.
Here’s the first one that we have published:
In this video, John interviewed Jennifer Gandy of Buskro. They discuss items such as:
- Printers that are looking to grow their business by diversifying their services
- The growth of QR Codes and mobile websites
- Jennifer’s thoughts on the Printing Survivor 2011 conference
Did John do okay as the person asking the questions? Make sure to connect with him on Twitter and let him know 
Incorporating QR Codes into Packaging
I wanted to share a recent example of how HP used QR Codes to make packaging interactive.
HP hosted a Lunch & Learn event on a golf course in Washington (Our CEO John Foley, Jr. was one of the speakers that day). To help provide a memorable takeaway to attendees that also fit the show’s theme, HP produced and gave away a box of golf balls.
On the outside of the package, they also included a QR Code.
The QR Code directed the attendees, which were primarily print service providers, to a mobile website where they could answer a survey regarding Digital Press equipment. HP sales reps were notified via email whenever someone completed the survey and requested additional information.
If you would like to see more, we recorded a brief video that demonstrates how people were able to interact with this box. Enjoy!
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Tags example, golf, HP, inspiration, interactive, labels, Packaging, print, QR Codes, Video Three Ways that a Printer Could Benefit By Using SMS/Text
If you have been to any marketing-related conferences over the past year, I’m sure you’d agree that mobile has been a very popular topic.
Companies of all sizes are looking for information on QR Codes, mobile websites, mobile apps, and more. In addition to those items, there inevitably is a speaker at these conferences that will say this: “Don’t ignore SMS/Text! More people use that than they do the mobile web”.
It certainly can be motivating to hear those quotes and to read articles like this one. But how can you actually implement SMS/Text into your business?
Here are three ideas on how a printer could incorporate SMS/Text into their marketing, sales, and customer support activities.
Notification When A Job is Ready
Most of the printers that I work with send notification via email when a job is ready. In addition to that email, it may be worth considering sending a text-message to the customer at that time as well.
Of course, this may not make sense for all jobs. But here are a few scenarios where SMS may prove to be helpful:
- When the job was flagged as Rush/Urgent
- When the job will be picked up by a customer
- When the job will be delivered by the printer & sign-off is required
Yes, email or a phone call could certainly be used in those situations too. But as more and more people turn to SMS to communicate about all sorts of activities, this may be a way for a printer to also share information with their customer in a channel that they may prefer using.
To Share Information About Specials
Certainly, a business does not want every marketing initiative to be related to pricing specials and discounts. However, those can still be used from time-to-time to create buzz, garner attention, and increase sales.
Many printers are using email and social media to promote their specials. Another way to do that would be through SMS/Text. Since most pricing deals only have a short-window of time, SMS/Text can prove to be an effective way to get your customer’s attention very quickly.
Of course, the message we send out should do more than just provide details of the discount… Make sure that you include a way for them to redeem it!
To Gain Feedback After A Job/Project is Complete
We all want to generate repeat business. To do this, we often have to reach out to customers after a job has been done, seek to get their feedback, and then offer/recommend other activities that we could help them with.
One challenge in accomplishing that is finding the time — both for us (in this case, the printer) and the customer. Using SMS to initiate that conversation could prove to be an effective option for us.
For one, the text message most likely will get noticed by the customer. Also, it may provide the customer with a very quick way to provide feedback. (Many post-job follow-ups that I have seen come in the form of an email that often link to a survey that ask 10 questions!)
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These are just a few ideas on how SMS/Text could be used to help improve marketing, sales, and customer support initiatives.
Have you found anything else that works? If so, please let me know in the comments below!
