How can large-format print providers market themselves better to establish new, profitable print niches for THEIR BUSINESSES? Marketing expert Jonathan Rogers aims to tell you just that…
Print businesses that have already successfully identified new print niches through data-driven decision-making to establish market viability often face challenges in establishing exclusivity in marketing to new audiences or customer personas that buy from a competitor. There are a few strategic digital marketing approaches that print businesses can employ to address these challenges and drive lead generation. So says Jonathan Rogers, senior manager for global marketing and communications at wide-format print sector software solutions provider Onyx Graphics, and who holds a PhD in marketing and JDM - so what he has to say should be worth noting. He explains…
The first step is to know the competition. Your unique selling position needs a narrative that makes a customer buy from your company over another. Web-based competitor analysis tools can audit websites, check search trends, and determine how your story fares against what buyers seek. By combining unique selling points with top-tier search volume, print businesses can truncate the time needed to build brand awareness and look forward to pulling prospects to a website without an excessive marketing budget.
The second approach is to go where the buyers are. Print businesses would do well to use marketing methods such as website tracking tags to pinpoint who sees their content, where visitors are from, what devices they use, and when.
This valuable data helps reduce overhead when employing digital marketing strategies such as PPC or display ads on search engines like Google. The chief utility of such ads is to build brand awareness and pull prospects into your website for lead generation, so it is imperative to take the time to appropriately understand and apply the story of website data and search volume to set up targeted digital campaigns that fit the personas targeted for new niche markets. Use geotargeting around key cities where buyers are and exclude locations that would otherwise waste ad spend. Be sure to show ads at the time of day most likely to be viewed by a potential customer. This way marketing budget is maximised without sacrificing audience or reach.
Email marketing optimisation is another strategy to reduce costs and maximise content consumption. Use email marketing platforms that provide analytics to better understand and measure email effectiveness to your own database and expect the same of third party providers that increase reach. A/B split campaigns can further optimise subject lines, email content, and CTAs to improve deliverability and interaction, while URL parameters on email CTA buttons can show which campaigns drive more people to the website to learn more.
The next approach is a simple one, but often overlooked. Site visitors need a reason to give their contact information. Product pages should have rich content with easy-to-find and fill-out forms or buttons with interesting CTAs. Be sure to have these on top-level pages, not buried several clicks down but give prospects an easy way to become a lead. Forms should also meet marketing and sales contact best practices for data protection. Displaying cookie bars and privacy policies is more than a requirement, they are an opportunity to showcase how well a prospect’s data is handled and respected which builds consumer trust, particularly for online customer interactions.
Lastly, print businesses need to commit to the new niche. It takes time to build brand awareness and gather new leads. As with other approaches above, this timeline can be reduced by using customer data obtained for market entry alongside analytic tools to personalise narratives and messaging to potential customers. This may include ABM or more simple persona-specific messaging depending on the marketing budget.
In summary, print businesses that employ a data-led marketing approach can leverage newfound brand identity and product offerings from a position of authority, credibility, and exclusivity in new niches. This results in becoming a leading (and profitable) versus “me too” provider.