How To Identify The Right Print Solutions Provider
SEPTEMBER 5, 2018| SpeedPro Santa RosaCategories
businessAs a bu
siness owner, your marketing campaigns need to help you achieve key business objectives. The average small business spends roughly one percent of its annual revenue on advertising.1 Your already restricted financial resources cannot be squandered on a poorly-thought-out marketing and advertising plan.
Meanwhile, creating, refining and executing this strategy can be difficult for many businesses, especially start-ups and small business owners with limited staff and expertise. It takes significant time and effort from experienced marketing and advertising team members to create a plan of attack that helps you meet your business goals and generate a strong return on investment.
Small business owners and consumers consistently recognize the value of high-quality print service providers. In fact, 80 percent of small businesses say professional printing helps them stand out.2 Additionally, 85 percent of consumers supported the idea that the quality of printed marketing collateral signals the quality of service the business provides.
The purpose of this guide is to show the benefits of working with a full- scale print solutions provider like SpeedPro over online print vendors and run-of-the-mill print shops in order to demonstrate how a solutions provider can help you grow your business.
A QUICK SNAPSHOT OF PRINT SERVICE PROVIDERS
An online print vendor and local shop are capable of creating marketing collateral based on predetermined and predesigned products. They’re simply a manufacturer. Ultimately, their core focus is the product, not necessarily the efficacy of the strategy when that product reaches the consumer.
With the growth in web-based print shops, it becomes even trickier to choose the right vendor: one that will act as a partner for your business. Without being able to speak to a qualified professional, see products in person or visit the shop, you may be left in the dark and your projects could be at risk of not meeting your expectations—and worse, wasting your budget.
WHAT IS A SOLUTIONS PROVIDER?
A print solutions provider is a printer that uses a consultative approach to deliver accurate, high-quality work that fulfills the client’s business goals. Not only does this entail delivering marketing or advertising collateral, like a print shop does, but it also means working with you to create a whole strategy around it to help ensure the product achieves the desired business outcome. Each piece of the puzzle works toward the client’s goals.
Increasingly, more print solutions providers are seeking ways to help their clients blend digital and print marketing. In fact, a recent survey found that nearly 30 percent of print service providers said helping customers integrate print and non-print marketing campaigns is one of the biggest business opportunities in the coming year. A growing number of vendors are looking to add wide-format printing to their budgets for equipment investments over the next 12 months. Lastly, print signage is a top area of interest for print vendors, surpassing augmented reality and digital signage. In other words, businesses need a solutions provider that offers a variety of mediums including, large-scale marketing collateral, in combination with an experienced, strategy-driven staff.
There is a greater reward working with a solutions provider because you’re receiving both a top-quality product and consultation from an expert that understands how it should be applied to generate the greatest ROI. This approach keeps your projects focused and frees up your marketing and advertising team to focus on other responsibilities and business development.
By comparison, typical online print shops focus primarily on fulfilling orders. In most instances, they lack strategic vision for a small business owner’s marketing campaign. Whereas a web-based print shop is largely transactional, a print solutions provider is a true extension of your marketing and advertising team. A solutions-focused print vendor is equipped with knowledgeable staff, ready to work with businesses rather than for them.
WHAT CAN A SOLUTIONS PROVIDER LIKE SPEEDPRO OFFER?
SpeedPro is an industry-leading marketing solutions provider specializing in wide- format printing. With over 20 years of industry experience, our studio owners and their expert staff excel in visual communications. They can develop, create and print high-quality marketing materials including:
- Banners
- Decals
- Digital signage
- Window and floor graphics
- Elevator wraps
- Vehicle wraps
- Trade show booths
- And much more
FOR INSTANCE:
While a first-time business owner may not think to include a unique URL that collects data necessary to attribute sales to a specific piece of print collateral, a solutions provider has it worked into the overall strategy.
If you install a vehicle wrap on one of your company cars that features a limited-time offer (LTO), we can help you determine how much of your new business came about as a result of the wrap throughout the duration of the LTO.
However, we do more than just offer these products; we collaborate with your team to understand your big-picture objectives for each project and campaign. Knowledgeable staff provides insight on which types of marketing and advertising collateral will perform well and gain the right kind of traction for your business.
It’s easy for business owners to overlook certain aspects of their marketing strategy, including measurement tools, what outcomes are realistic within their budget and what to remove. SpeedPro employees are equipped with the right tools to incorporate environment, objective and budget into an execution plan.
Working with professionals helps businesses create higher quality marketing assets and a holistic strategy, as well as helping them navigate around the common stumbling blocks to generate stronger ROI from print marketing and advertising campaigns.
The vehicle for content delivery is just as important as the content itself. That’s why SpeedPro provides a variety of wide-format printing solutions for business owners based on their specific needs. We go beyond flyers and brochures and give clients cutting-edge solutions.
For example, experiential graphics are an innovative blend of technology, form and traditional graphics to reach your intended audience on several different levels. A multi-level-strategy is great for conferences and grabbing the attention of audiences in open environments.
So, when a client comes to us with a specific need, we’re able to synthesize the different elements of a campaign, including environment, audience and call-to-action, to provide the right solution.
COMPANY CULTURE AND LOCATION IMPACT RESULTS
A key factor that many business owners underestimate when selecting a print solutions provider is company culture. Many SpeedPro studio owners come from a business background and have spent years in the corporate world. The professionalism and hands-on experience they bring from their previous careers enables them to understand business owners’ objectives and offer tried and true strategies.
SpeedPro studio owners and their staff also receive comprehensive, ongoing training and in- studio experience to help familiarize them with the ins and outs of wide-format printing, the latest technology and applications. On top that, owners tap into the owner network for advice and support.
Your local Santa Rosa SpeedPro has the right people and tools to plan, execute and get results for business owners. Additionally, as local provider, we can work with clients to get projects ready in a timely fashion. With online providers, you run the risk of shipping back items and extending deadlines. A local solutions provider works with business owners in real time with an experienced staff that creates outstanding collateral to achieve your business development goals.