This week I sat down to read a statistical report about the printing industry. I figured that even though we’re a full-fledged communications agency with an experienced in house marketing team, the report would offer some insight into market trends and sales.

The results of this extensive print industry research were enlightening, but not entirely surprising. Of those surveyed, only 57.5% reported that they had a marketing plan. After presenting the data, the author of the survey pointed out that a number of printers and businesses within the print industry were missing the majority of sales opportunities simply because they lacked a marketing plan. Those without marketing plans generally experience less business growth.

At Alexander’s we’re constantly adapting our marketing plan to meet client needs, and keep up with market trends. Since Pete Codella, social media guru and public relations specialist joined our team last summer, we have really focused on the digital aspects of marketing, especially social media. Many in the print industry see social media as a threat to printing, but I’ve seen that social media is actually another opportunity to connect with customers and prospects.
Here are 3 ways that social media marketing helps drive print sales:

1. Social media is a channel to advertise your products and services— Do people really know what your business does? When Alexander’s grew and expanded their services to more than just printing, we had to find ways to change people’s perspective of us. We continue to use social media to help others understand what products and services we offer.

2. Social media allows you to directly engage customers— From a sales perspective, finding time to talk with prospect can be difficult. When you create a social presence for yourself and engage customers, prospects or other industry professionals, you are creating a conversation about your business. If you lead real, industry-relevant conversations in the social media space, these conversations can become some of the most powerful marketing aides to your business.

3. Social media and print go hand-in-hand—Social media can help you get your message out to millions of people in a way that print cannot. However, a well-designed strategic print piece can have a much stronger effect on people. Integrating the two can be the perfect marketing mix for your business. Use your print to drive customers to your online social sites.

When used strategically, social media can help drive sales in almost any industry. In the world of print, printers and marketers have a unique opportunity to tie the two together, creating an ideal marketing mix. If you live in Utah, and you’re interested in learning more about direct mail marketing, register for our Effective Direct Mail Marketing workshop. If you want help with your social media marketing, contact us today. We’d love to help.