A chat with John Foley Jr. in advance of his Toronto appearance as a Keynote Speaker at Printing Survivor 2011
I recently sat down with John Foley Jr., founder and CEO of interlinkONE and Grow Socially, to chat about current trends in the print industry, and what steps are necessary for a printer to get involved in multi-channel marketing.
Q: How do you define a marketing service provider (MSP)?
A: An MSP participates in the more profitable marketing value chain (including print and other channels) by providing an array of services, from campaign inception to program execution. MSPs must also generate good data and relevant messaging via the right channel(s). They must realize that success links to the creation of one-to-one communications based on a deep understanding of customers’ needs.
Q: How many printers are MSPs today?
A: From my daily interactions with printers of various sizes, there are many that successfully offer marketing services. Then, there is a sizeable group who knows that they need to transition, have taken some steps to do so, but have not yet completed them. Finally, there are others who have remained purely traditional printers.
Q: What questions should printers ask if they want to become MSPs?
A: Has the world of marketing and communications changed recently? Have my customers changed along with those changes? Are they using channels such as the web, social media, email, mobile, and others? Has my print business declined over the past years? Has volume from long-time customers decreased? Does my staff feel uneasy about our current state? Do I have people familiar with newer marketing technologies?
Q: How can a printer be successful as a MSP?
A: Here are some of the most crucial tactics:
• Start living in the world of your customers. Subscribe to marketing magazines and newsletters. Attend marketing-focused webinars, conferences and trade shows. This will help you understand your customers’ challenges beyond the production of a printed piece.
• Transform your team. You don’t need to hire an entire new staff, but you must get your current employees on board with the transition. You may need to hire someone with a marketing background. Your staff will need to change from selling commodity-based items to selling client-based solutions.
• Write the Business Plan and Marketing Plan. Create financial projections and identify possible resources.
Q: Are printers currently finding it difficult to transition?
A: There are some inspiring case studies of printers that have taken the correct steps. But some do have trouble. The biggest reason is that they don’t have the right resources (i.e. they don’t have any employees that care about or understand marketing). Some also have run into trouble because they did not re-address their business plan.
Q: What does a printer need to consider when moving into this area?
A: Realize that there will be battles. Some might be internal (from employees) and some might be external (an agency might start to view you as competition.) But, if you truly believe you can help your customers, then you will persevere.
Q: How does a printer start?
A: Don’t simply take the details of an order over a phone and hang up. Start asking about the piece. Why are they printing it? What is its goal? Then after printing the piece, follow-up with the customer about its success. Introduce the fact that you, the MSP, can build, manage, execute and even measure his or her marketing efforts.
Q: What one big mistake do printers make?
A: Not starting with a strategic plan. If they don’t, they’ll start telling customers that they can help without actually knowing how to execute. The best way to solve this is to use marketing channels for their own self-promotion. This will also generate new leads for your sales team.
Q: What’s the advantage of a customer going with a MSP over a printer?
A: A MSP will be focused on providing solutions as opposed to just producing a printed piece. Thus, a marketing services provider will pay more attention to the overall campaign goals that the customer is trying to achieve.