It’s almost month seven of COVID disruption and things are not getting much better. The United States leads the world with cases and deaths and the trajectory presented by Dr. Fauci from the White House Coronavirus Task Force shows that pattern will continue unless we mask-up, and get it together. His informed opinion is that life and some form of business as we knew it won’t potentially resume until the third quarter of 2021.
THAT IS A YEAR FROM NOW… A harsh reality that has just started to sink in even though I can see the literal signs.
Driving around my neighborhood this weekend I’ve seen new signage on commercial spaces announcing going out of business sales or the location is for rent. Two fast-food restaurants closed. A local sandwich shop told me their online orders were way up, but without big-ticket catering, they don’t know how they can stay open next year. My dry cleaner consolidated locations and closed two stores. My hairstylist is cutting hair on the side to make ends meet while her appointment schedule in the salon remains light. She may not go back if she can get enough new, private clients. It’s downright Darwinian out there.
Everyone – me, you, them, et.al. – has ONE objective: Make sales for survival.
I did a little research and the focus for B2B and B2C marketers right now is converting leads into customers; people already in the pipeline or aware the business exists. They will try to achieve this goal by any means necessary… print marketing, digital media, car wraps, billboards, ads, frisbees, facemasks, doesn’t matter. If you can provide data for their decision, and that data shows there will be a return in the form of a customer for their investment, you have a fighting chance to get them to part with some cash.
Are you willing to do whatever it takes?
I have been hammering on about the print + digital marketing opportunity since the pandemic kicked off and shared some options and potential partners in this post. I’d like to add a few more to the list.
From the #ElevatePrint Conference … Missing Link is about exploring your options. Learn about becoming a franchise marketing service provider, partnering with an agency to handle all digital marketing services, and working with a consultant to figure out what path is best for you. The more you can do; the more people can do with you. Don’t let your print customers and prospects find someone else who can do everything you can, and everything you can’t.
From #GirlsWhoPrint Fierce Fabulous Fridays… Erica Switzer from DirectMail2.0 presented a NEW way for you to help identify anonymous visitors on your customers’ websites and track their site behavior. The opportunity to follow up with hyper-personalized print marketing and information is a new business conversation starter. Erica created a special offer to try this product out with no obligation, but you need to sign up by September 30 so please click play and assess the opportunity asap.
Speaking of Girls Who Print… October 22 we celebrate our 8th annual #GirlsWhoPrint Day with an online event, and October 21 is International Print Day celebrated through social media sharing around the world. Pass this info along to customers and prospects who would have an interest and open your door to a “thank you.” That non-sales exchange may be all you need to get your foot inside theirs and create a future opportunity to share how you can help their business.
Deborah Corn is the Intergalactic Ambassador to The Printerverse™ at Print Media Centr, a Print Buyerologist™, industry speaker and blogger, host of Podcasts from The Printerverse, the cultivator of Print Production Professionals the #1 print group on LinkedIn, Girl #1 at GirlsWhoPrint, host of #PrintChat every Wednesday at 4 PM ET on Twitter, the founder of International Print Day and the founder of #ProjectPeacock. She is the recipient of several industry honors including the 2016 Girls Who Print Girlie Award and sits on the board of The Magazine Innovation Center at the University of Mississippi and is a Member-at-Large for the Advertising Production Club of NYC.
Deborah has 25+ years of experience working in advertising as a Print Producer. She currently provides printspiration and resources to print and marketing professionals through PMC and works behind the scenes with printers, suppliers, and industry organizations helping them create meaningful relationships with customers, and achieve success with their social media and content marketing endeavors.
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One Response
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