There is no doubt that today we live in an omnichannel world. From our mobile phones loaded up with apps, photos and text messages to the physical print we still receive, the average person is being stimulated by information every second of the day. Hey! Put the phone DOWN…Unless you are reading this on your phone and then I guess I will make an exception.
The point is that 2016 is going to be a year that companies and people, such as yourself, will try to find synergies between traditional print and digital communications. Consider a few trends that are on the top of my mind and many of the industry analysts as well:
APIs as a cornerstone to enabling end-to-end solutions and business strategies
APIs are not new in the technology sector, however, in 2016 they being looked at as an important part of a business strategy. Just to be sure we are on the same page, I am indeed talking about Application Programing Interface. Why are they important? APIs allow for companies to quickly refactor their offerings to the market by allowing features to be invoked instead of hardwired to a specific product or environment. Think of APIs as coding building blocks that allow for independent applications developed separately to still work together. According to Forrester, “APIs help firms react to – and drive – digital disruption. You will want to get your finger on this pulse.
Pay attention to the customer journey
In my time in the communications industry there has been a lot of focus on personalization. When you look at print campaigns, personalization is still King. The same is true in digital communications where emails are personalized and so are portals that you log into. Today, we are ready as a collective whole to move past personalization; the industry is increasingly focusing on the customer journey. And then we are quickly paring that with the idea of emotional engagement. In 2016, this is another trend that is influencing the development of business strategy, solutions to market problems and building the bridge across the print and digital chasm. By focusing on the journey a customer takes when interacting with your business, companies are able to define touchpoints that can launch specific communications. Moreover, if the business can then apply emotional triggers to it that change the next action a customer might take – the communications can become even more personal and relevant.
Video is taking the world by storm… again
Unless you have been living on an island without cell signal or internet access, the influence of video hasn’t escaped you. In 2016, you will want to keep a close eye on video solutions that create a value add to print, drive improved customer engagement through digital channels and even have the capability to reduce support cost for organizations. One specific area that the print industry should look at is interactive personalized video. Why is this so powerful? Imagine being able to take a data-driven approach to providing personalized and relevant communications through video. Applications can range from a personalized link that takes your customer to educational and personalized video content about that document to embedded video content within a digital interactive statement or customer web portal. Companies leveraging this type of technology have seen significant lifts in customer engagement and the power of bridging the gap between their physical print communication channels and the continually evolving digital channels they are developing. As this market starts to make waves, video may indeed kill the radio star once again.
The above are just a few considerations for 2016, but in the print and communications industries, I think we will see these have some of the most significant impact. My best advice is to do some research, join #PrintChat and try to get ahead of the curve to best leverage the end-to-end solutions that will refine the massive innovation and technology changes of the past few years.
Jonathan Malone-McGrew grew up around printing, software and cars. As an accredited Electronic Document Professional (EDP) through Xplor International, Jonathan has worked within the industry for nearly a decade providing direction and expertise in Marketing customer communications for transactional, commercial and specialty print, as well as, multichannel delivery through the latest technology vehicles. Jonathan currently works with Pitney Bowes in their Customer Engagement Solutions group. You can find him via @JEMcgrew on Twitter and giving advice and opinions as part of the McGrewGroup of companies.
