Selling Integrated Campaigns: A Printer Growth Strategy
The hum of the press and the smell of fresh ink are familiar comforts, but the ground is shifting beneath the commercial printing industry. Your clients no longer just need flyers, brochures, or direct mail. They need results. They are under immense pressure to prove the return on investment for every marketing dollar spent, and the standalone print piece, no matter how beautifully crafted, often struggles to provide clear, trackable data. This is not a threat, it is your single greatest opportunity for growth. By evolving from a print provider into a marketing solutions partner, you can unlock new revenue streams and create deeply loyal client relationships. The key is selling integrated campaigns, a strategic blend of your core print services with digital marketing tactics. This approach transforms a simple mailer into a powerful, multi-channel tool that generates leads, nurtures prospects, and drives measurable sales for your clients.
Beyond the Press: Why Integrated Campaigns are Your Next Big Sale
Pivoting your business model requires understanding the immense value you can create. Selling integrated campaigns isn’t just about adding a new service, it’s about fundamentally changing your position in the market. This commercial printer growth strategy moves you from a vendor to an essential partner.
Increased Client Value and Loyalty
When you solve a bigger problem, you become more valuable. By offering a complete campaign that generates leads, you move beyond price-per-piece conversations. Clients who see you as the architect of their success are far less likely to shop around for a cheaper print quote. You become embedded in their marketing success, creating an incredibly sticky relationship.
Measurable ROI for Your Clients
The classic weakness of print has always been tracking. Integrated campaigns solve this. By using QR codes, personalized URLs (PURLs), and dedicated landing pages, you can directly connect a physical mail piece to digital actions. You can now provide clients with hard data on open rates, click-through rates, and lead conversions, proving the value of your work.
Key Insight: Shifting from selling a product (print) to selling a result (leads and sales) fundamentally changes your client relationships and your profitability.
Competitive Differentiation
Look around at your competitors. How many are still just taking orders for print jobs? By mastering the blend of direct mail and digital marketing, you immediately stand out. You are no longer just a printer, you are a marketing strategist who leverages print as a powerful component of a larger, more effective plan.
Building Your Integrated Campaign Offering: A Practical Blueprint
Transitioning to selling integrated marketing for printers requires a clear plan. You don’t need to become a full-service digital agency overnight. Instead, focus on building a repeatable, effective offering that solves a specific client need.
1. Start with Strategy, Not the Product.
Your first conversation with a client should be about their goals. Are they trying to drive traffic to a new location? Generate leads for their sales team? Announce a new product? The goal dictates the strategy. The strategy then dictates the right mix of print and digital components for the campaign.
2. Master the Core Components.
A successful starter campaign often includes these key elements:
- High-Impact Direct Mail: This is your expertise. Use personalization, unique formats, and high-quality finishes to create a piece that gets noticed and demands action.
- Dedicated Landing Page: This is the digital destination. The direct mail piece drives traffic here. It should have a single, clear call to action, like filling out a form or downloading a resource.
- Email Follow-Up: Once a prospect fills out the form on the landing page, an automated sequence of 2-3 emails can nurture them toward a sale.
- Simple Tracking: Use tools like QR codes or PURLs to make it easy for recipients to get to your landing page and for you to track who came from the mailer.
3. Partner or Build?
You must decide how to deliver the digital elements. You can build an in-house team, which offers more control but requires significant investment. Alternatively, you can partner with a trusted digital marketing agency. Partneringis often the fastest and lowest-risk way to get started, allowing you to focus on selling the strategy and managing the client relationship.
How to Pitch and Sell Your Integrated Services
Having a great offering is only half the battle, you need to effectively communicate its value. Selling print services as part of a larger campaign requires a shift in your sales approach.
Begin by changing the conversation. Instead of asking, “How many brochures do you need?”, ask, “What business goal are you trying to achieve with this campaign?” This reframes the discussion around results, not just deliverables. Focus your pitch on the return on investment. Use case studies and projected outcomes to show how a strategic blend of direct mail and digital can deliver a superior return compared to either channel alone. Your sales team is critical here. They must be educated and comfortable discussing basic marketing concepts beyond paper stock and ink. Finally, your proposals should reflect your new role. They should be strategic documents that outline the client’s problem, your comprehensive solution, and the measurable results you expect to deliver.
Actionable Tip: Don’t try to boil the ocean. Start with one simple, repeatable integrated campaign package. Perfect it, get case studies, and then expand your offerings.
The future for commercial printers is bright, but it looks different. It involves moving beyond the press to become a true marketing partner for your clients. By developing, packaging, and effectively selling integrated campaigns, you are not just adding a new service. You are building a more profitable, resilient, and valuable business. Embracing this evolution ensures your company will not just survive but thrive, securing its role as an indispensable driver of growth for the clients you serve.
If You Are Looking to Focus on Getting More Visibility, Traffic, Leads, Sales or Have Questions, Call Us at 866-357-7422
Or Submit your information below
