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Choosing a Printer for 1:1 Applications: Part 2
August 28, 2008

In my last post, we talked about the need to make a distinction between merely selecting a digital printer and selecting a marketing partner with digital printing capabilities who can help you develop and execute the kinds of digital-print-driven applications that will transform your document management and marketing.

Here are some things to keep in mind:

1. Many printers who have developed the expertise to develop marketing applications no longer call themselves “printers.” They call themselves “marketing services providers” or “cross media companies.” 

Don’t restrict yourself to companies with “printing” or “graphic arts” in their names. In fact, companies that develop levels of expertise in these marketplaces generally are making a larger business model transition themselves. Therefore, if their company names still identify them as traditional printers, this might suggest that they have not yet developed the expertise you need.

It is very common for companies who have transitioned into the marketing services provider model to change their names from XYZ Printing to XYZ Marketing Services. So watch for the buzzword. Or they might have taken names that reflect an involvement in cross media, data, or design. Royal Impressions, Trekk Cross Media, tCreative, and Custom Data Imaging come to mind.

2. Work with the business development manager or marketing executive, if possible.

Although sales people and CSRs are increasingly becoming trained in digital-print-driven applications, companies with the deepest level of expertise hire business development managers and marketing executives to run this area of the business. There are still many marketing services providers who are at the very beginning of the learning curve. If, however, you are talking to a business development manager or marketing executive, you can be sure that you are talking to someone who understands the development of marketing campaigns beyond the production level.

3. Hone your interview skills—and be thorough. 

The next step is to do your interviews. Ask the company how much experience it has in developing full-blown document management, Web-to-print, 1:1 printing, or personalized URL campaigns. Ask for samples. Ask them how they evaluate the success. What measurement standards do they use (or recommend that you use)? How do they handle data? Do they have their own in-house expertise or do they use a third party? Who will work with you on evaluating and optimizing your data? If you are new to database-driven printing, where do they suggest that you start? How and when should you consider incorporating multiple media, such as email, into your campaigns?

Just because a company doesn’t have a long track record of producing digital applications doesn’t mean that it can’t knock your campaign out of the park. They can hit a home run the first time out if they have the right people and the right expertise on board. But for that to happen, they should be very comfortable with this line of questioning and be able to answer these questions to your satisfaction. 

So start asking questions.

Have questions? Comments? I'd love to hear from you. You can email me at info@digitalprintingreports.com. For more information on primers for marketers and small businesses on digital, 1:1, Web-to-print, and personalized URL applications, visit Digital Printing Reports. You can also keep up with all of my posts on EBS, The Inspired Economist ("Greening Print Marketing"), and other blog sites by following me on Twitter.

Posted by Heidi Tolliver Nigro on August 28, 2008 | Comments (0)