The coronavirus pandemic has taken a bite out of the American economy. Over 800,000 U.S. businesses permanently closed during the first year of the virus, a 200,000 increase over previous years. Moving forward, many companies still struggle to stay afloat in the ever-changing environment of post-pandemic uncertainty. And, with more businesses cutting budgets, marketing firms are seeking to stand out from the crowd to continue to earn business from the survivors.
To compete, marketing organizations should focus on creativity, depth of experience and knowledge, and, above all, flexibility. Fortunately, one simple tech tool can help magnify all three of those traits to help your marketing firm stand head and shoulders above the competition: production printers.
The Benefits of In-House Production Printing
Printing is still very much a part of a smart marketing plan. With 72% of corporations still relying on direct mail campaigns to earn business and branded signage becoming more important as businesses struggle to keep up with changing health and safety guidelines, print media is a large factor in most marketing budgets.
Having in-house production printing capabilities assists your marketing firm in bringing more of those three important assets — creativity, flexibility, and knowledge — to the forefront for your clients.
- Production Printing and Creativity
Creativity is a huge asset for any marketing firm and being able to supply clients not only with outstanding designs but also with eye-catching graphics and print collateral can put you — and them — ahead of the competition.
Today’s production printers are outfitted with a number of capabilities that help take your creative team’s ideas to the next level when it comes to marketing output. For example, some printers can produce an effect called shimmering. Shimmering is a three-dimensional, multi-part print process that helps specific elements stand apart from others on the page for extra impact. Since most production printers can handle nearly any type of medium — from paper and vinyl to leather, cloth, and even metal — this technique can be used for a wide variety of marketing purposes.
Aside from shimmering, today’s wide format printers and production-level printers can add impact with special inks that provide white, clear, and even metallic pops of color to embellish your print products and draw attention to your message.
- Production Printing and Flexibility
An in-house production printer provides the ultimate in flexibility for your marketing or creative firm. If your client’s information changes at the last minute, you can easily make on-the-fly changes to your print run without having to waste collateral — or upcharge your client. In addition, on-demand printing can help your clients align branding across marketing materials for on-point differentiation and more targeted marketing.
Matching physical prints with your customer’s digital output is simpler when you have absolute control over the print process. Many production and wide format printers provide the ability to perfectly match any color imaginable for coherent branding. Proofing is made simpler, with changes quicker and simpler to accomplish when printing is done in-house.
- Production Printing and Knowledge
Clients are looking for your creative team to have deep knowledge of all aspects of the marketing industry — and that includes the final product. Getting — and keeping — control of both digital and print marketing media and output is a critical step to gain customer trust, confidence, and continued loyalty. An in-house print production department also allows your firm to offer clients a single point of contact for all their marketing needs, simplifying their job.
Blue Technologies Has a Wide Range of Production Printers to Meet Your Needs
There is no doubt that an in-house production print department can provide your marketing firm with a host of advantages that can translate into increased profitability and a higher level of competitiveness. From quicker turnaround on print jobs, lowered overall print costs, greater control of branding and timeliness, and an expanded repertoire of creative techniques, a production or wide format printer offers the smart marketing organization many ways to add value to client jobs.
At Blue Technologies, we have curated a host of wide format and production printers from industry leaders like Konica Minolta and Kip to bring you the widest range of options. Whether you are interested in large-volume printing, on-demand options, or specialty inks and media — we have you covered.
Increase the profitability of your marketing firm by developing your in-house printing capabilities. Contact a Blue Technologies consultant and discover how our suite of production printing products can serve you — and your clients — better.
