As for the printing industry, competition has always been a challenge, and now more than ever. From local print shops to large commercial printers, they’re all going after the same clients. Traditionally, print businesses relied on word-of-mouth, local referrals, walk-in customers and sales teams, but those methods don’t cut it anymore in a world where everyone starts their search for a printing partner online.
Well-known brands and businesses look for services, prices, quality, turn-around times and credibility, and if your print shop doesn’t show up in the search results, it’s basically guaranteed that you’ll lose out to your competitors who have an online marketing strategy in place. Coming dashing into the scene late won’t cut it anymore, you need to be in front of your customers when they’re researching, and content marketing is what will help you get there.
Content marketing isn’t about randomly posting blogs and social media updates, it’s about educating your audience, fixing their problems, building trust and positioning your print shop as the go-to place, and done correctly will send a stream of consistent organic leads your way without you having to shell out for paid ads or trying to cold call people.
Understanding Organic Leads for Print Shops
They’re likely coming from search engines, social media or content platforms, and aren’t paying for each click, when people are searching for printing services. Printing-related businesses, in particular, receive valuable organic leads, since these are people who already know what they’re looking for, such as custom packaging printing for D2C brands or offset printing for catalogues, and are closer to making a purchase. Coming dashing in front of these prospects right when they’re searching for answers is exactly what content marketing does best.
Unlike paid ads, organic leads won’t dry up as soon as you stop advertising, a well-crafted blog or service-focused article can keep sending you leads for months or even years.
Why Content Marketing Works Especially Well for Printing Businesses
In terms of the printing services business, you’re dealing with highly technical and nuanced services that encompass quality, materials, finishes, and the type of printing, be it digital, offset, large format or packaging. Many of your customers are not fully aware of these differences, they’ll have questions, concerns and doubts when placing orders.
Well-known in the printing business is the use of content marketing as a means of allaying these doubts. Printing shops can put out content that lays out the processes, makes comparisons, and shows real-world examples of where printing has been used. In the process you’ll establish your brand as the go-to expert in your field, and not just a supplier.
Print buyers also value reliability and consistency, case studies, behind-the-scenes explanations and quality-focused content helps build that, and if a customer already has confidence in your brand, the chances of closing the sale will go up significantly.
How Content Marketing Attracts the Right Audience
With respect to marketing for a print shop, the biggest advantage of content marketing is relevance. Coming racing into a person’s website doesn’t cut it anymore. Instead, content marketing brings in people who are specifically looking for printing services.
Well-known print trends, branding, retail signage, and bulk corporate printing, are all subjects that can’t help but attract business owners, marketing managers, event planners, and brand teams, the very people who need printing services.
Search engines have a knack for rewarding content that really delivers on what it promises, and when your blog answers real questions that your customers are asking, Google starts sending you more traffic, and your print shop becomes a go-to source for multiple related services. This traffic isn’t random, it’s well-informed and much more likely to convert into actual inquiries.
The Role of SEO in Content Marketing for Print Shops
Regarding marketing for print shops, content marketing and SEO are best friends, and without the latter, even the most well-crafted content won’t reach the right people. For printing services such as brochure, packaging, banner, and custom merchandise printing, an SEO-focused approach ensures that your service pages are visible to people who are searching for these services.
In a well-stocked arsenal, informational content is meant to educate and commercial content is meant to gently nudge them towards ordering services. When such a content combination is linked within the site and is structured correctly, search engines start to see your website as a trusted and authoritative voice in the printing niche.
At Vdvibe, our strategy for print businesses zeroes in on service-specific keywords, plays to the needs of our local clients, and nails the buying cycle phase of our clients’ decision-making process.
Which ensures that not only does our traffic go up, so do the orders.
Building Trust Through Educational Content
With respect to the printing business, print shops face the challenge of price comparison, and many clients think that all printers offer the same level of quality. Coming up against this is one of the biggest hurdles that print shops have to get over.
Well-known content marketing strategies can help change this perception by making customers value the expertise, quality and reliability of a specific print shop over its competitors. When consistently publishing content that explains the difference between various paper qualities, the finishes available, the colour accuracy, the durability of the packaging, and print consistencies, it gets through to people that a higher price is sometimes justified.
Educating customers about the complete printing process, the stages in which quality checks are performed, how long the turnaround times are and the level of customisation that’s possible can also goes a long way to build a client’s trust in the print shop.
Eventually, because they have such confidence in the print shop, customers won’t be inclined to haggle so much and will, instead, value the long-term relationship with the printer.
Content Marketing as a Lead Nurturing Tool
Not all of them are ready to place an order right away. Often they do their research and may take weeks or even months before making a decision, when potential customers visit a business. Coming from this perspective, content marketing is an important way to stay in the minds of these visitors when they are considering a printing vendor.
When someone reads multiple blogs on a company’s website, follows their social media or subscribes to their updates, they become gradually more familiar with the brand and this builds recognition in the brand’s print shop, making it the go-to choice when a printing need arises.
This strategy also helps boost sales, by shortening the sales cycle because there is a chance to sell and deliver services much quicker. The reduced need to explain to prospects and having fewer objections shortens the sales cycle significantly and, therefore, increases conversion rates.
Turning Content Into Measurable Organic Leads
Concerning content marketing, it’s all about conversion, guiding people towards the desired action. Filling out an enquiry form, visiting the contact page, or sending a quotation request. Strategically placed calls-to-action, internal links to service pages and lead capture forms give readers the clear next steps and we know that when the content resonates with what the business is offering, organic traffic converts to real-world enquiries.
Vdvibe, the experts in print marketing, apply a performance-driven approach to their content, every single time. They link each and every blog post, landing page and case study to a specific service and lead goal, so their content has the direct impact of growing the business.
Why Print Shops Need a Long-Term Content Strategy
With respect to content marketing, print shops can’t just fire and forget, they have to be in it for the long haul. Each new piece of content adds to the strength of their website, improves their SEO and builds brand credibility.
Well-known print shops that regularly pump out top-quality content can virtually corner the market in their field, they’re getting leads even in the off-season and don’t have to rely on gimmicks or expensive ads.
A well thought out, long-term content strategy lets print businesses to enter new markets such as packaging, large format printing or corporate merchandise, by laying the groundwork with education.
How Vdvibe Helps Print Shops Succeed With Content Marketing
Vdvibe brings a deep understanding of the printing industry to the table. Something that generic agencies often don’t, when marketing printing businesses.
Well-known for its content marketing approach, Vdvibe starts by getting to know a print shop’s services, target industries, and growth aspirations. This expertise is then used to devise a structured content strategy, comprising service-centred blog posts, SEO-optimised pages, trust-building content and conversion-boosting paths.
Vdvibe doesn’t just churn out informative content, it’s determined to push lead generation objectives too, and it succeeds, and brings a constant stream of organic traffic, high-calibre leads and a more respected brand to the table for print businesses.
The Long-Term Impact of Content Marketing on Print Business Growth
For printing, the companies that commit to content marketing tend to see long-term growth. They don’t have to chase down every single lead, because they’re attracting clients who already get the value of what they’re offering. Coming racing after someone who doesn’t know what they’re looking for is not effective, whereas with content marketing, they’re basically getting in front of the people who are already looking for them, and that leads to higher-quality jobs, multi-year contracts, and a steady income stream.
Content marketing also shields print businesses from economic downturns, and as digital competition rises, a well-established organic presence becomes something that can’t be replicated by anyone else. And for print shops that want to expand beyond their local markets or hook corporate clients, content marketing is practically mandatory, not just optional.
Conclusion
Speaking of generating organic leads, building trust and growing consistently, content marketing is one of the best methods for print shops. Coming fast off the heels of a job, print businesses can use content to teach their audience, show off their expertise, and hook in high-quality, high-intent leads who are actively looking for their services, all without breaking the bank on paid advertising.
Well-known agencies, such as Vdvibe, help print shops harness this potential by building content systems that get real results.
And for those aiming for long-term success, content marketing is not just marketing, it’s a growth strategy.
FAQs
How long does content marketing take to generate leads for print shops?
In terms of content marketing, we’re looking at results within a 3 to 6-month window, depending on the level of competition, the quality of the content, the strength of the SEO and how regularly you’re publishing.
Is content marketing suitable for small local print shops?
Well-known to be effective, content marketing for local print shops is essentially guaranteed to give them a much-needed boost in local SEO, a healthy dose of trust and brings in nearby businesses who are hunting for printing services.
Do print shops need technical knowledge to create content?
Writing, SEO and strategic planning, and inject your industry expertise to produce content that is precise and highly valued, when you work with a professional agency like Vdvibe they can take over the reins of research.
Can content marketing replace paid advertising for print businesses?
Coming hustling over into the world of content marketing, you’re cutting down on your reliance on paid ads, but it’s an approach that works best when you’re using a combination of methods, and throwing some paid advertising into the mix to get those results rolling in and establishing a solid foundation for long-term organic growth.
What type of content works best for printing businesses?
In relation to generating high-quality organic leads, service-focused blogs, educational articles, case studies and industry-specific content tend to perform the best.
How does Vdvibe measure content marketing success?
Vdvibe’s analytics suite lets us monitor the growth of organic traffic, keyword rankings, enquiry volume, the quality of leads and the rate of conversion to see exactly what’s working and what’s not.