Dana on Marketing Messages: Promoting a New Service

The majority of printers aren't great at self-promotion. Many still think that their sales reps handle the marketing responsibility. That's just wrong.

For this month's column, I decided to share some practical ideas about how to use content to promote a new service. The great thing is about this strategy is that much of the time you can write the bulk of the content once and slice and dice it in different "flavors" for appropriate formats.

Let's say you've just added mailing and fulfillment capabilities. (I didn't pick this at random, by the way. From research I've conducted over the past nine months, this is the #1 value-added service that print customers seek in a print provider.)

How would you promote it? Luckily, with so many digital channels available, you have a powerful smorgasbord of marketing media at your fingertips. Your goal is to share the news with your customers, as well as your prospects, so that they start sending this work your way.

But sharing the news is just the first step. After your initial announcement, you must convince your audience that you're an expert in mailing and fulfillment. They need to know that you have the trained personnel, equipment, workflow and safeguards to handle their mailing and fulfillment needs. Your customers trust you as a printer. When you add a new capability, you have to prove you're the best resource for that, as well.

This is where judicious use of content comes in. It's not enough to blast out one e-mail, news release or postcard with a "We're now offering mail and fulfillment services!" message. That alone won't do anything.

I suggest you approach it like a pie: cut it up into manageable slices and dish it out one tasty slice at a time—and over time. Here are my suggestions for promoting your new service in eight ways.

1| Website Content. You know this, but I'll say it anyway. Your Website must be updated with the details about your new service before you announce it. This includes the following:

• A detailed section devoted to Mailing & Fulfillment (naturally), linked from the home page.
• A special announcement on your home page.
• A blog post, announcing the new service.
• An equipment list inside the new section, which must also be added to your overall equipment list; don't forget.

2| News Release. The obvious first choice for a public announcement. Write a news release detailing the new capability and specific services you now offer. Presumably you have employees dedicated to mailing and fulfillment. Identify the manager, playing up his or her experience. Include a quote or two, perhaps one from the president and one from the manager.

If you've already taped a video, include a link to it. Send the release to your media list. Don't forget to add the release to your Website in the News section.

3| E-mail Your Customers. Craft a special e-mail message for customers. It should be professional, but not nearly as dense as your news release (though you can certainly pick up some content from it). This e-mail should exude excitement. Remember, you're thrilled to be able to offer customers a brand new service.

Let them know that their rep will be following up shortly to answer any questions they might have. Again, if you have a video, include a link. Want to make a special offer for customers' first mail projects? Announce it here.

4| Direct Mail. Consider creating a postcard, or a series of postcards, that highlights your new service. It should be big on creative. Keep the copy to a minimum to avoid a cluttered, messy message. Include a QR code if you have a special section on your site about the service, or link it to that video.

If you do a series of postcards, each one must be different. The first one should announce the service. The second one can feature a particular offering, such as hand-kitting services. The third one could include a bulleted list of industries you serve or the kinds of kits you handle in fulfillment.

5| Record a Video. A brand new capability is the perfect reason to do a video. This is so much easier than most people realize. Keep it under two minutes long. Write the script, highlighting the main offerings. Ideally, someone in charge of mailing and fulfillment will be the person videotaped; if not, the company president could do it. Have props. Be upbeat and excited. Smile. Shoot the video. It can be done in a few hours.

Upload it to your YouTube channel. Add it to your site. Add the link to your digital signature for your company e-mail. Have every employee do the same for a certain period of time, so that this new service is promoted in every e-mail.

6| Post it on Facebook. Facebook is a breezier, friendlier place for you to spread business news. Your content here should still be professional, but you can get away with a lot more casual posts. Once your site is updated with the new capability, announce it on Facebook and include a link to the main section. If you make a video, there's another Facebook post.

7| Tweet About it. I hope you have a company Twitter account. Tweet about your new service, with a link to your site and then to your video. But don't simply post announcements to Twitter—or any social media site.

Aside from an initial announcement, you can effectively promote a new capability on social media by writing content that 1) indicates how your company solves problems for customers by virtue of this new service and 2) establishes your reputation as an expert in that area.

For example, your initial social media post might be, "Great news! We now have comprehensive lettershop capabilities & fulfillment services. Check us out!" Link to your site.

That's just step #1 on Facebook and Twitter. Ideally, you should continually promote this service on social media, so you move from a broad announcement to showing off your expertise. Maybe you'd post something like this: "Did you know that oblong booklets must be prepared for the USPS with the spine on the leading edge? You'll pay more, otherwise."

By feeding your social media channels with this kind of industry insight, you establish a reputation as an expert. Over time, it will pay off.

8| Blog About it. It's important to have a company blog that's posted on your home page and/or easily found by a site visitor who lands there. One of the advantages of a blog is that you have multiple opportunities to paint yourself as an expert in a specific field (printing) as well as in sub-categories that are related to your field (mailing/fulfillment, design, paper, typography, file formats, etc.—get the picture?).

When you have a new service, you can write about it numerous times in your blog. Naturally, you post links to each new blog post in all of your social media accounts. A blog is the gift of content that keeps on giving.

These are eight key ways to promote a new service using content. There are lots more. Maybe you send a letter. Down the line you might do a Webinar or an open house. You might develop content for an e-book, filled with educational insights.

Identify the channels that feel natural for your company. Just know that sending out a news release, updating your site, and asking all of your reps to tell their customers about a new offering is not enough. Promoting is a process. Be diligent about it and use all of the content channels at your fingertips. PI

About the Author

Long regarded as a print buyer expert and trade writer, Margie Dana launched a new business as a marketing communications strategist with a specialty in printing and print buying. She's as comfortable working in social media as she is in traditional media, and now she's on a mission to help clients build customer communities through carefully crafted content. Dana was the producer of the annual Print & Media Conference. Although she's exited the event business, she is still publishing her Print Tips newsletter each week. For more details and to sign up for her newsletter and marketing blog, visit www.margiedana.com.