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Key findings from a survey of professional print buyers are shared in this recent presentation by expert Margie Dana. Who ARE the print buyers? Where do they work? What do they want from commercial printers? What are they buying?
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The Print Buyers of Today & TomorrowMargie DanaMargiedana.com
March 6, 2014Graphic Arts Association
@margiedana
@margiedana
ARE YOU READY?
IMPORTANT INFORMATIONCOMING YOUR WAY
PRINT BUYERINTELLIGENCE 2014!
@margiedana
Latest Research Is Why I’m “Here”
o Surveyed 315 print buyers in July 2013
Why? To identify changes to role of print buyers & develop a current, reliable profile of typical buyer
o Partnered with consultant John Zarwan
J Zarwan Partners, independent consultancy. Dr. Zarwan is internationally known for his knowledge & independent perspective. www.johnzarwan.com
o No one else is studying this community
o Research benefits buyers, print providers, suppliers
@margiedana
What to Expect This Morning
o 60-75 minute presentationo Q & Ao Our key findings in this researcho A peek at what today’s “New Print
Buyers” look likeo Implications for print service providerso My predictions
@margiedana
@margiedana
Steeped in “print buyer-hood”o Former print buyer 15+ years
o Founder of Print Buyers International (2006-2012)
o Produced 9 PBI Print & Media Conferences
o Write weekly Print Tips (since 1999)
o Manage buyers-only PBI LinkedIn Group
o Wrote 3 books about print buying & print selling
o New business: content provider
o Conduct market research on print buyers
@margiedana
What I Can Do for You
1 Content marketing strategy – determine where you need more or better content
2 Social media jumpstart plan – 3 months
3 Develop excellent blogs – inbound marketing
4 Develop spot-on email newsletters – a specialty
5 Audit & improve your web site
6 Consult with you on print customer issues
7 Public speaking – for sales teams, print CEOs
@margiedana
The New Print Buyers Report
315 print buyers
Across all industries
90% US, 10% Canada
Anonymous. They trusted us with the data.
@margiedana
Key Demographics
o Work in 1 of 3 types of businesses: companies that buy print (59%); creatives, agencies (29%); brokers, independent buyers, print managers (12%).
o For most, print buying still important part of their job. Only 20% said not a core responsibility.
o Printers were not eligible.
@margiedana
How much print do they buy?
In aggregate? $1 billion - $1.5 billion.
Half spend over $1 million annually.
@margiedana
What are they buying? You name it.
Brochures, collat. 80% Direct mail 56% Flyers 51% Posters 50% Sign/display 49% P-cards/rack cards 46% Stationery 38%
Ad inserts31%
Packaging, labels 30%
POP27%
Publications26%
Catalogs25%
Manuals, doc 22% Forms 20%
@margiedana
Gender? Age? Experience?
The interesting stuff no one bothers to find out.
We did.
@margiedana
63% were women
Women are more
experienced
Women more likely to be in corporate
environments
@margiedana
Most respondents
over 4525% are
younger than that
So…typical print buyer today is a woman over 45
@margiedana
How experienced are they?
39% had over 20 years18% had 16 – 20 years20% had 11 – 15 years16% had 6 – 10 years 5% had 1 – 5 yearsOnly 2% had under 1 year
Their print buying roles differed.
@margiedana
Where do you think they work?
- Corporate communications?
- Marketing?
- Creative/graphic design?
- Purchasing?
@margiedana
Take a look…
@margiedana
March marketing. Echoes 1st study
@margiedana
Implications? Job titles moving away from Print Buyer &
Production Manager.
Movement towards Marketing
In January study, only 18% had titles of Print Buyer
30% were Production Managers
Roughly 50% had other titles
@margiedana
This study’s findings are
representative of the print
buying universe.
@margiedana
What other roles do print buyers have?
@margiedana
Print buying “Plus”
97% of buyers do something in addition to buying print
56% buy other things
43% do marketing-related functions
29% do production/manufacturing
@margiedana
In this sense, buyers
shadowing print industry
evolution.
@margiedana
Print buying becoming more diffuse
Others in organizations are ALSO involved in buying print, like these:
30% purchasing/procurement21% marketing communications23% general administrative groups
Implications?
@margiedana
Buyers seek help
internally. Who’s #1?
Graphic designers.
@margiedana
What value-add services
do buyers REALLY want
from printers?
@margiedana
76% - ideas about new print concepts, innovation
67% - mailing/fulfillment
44% - personalization
26% - web-to-print
24% - multichannel support
@margiedana
Pure Printers or MSPs?
Just 13% of survey respondents said,
“I only want my printers to print.”
Implications?
@margiedana
From Jan 2013:
How important is a printer’s expertise in
color management?
@margiedana
I consider expertise in color management from my printers…
@margiedana
So, do these buyers choose printers based on color certification/s?
@margiedana
o61% said NOo 27% look for G7 certification
o 21% look for GRACoL certification
How do they decide? Subjective criteria:o Experience of supervisor/pressmen
o Experience working with the printer
o “I trust my own eye for color”
Implications?
@margiedana
Print volumes in 2013… Up? Down?
39%: about the same27%: down more than -5%16%: up more than 5%10%: down less than -5% 8%: up less than 5%
@margiedana
Related findings
Largest increase from agencies
Companies that spend a lot now will likely increase print
Buyers of $1 - $5 million annually most likely to show large increases
@margiedana
Does equipment really matter?
Yes, indeed!
73% YES
23% SOMETIMES
4% NO
Implications?
@margiedana
How to feature your equipment
- Easy to find on your site. Current & complete.
- Featured in banners on your site. Be creative. Infographic?
- Build a postcard campaign with your best, most versatile presses. Think “What YOU can use this for,” not “Its bells & whistles.”
@margiedana
My predictions for print buying
@margiedana
March towards marketing continueso Buyers as communication or media
specialists – more likely to work in a marketing environment
o Buyers handling more types of products: commercial print, mail/fulfillment, digital ad purchases. Common thread? Brand color control.
o Buyers’ roles will continue to evolve.
@margiedana
Pure buying roles will fade away
@margiedana
The Savvy
TheNewbies
Widening knowledge gap
@margiedana
Ramifications of this?
MAJOR effect for printers: need to reach & teach all customer groups
Opportunities growing for printers to reach youngest workforce members
Likely that print sourcing will move online in a significant way
@margiedana
New workforce will do their sourcing online
@margiedana
How will they interact?
@margiedana
Relevant traits of Gen Y & Gen CRelationship-oriented purchasing.
Friends’/peers’ recommendations highly valued.
Instant communication.Crave innovation.Playful mentality.Visuals matter more.
@margiedana
What do I make of all this?
@margiedana
How should printers prepare? o Know your customers: seniors as well as
freshman class
o Focus business development on Marketing & Purchasing units in companies
o Enhance your online presence especially for the next wave of customers (Gen Y & C)
o Join marketing/direct marketing associations
o Tout your value-added services
o Engage with customers/prospects via conversational content (blogs, posts, videos)
@margiedana
How should buyers prepare? o Expand their skills & expertise, maybe
marketing
o Avoid print-centricity on resume, in job hunt
o Quantify their accomplishments in biz terms that managers identify with
o Get comfortable with social media & digital marketing disciplines
o Build a peer group to network with
o Know that their print expertise is valuable to future employers
@margiedana
Future of print buying?
o 100% online engagement?o No more door-to-door sales reps?o Mobile devices preferred tools?o Virtual events & videos for
education?o Peer reviews matter to you, a la
Amazon, TripAdvisor, Facebook
@margiedana
“The challenge for the communication &
technology industries will be to abandon successful
but outlived business models & refocus on what it takes to thrive in the Gen
C environment.”
The Rise of Generation C: Implications for the World of 2020
Booz & Company, 2010
@margiedana
The New Print Buyers Report
40-page PDF
Filled with data
Authors’ conclusions
$99
www.margiedana.com/store/reports
Code: GAA for $15 off!
@margiedana
Questions? Thanks!
Margie Dana, Content [email protected] 617.730.5951
Visit www.margiedana.com
Please sign up for my weekly email column.