Small Printers Offering Video Services … Really? Yes, Really!

Written by Howard Fenton
Senior Technology Consultant
NAPL
The subject of printers offering more marketing services remains controversial. The nay-sayers talk about how companies are jeopardizing their core competencies while the yea-sayers talk about augmenting the value of print with ancillary services. And now some people are talking about adding video services.
Last month we talked about the latest trends in the NAPL report “The Outlook for Small and Quick Printers,” which was sponsored by Xerox. In a Newstalk Live presentation on the same subject Rick Schildgen the president of CL Graphics in Crystal Lake, IL, talked about his success in offering video services.
Why would a small printer offer video services? If you asked Rick, he would explain that it was an obvious evolution. CL Graphics started making videos to help with their own SEO (Search Engine Optimization or how high they rank in Google searches). Maintaining high page rankings is a moving target, which means that you constantly have to refine your strategy.
One of the factors that is growing in importance with SEO is the use of videos. That is what motivated Rick to start making videos and once he did he found customers that were interested in buying video services. This has initiated a number of conversations about video services.  Would you say you’re a nay-sayer or a yea-sayer for video services? If you’re a nay-sayer or skeptical of the possible role of video, you should check out these three sites:

• check out the videos on the CL Graphics web site
• sign up and read the comments from other printers in the NAPL NewsTalk Live LinkedIn Group
• listen to what Rick has to say on the NewsTalk Live Interview

One last thought. When I work with companies that are making the transition from PSP to MSP I recommend a step-by-step process that starts with simple variable data printing solutions (i.e. mailings or adding names) to more complex database services and additional channels (email, pURLs, QR codes, SMS, etc.). Did you know that there are software solutions that can also let you create personalized videos? That could be the next step in MSP evolution especially as mobile marketing continues to grow in importance.
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Howard Fenton is a Senior Consultant at NAPL. Howie advises commercial printers and in-plants on benchmarking performance against industry leaders, increasing productivity through workflow management, adding and integrating new digital services, and adding value through customer research.