Although digital advertising is all the rage, most businesses still rely heavily on print marketing. Whether it’s printing out flyers for an event, custom t-shirts as corporate gifts or branded stickers, printing companies offer plenty of irreplaceable services on their websites.
If you’re looking to start your own business, the print-on-demand industry offers plenty of potential for growth, and all with minimal upfront equipment investments. You’ll be tapping into an existing market, and while you want to stand out from the crowd, there are many tried-and-tested processes you can apply to your own company.
There are several key considerations to keep in mind before opening a print-on-demand business. In this article, we’ll go through these factors in more detail.
Keep reading to learn how to start your very own print-on-demand business that’s set up for success.
Get Insured
Although business insurance might not be the most exciting aspect of running a print-on-demand company, securing insurance cover for your small business is absolutely essential.
A strong insurance policy will allow you to receive compensation for a wide range of unforeseen events. As a print-on-demand business, you’ll want to be insured against unexpected problems like shipping mishaps, injuries to your printing staff and accidental damage to expensive equipment. Business insurance will also protect you financially against disasters that can happen to any company, including an outbreak of fire on your property or theft.
Insurance coverage will differ from plan to plan so make sure it’s the right type of insurance. Make sure to carefully read the terms of any policy you’re considering before making a commitment: print-on-demand companies have specific needs, and you need to choose an insurance policy that addresses these.
Problems are inevitable when running a business. Make sure your print-on-demand startup is equipped to stay afloat when disaster strikes by securing insurance coverage today.
Build Client Relationships
Print-on-demand businesses primarily operate in the B2B sphere, which makes it crucial to build relationships with other business leaders.
To grow your client base, you’ll need to reach out to other companies that use or aim to use print marketing to promote their business. The good news is that you’ll find a broad range of potential clients that fall under this category, including moving businesses, retail stores and pet shops.
One way to build client relationships is to pitch your services to them personally. Reach out to business leaders or marketers through platforms like LinkedIn, then invite them out for a quick lunch to discuss how you can help them. You can also promote your business by creating branded merchandise and giving them out for free to current or potential customers. This should be easy to do: you’re running a printing business, after all.
Fostering strong business relationships is essential for any business, especially if you’re a B2B printing business.
Boost Marketing Efforts During Holidays
Businesses often increase their advertising spend during holidays and other special occasions. These are opportunities for them to push certain products and offer special discounts. This means a greater demand for marketing collateral like holiday-themed stickers, flyers and branded merchandise.
As a print-on-demand company, you should take advantage of the increased advertising spend during special occasions by boosting your own marketing efforts during these times. You can do this by investing money in paid ads, posting more on social media and offering cut-price deals on your printing services.
Holidays are a busy time for marketing departments everywhere, and this means a greater potential for sales for your print-on-demand business. So, strengthen your marketing and sales strategies during special occasions.
Offer a Wide Range of Printing Services
Most people think about printing advertisements on sheets of paper when the word ‘print-on-demand’ is mentioned in a business context. However, a printing company can do so much more than this, and it’s vital to offer as broad a range of services as possible and market these to potential clients.
As a print-on-demand company, you can get into the business of printing stickers, t-shirts, product labels and other business essentials. While you might want to start with one or two primary services, there are countless opportunities to expand once your printing startup has its feet on the ground.
Not to mention that by offering a wide range of different printed products, your print-on-demand business is more likely to garner interest from diverse clientele. Alongside making consumer goods like personalised gifts, you could even accrue bulk orders from business clients who are looking to create some branded merchandise. B2C can provide a healthy income stream, but your B2B clients may end up becoming your bread and butter!
Maintain High Standards of Quality
Quality is the name of the game when it comes to print-on-demand businesses. It’s vital that you’re able to create products that are visually appealing, adhere to your client’s brand elements and don’t contain any typos or other errors. When you produce quality products, customers will come back, refer their friends and post positive reviews on local listings. To ensure the quality of your work, invest in the most advanced printing equipment your budget allows for, and implement a strict quality control process.
Of course, you’ll also want to offer speedy printing services. Businesses often work on a strict schedule, and the faster you can deliver marketing collateral, the higher the demand will be for your services.
When looking to start a print-on-demand business, it’s not a question of quality or quantity. To succeed in the competitive printing industry, it’s vital to have both in spades.
Get your Print-On-Demand Business out there
Print-on-demand businesses can provide incredibly lucrative and flexible opportunities for parents who are looking to make a little extra income on the side. But even if you’re between projects, taking time for your business upkeep and promotional efforts is essential.
If you’d like to get your print-on-demand business on the map, following some of the key considerations we’ve outlined above can help ensure you start building a strong reputation. And if you’d like to join a network of like-minded small business owners and parents, then don’t hesitate to pop your company onto our local business directory.
