INDUSTRY TIPS | THE ONLINE PRINT COACH Stop Ignoring Your Most Profitable Channel Let’s get one thing straight: email isn’t dead. Bad email is. And if you're still relying solely on referrals, cold calling, or hoping that your LinkedIn posts will carry your pipeline, you're leaving serious money on the table. The truth is that email marketing is the most underused, high-ROI channel for many of the businesses I come across in our industry. It’s 40 times more effective than social media at acquiring new customers, and when used properly, it builds long-term trust, drives repeat business and keeps your company front-of-mind without costing a fortune. But most printers either don’t use it, or worse, misuse it. Let’s change that. Why Email Still Matters for Printers Your customers are busy, distracted, and pulled in a hundred directions. They don’t always need print today, but they will need it soon, and when that moment comes, the printer they remember is the printer they call. Email keeps you in that memory bank. It supports the customer journey at every stage – from awareness to reordering. If you're not emailing your leads, you're gambling with your pipeline. Hoping they'll remember you. Hoping they’ll stumble back to your website. Spoiler alert, they won’t. Someone else will get there first. The Three Types of Emails Every Print Business Needs If you want results from email, you need balance. Too many promotions and you'll get unsubscribes. Too few, and you’re invisible. Here’s the breakdown: Transactional Emails: Don’t Waste the Moment These are your order confirmations, file received notifications, dispatch updates – they have sky-high open rates (60-90%) because customers expect them. But most printers waste these moments with bland, generic messages. Add personality, add value, include a link to your file setup guide, or a reminder about upsell options. Reinforce your brand without selling hard. Struggling to get traction for your leads or email marketing? In this Industry Tips, Colin Sinclair McDermott breaks down the best ways to utilise email marketing, including the dos and don’ts of reaching out to customers Relational Emails: Build Trust Before You Sell These are your most powerful long-game tools. Think tips, behind-the-scenes insights, design spotlights, or client success stories. Think "How to avoid file issues" or "A look inside our latest trade show project." These are equity deposits. You educate, build authority, and stay top-of-mind. When it's time to buy, they trust you already. Promotional Emails: Ask for the Sale (Properly) When you’ve earned their trust, it’s time to make a clear, concise offer. Tie it to a season, an event, or an upsell opportunity: • "Get 15% off exhibition signage before Q4" • "Free design upgrade with orders over £500" • "New service launch: foil blocking & embossing now available" Having been in the print industry since the mid-late 90s, Colin Sinclair McDermott entered the world of self-employment in 2004 and over the years that followed, experienced a number of highs and lows running his own print company, learning what does and doesn’t work. In 2022, he trained with The Business Coaching Academy to become a fully certified corporate coach with the Worldwide Association of Business Coaches. Through The Online Print Coach, industry members can access an online training platform, Print Mastermind and private 1-to-1 coaching with Sinclair McDermott. www.theonlineprintcoach.com 1 2 3 23 www.printmonthly.co.uk Issue 357 - November | December 2025
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