Better Print Management Leads to a Better Bottom Line by Jeremy Suratt

If you're like most marketers, you've experienced the following (or a similar) print management dilemma:

It's time to reorder that brochure you created last year. You still have a few thousand left in inventory, but you don't want to risk running out. So, just to be safe, you increase your previous order by 10%. Then your printer calls and says you can get a better per-piece price by bumping up the quantity another 5%. That sounds good, so you do.

Cut to a year later. You now have 5,000 brochures gathering dust in inventory. You don't know why, but your sales force isn't ordering them as frequently as you thought they would. Maybe you'll find a way to repurpose them - distribute them at a trade show or mail them as part of a new marketing campaign. But, even if you do find a way to use your excess materials, you can't help but wonder:

What if you had been able to more accurately estimate your actual print needs? What else could you have done with the money you spent on those 10,000 leftover brochures?

Print management missteps like this are far from uncommon. According to IDC, only 25% of the materials we marketers create are ever used by sales. And the CMO Council says as much as 20% of all print materials are wasted due to obsolescence.

If you're looking for ways to gain better control over your print expenditures, start by viewing this Target Marketing webinar: Print Less, Make More: How to Save a Lot of Money and Dramatically Increase Marketing ROI by Printing Smarter.

In this on-demand session, Geoff Wolf, EVP at the direct marketing firm of J. Schmidt & Associates, and I offer tips and insights designed to help you market leaner and more effectively. Some of the topics we address include:

Getting better visibility into your inventory and usage.

The importance of segmentation and targeting.

Developing relevant content using buyer personas.

Determining the best print technology - digital or offset - to use for the job at hand.

Even in this digital age, print still makes an impact. Instead of slashing your print budget across the board, find ways to print smarter. When you ask the right questions and get the right data, you can make better decisions and save as much as 40% on printing and production costs. This webinar will help you take the first step in the right direction.

Do you have questions about fulfillment service? Read additional Knowledge Center stories on this subject, or contact Iron Mountain's Fulfillment Services team. You'll be connected with a knowledgeable product and services specialist who can address your specific challenges.

LINK:	http://blogs.ironmountain.com/2014/service-lines/marketing-production-...
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