Here is a SWOT analysis of the print industry by our VP Sales & Marketing, Rio Longacre. (Remember him? He’s the dude who recently gave you guys a lowdown on OnDemand.)
For those of you who don’t know what it is, a SWOT analysis breaks down the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats facing an industry or organization.
Strengths and weaknesses are internal to printing companies; opportunities and threats are external, and companies have no control over them. The key is to leverage your strengths to cash-in on the opportunities and overcome threats. (How do you do that? Watch out for our next post.)
(Click image to enlarge)
What you should take away from this diagram is that many PSPs should now find themselves in an advantageous position. The economy is emerging from a long downturn, and the print industry finds itself in a much different place than it was only three short years ago. To start with, their has been a fair amount of consolidation, leaving fewer but stronger players. Additionally, new technologies have been adopted – such as Cross-Media and Web2Print software – and many PSPs have radically altered their sales and marketing strategy / practices to be more solution-centric. As such, the companies that have emerged from this recession are not only leaner, meaner and smarter, but better able to deliver effective marketing solutions to their clients. In today’s environment, marketers are looking for solutions that include a high degree of personalization (1:1 Marketing) and measurable results. With the economy improving, the newly evolved Printer/Marketing Solutions firm should be poised for several years of sustainable growth in this new paradigm, which plays to its strengths. And, as marketing budgets increase along with the economy, companies offering more personalized and relevant communication will receive the largest slice of this growing pie.
For more information, write to Rio at rlongacre@indrosgroup.com
