Industry Tips: 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:

1. 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.

• 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"

Just don’t cram every offer into one chaotic message. One campaign. One clear call to action (CTA).

The Campaigns That Keep the Work Flowing

Here’s what every printer should be sending, regularly:

The Welcome Campaign

Most printers skip this. Don’t be most printers. When someone downloads a guide or requests a quote, that’s the perfect time to introduce your team, set expectations, and deliver value.

Quote-to-Conversion Follow-Up

Don’t just sit on the quote. Follow up with helpful content: timelines, FAQs, case studies. Use soft CTAs like "Need to adjust your spec?" to keep the conversation going.

Repeat & Reorder Campaigns

Set calendar reminders or use automation. "It’s been six months since your last direct mail campaign" or "time to refresh your promo items for the next trade show?" These are gold.

Upsell & Cross-Sell Campaigns

Most customers don’t know the full range of your services. How many times have you heard: “Oh I didn’t know you printed that?”. Use email to show what’s possible – quick visuals, before/after results, and link it to their past jobs.

Client Reactivation Campaigns

Dormant leads often ghosted because you disappeared. Show up again with relevance and value, not desperation.

Writing Emails That Actually Get Read

Nobody wants to read a sales brochure in their inbox. Your emails should sound like a human, not a corporation. Use contractions, short sentences, first names, and ditch the "Marketing Department" sender line. Emails should come from "Claire at Ink+Paper Studio" or "Matt from GraphicoPrint."

Even better? Put your face in the signature, make it personal, you’re the brand’s best ambassador.

Building the Right List (Without Buying It)

Lead magnets work. Guides, checklists, templates – anything that solves a specific problem for a specific customer. Promote it on your website, socials, and email signatures. Add an opt-in box to your quote request forms.

But please don’t buy lists. Don’t scrape LinkedIn. Don’t add random names from networking events. You want qualified, warm leads, not cold contacts who never asked to hear from you.

Online Print Coach Tip: mail a physical version of your lead magnet with a swatch book or branded notepad. It works when you bring print into the mix to support your digital efforts.

How Often Should You Email?

• Relational: Weekly or bi-weekly
• Promotional: Monthly or quarterly, tied to your marketing calendar
• Re-engagement: Every 90 to 180 days
• Transactional: As needed, but always branded and helpful

The Minimum Viable Email Plan for Printers

You don’t need to become a full-time marketer; you just need consistency. Here’s your starter pack:

1. Create (or improve) your welcome and quote follow-up emails
2. Build one lead magnet and start growing your list
3. Segment your contacts by interest or buying stage
4. Launch one promotional campaign this month
5. Track results – open rates, clicks, replies, and adjust

Email marketing isn’t about fancy templates or writing like a copywriter. It’s about showing up, staying relevant, and building real relationships over time. When all the other print companies are still playing the waiting game, the ones who do this well are the ones who win.

Start small, stay consistent, and stop ignoring the most profitable marketing channel in your business.