If you're not receiving a steady stream of new customers or inquiries from your web site, it could have a lot to do with how businesses operate today. Research tells us that most people looking for a new supplier simply go to Google. Only then, if nothing is found, will they look at alternatives like the Yellow Pages.

Google should be the perfect lead generation service. The bad news is that a Google search of Auckland, Wellington or Christchurch printers today gives almost no viable results!

But you say, I've got a great web site. Why aren't I showing up on Google? Internet, Web sites, Google, it's all the same isn't it? - Well no. Those 'keywords' the designer chose you years back, ironically just for Google, don't work now. Different rules. The sad truth is that the designers today are there to design, not to 'market' your web site. It's people like us that do that - Different skills.

Vistaprint rely solely on Google and referrals to find new customers. Once discovered, they're in their database and have regular emails automatically sent every week to keep them informed of the latest specials. The most recent one came with a graphic.

Regular email marketing is vital too. Although a good site gets the initial 'referal' via Google, it is email marketing that keeps customers informed and coming back. We notice this with our own site. The day we send out a newsletter, our web hits always peak. This is normal and expected.

Remember though, Google, not the phone book, is how most New Zealand businesses start looking for new supplier. You may have a fancy web site, but without Google, beyond your existing customer base, you just don't exist.

Even if you are miraculously 'found', a static brochure-style web site can't compete against the Vistaprint offering. They not only have better pricing, but their Digital Storefront is fully interactive and provides a super-easy way of customers doing business.  (See Digital Storefront link)

Their eCommerce storefront and marketing strategies target small business.

Small companies here we've spoken to said even the slow 14-day delivery from the US wasn't a major put-off, just annoying. If someone here could offer something similar, they would change. The big attraction was simply the ability to order online any time, sort out the design, pricing, then pay for it, just sitting at their PC. As most Vistaprint orders are in the $50-$500 range, people are happy to pay for it in advance too, on their credit card. 

These are smart businesspeople - Vistaprint have been growing at over 50% pa for the last 5 years and are highly profitable. As guru Phillip Ruggles recently noted, "VistaPrint may well have developed the default model for the next generation of commercial printer"

If we ignore this offshore threat, Vistaprint will do to small local printers, what the Warehouse did to many small, long-standing retailers here. It's only a matter of time before they set up a physical presence downunder. By then, it will be too late for most small printers.

(Arguably, it could be said that it would only take one innovative local print company to set up a smart Vistaprint-style operation here, dominating the local market - However at least the work would be produced here).

There are a few innovative printers here with good online print ordering systems. However most keep a low profile, never showing up on a Google search. They use the technology to lock in and support their major existing customers. Not to gain new ones. (Is that really their intention?)

We think the hesitancy is neither a technology nor cost issue. Talk or listen to Dr Joe or any of the high growth online print company owners overseas, and they'll all say the biggest problem is change management. Computerisation of the sales process with more efficient MIS, online tools and e-marketing is resisted by many staff, especially older sales reps. Excuses include:

"It's about relationship selling. Quoting is a complex task, people must do it. Clients like personal service, it's more professional. It's been that way for 20+ years. Why change? Our customers aren't asking for online quoting or ordering."

But Digital Storefront selling doesn't have to be impersonal as it appears with Vistaprint. A good example is Printingforless.  Although a fast-growing, 100% online printshop with no field salespeople, they've a team of skilled, in-house customer service reps making contact with all customers by phone and email - Ensuring they're happy and solving any problems. 

Re-focus the technology

As discussed initially. There are several fundamental problems we can solve for you

1. Have a web site presense that gets 'found' on Google, with a consistently high listing, often referred to as 'the Google ranking'.
2. Once Google has sent this prospect to you, you've got to have them make a connection. i.e. Exactly what do you want them to see and do. At the very least, they should be encouraged to leave their name and email address before they go.
3. Offer a full eCommerce site that can provide facilities that can result in an instant order, not just an inquiry to follow up. A customer-focused Digital Storefront that can DO THINGS - things your highly paid salesperson cannot do; 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for little cost.
4. Lastly, have a regular, integrated email marketing campaign to keep customers informed and coming back. Mix this in with phone calls and where appropriate, visits.

Re-focus attitudes and direction

What can you do?

Company owners and directors have to make some hard calls. Tough decisions if their operations are to grow and catch up with the needs of their 'new age' customers (and Vistaprint).

This tricky human factor likely explains why most successful online printers are 'greenfield' operations, under 10 years old. They had no psychological baggage, no politics, no dissenting voices. Just a realisation of today's customer needs and a vision of where they wanted to be. It's about treating printing purely as a business, not a trade. 

If you have questions or need help with raising your web site's Google listing, upgrading your website, or just want to let off steam and tell us we're all wrong, email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

If you have an opinion on this controversial topic you'd like to share, even anonymously, use the comment form below.  

Link from Lisa is here. (Sorry our comment system blocked it).  It's NZ consumer institute warning over buying stuff online from VistPrint. My suggestion? Get the word out about this whenever Vistaprint is brought up by a client. We can all marvel over their super growth, online tools and slick production technologies, however this is simply bad business practice. Thankyou Lisa for this valuable information.

Comments (5)

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written by Lisa, December 10, 2007

Please comment on this:
http://www.consumer.org.nz/new...t warning

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written by Roger H, March 18, 2007

I was always told that the better and more professional it looked, the more hits my web site would get. How wrong they were!

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written by Andrew, March 16, 2007

The key to all this is the holy grail i.e. Google Rankings. Strangely - we are a small regional printshop which results in a top 5 hit with Google when including our region in the search. This is more luck than good management as the site is home built with little ranking knowledge.

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written by John S, March 10, 2007

It's often said print is a reactive not a pro-active industry. Too many of us have a love-of-print not love-of-money attitude... which is why we're not making any and companies like Vistaprint are.

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written by Brian, March 10, 2007

We saved one of our biggest accounts just by adding online ordering to our web site. They only wanted it to reduce their OWN procurement costs. Yes, we still use it mainly lock in existing clients. Our sales reps don't push it as much as I'd like.