Education: The Cornerstone of MPS Marketing

Doc is always curious how companies are marketing their Managed Print Services (MPS), as it's a relatively new field and the rules have not yet all been written. It seems to Doc that the most effective marketing pieces these days spend a fair amount of time educating the customer about MPS. Education is always a great foundation for marketing.

One interesting marketing piece I recently came across was produced by the American Reprographics Company. It does a great job explaining the basics of MPS and is a good primer for anyone in the business or thinking of engaging an MPS professional.

With Managed Print Services (MPS), the accepted basic principles which deliver efficiencies and cost-savings are:

Many small businesses look at one or two of these areas, but in a more comprehensive MPS program, they are looked at holistically. And typically it's difficult to manage the multiple relationships involved with vendors to do this in-house. So finding the right vendor is paramount. The right vendor can consolidate multiple vendor relationships into a single, easier to manage partnership.

So combining each of these principles into a plan, MPS ensures that the needs of a company are addressed initially, but then also continues into a long term partnership between the company and the supplier. The best MPS programs align the goals of the company and the MPS vendor so that both achieve a successful long term relationship. It's not simply about print equipment, a service agreement, or advertised lowest price for supplies. It's about gaining control of the sometimes hidden costs of print.

There is a lot more. Doc says to check it out and see how it compares to your own marketing materials. You might pick up a few tips.