Do you own a printing business or are planning to start one? In that case, do you already know your target market? If not, you’re going to have to figure it out pretty soon! It’s not enough to offer services to everyone – you need to target a specific group of people who are likely to need your business.
As you already know, there are many different types of printing services. But before you can select which of these to offer, you will need to know who is going to buy from you.
In this article, we will analyze the target market for printing services by looking at the reasons why someone – an individual or a company – might need professional printing services. Then we will analyze the factors based on which people make a purchase decision to go with one printing service or another.
We hope you find this useful.
Who is the Target Market for Printing Services?
To understand the target market for printing services, we will segment it based on the reasons why someone might need a printing service.
By understanding and analyzing these motivations you will be in a better position to offer products and services that your target market actually wants and you will be able to better craft marketing strategies and communications messages that actually resonate with your target audience.
Based on these criteria, we can divide the target market for printing services into the following market segments:
- Consumers who need large volume printing
- Consumers who would like to order non-paper printing
- Businesses who need printed merchandise
- Businesses who need packaging or labels printing
- Businesses that need to print business reports, marketing material, etc.
Let’s take a closer look at each of these target market segments:
1. Consumers who need large volume printing
The first segment of the target market for printing services we will consider is consumers who need to print large quantities of documents. These might be students who need to print their thesis or dissertation or someone who is self-publishing a book.
The key driver for this market segment is the need to print in large quantities quickly and cheaply. They are unlikely to be concerned with the quality of the printing as long as it meets their basic requirements.
This market segment would rather print at home but they cannot handle the volume so they look for a service. They are price sensitive and will look for the best deal they can find.
2. Consumers who would like to order non-paper printing
The second target market segment we will consider is consumers who need to print items that are not paper. These might be t-shirts, mugs, aprons, or table mats.
This market segment is driven by the need for a specific product that they cannot find anywhere else or that they want to be able to personalize. It also includes people who need printing done on special paper. For instance, people who need professional photographs taken may also have a need to have these photographs printed in different sizes or made into a photo book.
This segment is likely to be willing to pay a bit more for printing services as long as they get good quality. Quality will be especially important if they are printing family pictures on objects like clothes, mugs, etc., or in a photo book or album.
3. Businesses who need printed merchandise
This market segment includes businesses that need to get merchandise printed. This could include printing on their own product in which case they will look for quality printing. They are likely to be willing to pay more for this service because the printing will reflect on their product and brand.
But this segment also includes businesses that want printed merchandise for internal use. These could be t-shirts with company logos, hats, mugs, etc. These customers will still expect a decent quality – more than what consumers will be willing to accept – but they will not be as picky as they would be when it comes to printing on their product which will be seen by their customers.
4. Businesses who need packaging or labels printing
This segment of the target market for printing services looks for packaging and labels printing at scale. This could be a shipping company that needs labels for their packages or a beauty company or a candle company that needs labels for their products. Labels that go on a product can be to show the product name or could also be safety labels.
Customers in this segment will be less concerned about quality when it pertains to printing for packaging purposes but they will be sensitive about quality when it comes to their labels which will be seen by their customers.
5. Businesses that need to print business reports, marketing material, etc.
Finally, many businesses, especially large ones, need to make hundreds of copies of annual reports, business reports, advertising material, newsletters, magazines, and of course, newspapers.
This market segment, will almost always, only work with large printing companies that have the infrastructure, technology, and capacity to handle their big orders. They are also likely to be more concerned about the quality since these documents will be seen by their customers, clients and shareholders.
As you can see, there is a wide range of segments in the target market for printing services businesses. The key is to identify the segment that is most likely to need your specific services and focus your marketing efforts on them.
By understanding your target market, you can better position your printing services business to attract the right kind of customers who are most likely to use your services.
How does a customer select a Printing Service?
Most customers use a combination of different factors to decide which printing service to use. For some customers, certain factors are more important than others and as a printing company, you need to understand what your customers are really looking for.
Here are the key factors that customers use when selecting a printing service:
- Quality
- Price
- Speed
- Timeliness
- Customer Service
Printing services businesses need to focus on these key factors in order to be successful. They need to ensure that they provide high-quality products, at a competitive price, delivered quickly, as promised, and with great customer service.
For some customers, some factors will be more important than others. For example, a business that just needs printing for packages will be more concerned with price and speed rather than quality. Whereas a business that is printing its annual report will be more concerned with quality and timeliness of delivery and will be willing to pay more to get it.
Similarly, a consumer will be more sensitive to price but might be willing to accept slower delivery in exchange for a lower price or a discount.
So be sure to understand your target market and the factors that they take into account while selecting a printing service.
Summary
The target market for printing services includes both consumers and businesses. Consumers usually look for one-off printing orders that they cannot print at home. This could be because of large volumes or because they just don’t have the right printer at home – for example, to print on t-shirts, mugs, table mats, etc.
Consumers are generally sensitive to price and are willing to accept slightly lower quality or delays in delivery in exchange for lower prices.
Businesses need printing services for many different reasons. These range from printing merchandise, packaging, labels, business reports, and marketing materials like brochures and leaflets.
All customers of printing services companies look for certain factors before selecting one service over another. These factors include quality, price, speed, timeliness and customer service. Not all factors are important to all customers at all times. So, make sure you understand what is more important to your target market for printing services and where they would be willing to compromise. This will help you find product-market fit and increase the likelihood of you being able to satisfy your customer’s needs.
