Unlock the power of print with fulfilment marketing
Fulfilment marketing can help drive sales and promote your brand identity. Find out how outsourcing the process can help you to grow your business.
We live in a time of unprecedented technological advances. Artificial intelligence and augmented reality are transforming the way that businesses do business. It's an ever-changing landscape with winners, losers and also-rans. But in this silicon dawn, is there still room for good old-fashioned print?
In a saturated market, it helps to diversify. That means embracing as many different channels of communication for your brand as possible. Online ads are important – but some people hate them to the point of installing an ad blocker. Mailing lists are important – but some people open their inboxes with all the enthusiasm of a parent opening a nappy.
So, however many prongs your marketing strategy has, you shouldn't underestimate the power of print. Fliers, posters, and brochures are all means to engage customers the old-fashioned way.
One great thing about print is that it can arrive in the post with your product. It's not a dead cert that customers will engage with the marketing materials in their parcel – but it's better to have them there than not.
However you approach it, branding and marketing are important spokes in your sales wheel. But for young businesses, it can too often fall by the wayside. The rigours of keeping a business afloat mean that some things get thrown overboard. This is where outsourcing can make the difference between a rusting wreck and the pride of the seven seas.
Third-party logistics companies, or 3PLs, specialise in handling and fulfilling orders for you. But many offer more than just picking, packing and dispatching. They can also take care of print materials, helping you to make a strong impression on the doormat.
It's not for everyone, but it's something that can give a much-needed leg-up to many businesses as they begin to evolve from a start-up into an established brand.
In this article, we take a look at the possibilities of print and how – and when – it could be the right choice for your eCommerce business.
What is fulfilment marketing?
Fulfilment marketing means using the product delivery process to promote your brand. This usually involves print-based extras that can either adorn or be included in your parcels.
And like many other aspects of the fulfilment process, it can be outsourced to a third party.
As with all forms of third-party fulfilment, you're giving the job to a specialist to do. In theory, you get the best of both worlds: marketing materials to make your parcels shine
and more free time to help your business grow.
Using print in this way has two main purposes: to spread the story behind your business and to turn one-time customers into loyal supporters.
But to work, it needs to put those customers first while staying true to your brand. And like all business decisions, it should be driven by data as well as instinct.
All of this is well and good – but if you're already struggling with a bulging to-do list, it can easily get pushed down to the bottom. It's at times like these that outsourcing can be a good option.
How does outsourced fulfilment marketing work?
Simple: a third-party logistics company (3PL) takes care of printing and distributing print marketing for you. You tell them what you want to be added to packaging and parcels and they take care of the rest.
It's important to note that outsourcing fulfilment marketing doesn't mean relinquishing creative control. The branding is yours – the only difference is that a separate company is doing the routine fulfilment tasks for you.
When is it time to outsource?
The main reason to outsource fulfilment marketing is the main reason for outsourcing anything. Why do a job quite well when someone else can do it
really well for you?
If your business is growing, you probably don't want to be spending your days inserting flyers into parcels – and you probably don't yet have the budget to pay for someone to be on payroll just for that one job. In this situation, outsourcing can be a real help.
However, not any old 3PL will do. There are certain things to look out for to ensure the partnership is viable and serving your business's interests – not just ticking boxes before clocking off with a smile.
What should you look for in a 3PL that provides fulfilment marketing?
When exploring the world of third-party fulfilment marketing, there are four things you should look out for.
The first is scalability. For most businesses, growth is the point – or a big part of it. If there's an upper limit to what a 3PL can do for you, take your custom elsewhere. You'll only end up leaving them eventually.
Secondly, you need a company that's flexible. A one-size-fits-all approach will only make you feel like you're wearing too-tight shoes. You want options – and you want a contact at the 3PL who's responsive, communicative and clear.
Next, you want a company that uses a high-quality warehouse management system (WMS). This is a digital portal through which you can check your inventory levels and data relating to deliveries, returns and refunds. A good WMS will be automated so that you get the updates you need in real time. This massively reduces the chances of crossed wires between you and your 3PL.
Finally, go for a 3PL that gives you a dedicated area in its warehouse. That way, you're far less likely to get your stuff jumbled up with another client's.
The bottom line
Print marketing can be a powerful weapon in your brand arsenal. But it's not always easy to execute successfully when it's competing with the rest of your to-do list.
This is where outsourcing fulfilment can make all the difference – a professional service that creates spaces in your day you thought were gone for good.
Are you looking for third-party fulfilment marketing? Stowsafe is a trusted
fulfilment and storage provider that offers a fully bespoke service from start to finish. To get started,
speak to a fulfilment expert.
