Every once in a while, something comes along that is so easy and offers so much benefit that you think, “Why isn’t everyone doing this?” In print marketing, that “something” is using an e-commerce portal to store, manage, and order print documents. An online portal saves you time and money, and often in ways that you wouldn’t expect.

Let’s look at four of the key benefits.

1. Save money. Once jobs are set up in the system, all you have to do is log in and order your documents the same way you would a product off Amazon. No more playing phone tag with your sales rep or waiting for email responses. Remember, your time has a dollar figure attached to it. How much do you make per hour? How long does it take to place, manage, and track an order? Every time you or someone else touches an order, it costs you money. The more you can automate this process, the more you save in real dollars.

2. Consistent branding. When your files are uploaded to a central repository, you can lock down key branding elements, such as colours and logos. No matter who orders the documents, whether on-site or off-site, your branding will be consistent. If you want to enable users to customize certain areas of your marketing documents, such as using their own headshots or contact information, you can enable those permissions while keeping the rest of the document intact.

3. Fewer errors. With an online portal, all pre-approved aspects of the job are locked down. No more, “Oops! Who forgot to embed the fonts?” Or, “Who ordered the old version of the menu?” You know exactly what you are going to get—every time.

4. Usage tracking. Which brochures get used the most? Are there postcards you haven’t used in years? Which pieces of marketing collateral do your salespeople find the most useful? By generating reports about the usage and ordering of your documents, you can weed out what’s not working and focus on what is.

If you haven’t created an online print ordering portal with us, what are you waiting for? If you have, great! Set up a time to talk to us about using all of the features to make sure that you are getting the most out of it.