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General => Industry News/ Announcements/Press Releases/Product Promotion => Topic started by: printavo on May 14, 2019, 07:19:05 PM
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You're worried about Custom Ink.
Your customers send you designs they made on Custom Ink and ask you to print them. They don't even use your online design tool!
You've had tense conversations with a fairly big client: "Why don't your prices match this quote I got online?"
Every time you check Google for screen printing, Custom Ink comes up. You're probably thinking, "How am I ever going to compete with this massive business?"
Here's a secret: you already have exactly what you need to compete with Custom Ink, and it's something they'll never be able to match. It's customer service.
You can't beat Custom Ink with advertising
The sheer scale of Custom Ink is unrivaled. They have a huge network of contract printers and a robust infrastructure for fulfillment. But more importantly, they've invested heavily into advertising, marketing, and SEO tactics. You should invest in those (amazing) tools, too – but don't believe you'll be able to beat Custom Ink just yet.
Just a few examples:
- Custom Ink paid $4.5M for a Super Bowl commercial.
- Custom Ink has an army of software developers, designers, engineers, economists and expert marketers.
- Custom Ink pays for space on MLB backstops and prime-time broadcast advertising.
- Custom Ink invented an algorithmic fulfillment system with a coast-to-coast contract printing network.
- Custom Ink were the first to market with a robust design tool connected to immediate fulfillment.
Unless your shop is featured in the nearest ballpark and shows up on the first page of Google when you search for "screen printing," this post probably isn't for you. But for the rest of us, there's still hope – despite the overwhelming odds.
You are not Custom Ink. That's good
Although David and Goliath is a great story, you're not destined to a cage match with Custom Ink. They have their market, and you have yours.
Custom Ink dominates the internet with custom apparel and their designer tool (and, unfortunately, this has led a lot of shops to believe that an expensive designer tool is how to win customers, despite a lot of data saying otherwise).
Read the full article here: https://www.printavo.com/blog/stop-worrying-about-customink (https://www.printavo.com/blog/stop-worrying-about-customink)
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That was a very informative and excellent article!!!
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Just last week one of our local middle schools sent me their quote, and link, from CustomInk. We can always beat their price, and give the personal service and care that they can't. There are some who are pleased using their service, and very happy I'm guessing with what they get. That's OK, CI still is good helper for us. We have been approached a couple of times by them, but they want to really overwhelm you at prices below your norm. So we said no thanks. I'm sure it's very good those that do their work and can make a profit, but I do know of one shop that went down when CI pulled their work from them. I don't think a shop should let one customer be too much of their business...
Steve
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I've never started worrying about Custom Ink. I worry about what the eventual failed attempt will spawn off.
There is a model that could be closer to what most of our shops offer customers, but Custom Ink isn't it.
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The article is 100% spot on. Furthermore, the people who want to work with local businesses or even just the people looking to work with the non "mass-market" printers in my experience have been way more pleasant to work with.