is a bespoke product that you are creating for them, and they do not want to get it wrong. So, in print, more so than in many other industries, hand-holding is quite an important part of the business, especially with newer customers.” For all these reasons, Bodimeade stresses that a customer service approach must not change, and that you are still there for any questions a customer may have and are there if any problems arise. We all know the frustration of calling a helpline and being directed back to the website for support! Custom landing pages for products are highlighted by Bodimeade as another great way to improve a site. These are pages dedicated to a specific group of products which have an expansive and diverse range such as business cards. “Something to steer clear of is sliders,” Bodimeade adds. “We have written a whole article on why these are not a good idea to have on your homepage, along with the data to back this up. An alternative to sliders are ‘call to action’ groups where you can promote offers or products, but you can ‘weight’ them based on their importance, but they all remain visible and non-distracting.” With web-to-print a popular term that also refers to ‘upload-to-print’ and ‘designHopkins says, adding: “We utilise a range of tools to collect feedback, but the most valuable source is the relationship we have with our client services team. They provide us with a wealth of information that we can leverage to create positive user experiences for our clients.” Promote Your Website Specially designed for the print industry, VB Media is a custom-built website platform that gives customers control of their website. Used by hundreds of printers across the UK, VB Media has API connections with print trade suppliers which enables users to easily add their products as well as send orders through directly. “We have built VB Media in-house from the ground up with key metrics such as speed and security a measurable priority,” explains Wayne Bodimeade, director, product manager, and lead developer of VB Media. “It is not based on any pre-existing platform which allows us to update and develop with more freedom without the worry of add-on conflict or depreciation.” Something Bodimeade highlights that has been echoed throughout this entire feature is the importance of customer service and the fact that this doesn’t just end when you move away from a physical storefront model. “Just because you have a website, customers will not all follow the same channels into your business, it takes time for customers to ‘switch’ channels,” he says. Therefore, some people need a bit more guidance and new customers will want to know that a business is legitimate and may want to contact the business to gain a level of trust. “This is all due to the nature of print. It online-to-print’, Bodimeade says one of the ‘challenges’ with the online-design approach is that you have non-designers, designing. This has led to some instances of customers not being happy with the finished product due to it not looking professional, despite the fact that they themselves designed it online. “Online-designers definitely do have their place though, and work extremely well where there are pre-designed templates in which only the content needs to be personalised,” Bodimeade adds. “One such ‘ideal’ for this are closed storefronts where sites are provided for a single company to order through. Artwork set-up is a challenge for the upload route, with potential issues coming from either unintentional or inexperience mistakes. However, there are some great new API-driven pre-flighting services which are much more affordable for the average printer, on the horizon.” Bodimeade says these should make the whole upload-to-print process less prone to disappointing results and more efficient by automatically highlighting potential issues at point of upload.” Something VB Media gets asked regularly is what a customer’s potential return on investment would be for their website, something Bodimeade describes as completely the wrong approach. “A website should be viewed the same way you would view your telephone,” he says. As a utility and a route into your business for your customers. “It is there for you to direct customers (both previous and potential) to, so that they can see what you are offering, what you can do for them, and what sets you apart from the competition. Many people think that’s a ‘no-brainer’ and that what I have just said is so obvious that they certainly don’t think like that. “However, those same people will also complain that they have not had any orders from their website when there is absolutely no marketing in place, but apparently it’s still the website’s fault.” Something Bodimeade says he cannot stress enough is that a website’s success is completely tied to the marketing a business puts into it. Whether it’s a link in an email footer, to being included in leaflets or magazine advertising. So, from a focus on customer service and user experience to promoting your website as part of a wider marketing effort, a strong storefront can no doubt help to drive new customers to your business, and make purchasing and ordering print nice and easy. And if needs be, there are a number of successful trade online printers ready and waiting to help with any print needs you may have. ▼ VB Media is a custom-built website platform that gives print customers control of their website jobs produced each week from Route1Print’s state-ofthe-art 100,000sq ft factory 8,500 64 email: news@printmonthly.co.uk July / August 2023 - Issue 343 BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES / WEB-TO-PRINT
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