Change is the only constant, right? For the office equipment channel that change looks a lot like a tsunami. The BTA’s “Capture the Magic” event made this sobering reality crystal clear. Held on September 14th and 15th in Las Vegas, the event allowed dealers and vendors to gather, to learn, and to discuss the most pressing challenges faced by the channel in a generation. Here are our top 5 takeaways:
In person is BACK!
COVID hasn’t gone away but the pandemic certainly has. There were no masks, no lingering fear, no physical distancing. Hands were shaken, laughter was shared, meals were enjoyed together, and it was the first event in a couple of years that felt like events of old.
Marketing should make money
There was a great dealer panel moderated by Kevin Marshall, President at Copy Link Inc., that had dealer marketing execs sharing how they approach marketing to support sales. All of them made it clear that social marketing is essential in 2022 and that measuring results is not only easy but critical. For re-targeting efforts, Instagram and Facebook proved to be the most economical bang for your buck, while LinkedIn, though more expensive, is a great option for directly targeting key decision makers. Haley Grigsby, Marketing Director at Fisher’s Technology, Andy Smalley, Director of Marketing at FlexPrint Inc., and Scot Olson, Director of Marketing at Les Olson Company, all shared incredible insights into how marketing is done right.
Hybrid work is playing havoc with A3 in the office
Although this shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to anybody, A3 print volumes continue to take a hammering thanks to a remote/hybrid work culture that looks like it is here to stay. Still, looking at the numbers is sobering and allows dealers and OEMs to start planning for a future with far fewer pages. Randy Dazo, Chief Strategy Officer at Keypoint Intelligence, received a TON of questions after his presentation, clearly illustrating just how top of mind the A3 freefall (and the need to adapt) is to the future of their businesses.
LinkedIn marketing is no longer optional
One of the stand-out sessions at the BTA event was given by Earl Everson, Owner and Principal at Elite Document Solutions. He did an incredible job making it easy for dealers to understand just how important using LinkedIn has become for business owners and executives. Earl has built himself quite a following on LinkedIn and uses it as one of the primary engines for both his marketing and sales efforts. Starting out as “the little guy” in a town like Chicago wasn’t easy, and Earl talked about how he changed the game using LinkedIn to raise his brand awareness and build customer trust.
Dealers were definitely interested in learning more, and there was question after question directly related to how they could better use LinkedIn for their own marketing and sales efforts. Earl is (at least in this channel) leading a movement in the shifting marketing mix post-pandemic.
The “Top 100 MPS Influencers” were out in force!
Recently Tigerpaw Software released the 2022 edition of the Top 100 Influencers in managed print. The leaders and influencers on this list were everywhere at the event in Las Vegas! It’s no wonder: These influencers are seen often at association events as they are constantly looking to learn and deliver learning for the betterment of the channel. It was great to see them all there!
Were you at the BTA “Capture the Magic” event? What were some of your favorite moments? What stood out the most and what kinds of things are you taking back to your office? As the channel continues to evolve and change, the work that organizations like the BTA are doing is more important than ever.
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