Whenever you see any of instantprint’s marketing material, you might wonder where the ideas came from, this is where our Marketing Manager Craig comes in! Craig loves thinking of new ways to inspire our customers whether that be an amazing print campaign, or thought provoking emails and social media content. Craig oversees a team of designers, writers and PR professionals who collectively create amazing content to help our customers feel inspired, and ready to make an impact with their printed material.
We caught up with Craig to find out about his time within the company and delve deeper into what he thinks makes instantprint so unique within the print industry.
How long have you worked at instantprint and how has your role progressed in that time?
I started off in the business 6 years ago as a Marketing Executive and within a couple of years, I progressed into an SEO, PR and Communications Lead before becoming the Marketing Manager 2 years ago!
Instantprint’s culture and the support I’ve received over the years from our Head of Brand, Laura Mucklow, is the reason I’ve succeeded in my role. I look at every day as a new opportunity to learn and improve. One thing which has really assisted me in my current position is Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle, which I took from his book “Start with Why”. This model explains how iconic leaders like Steve Jobs inspired their customers and staff alike by having a clear understanding of their businesses “why”.
What does the average day look like for a marketing manager at instantprint?
No two days are ever the same! The easiest way to describe it is by saying I cover quite a broad spectrum of the marketing mix. I look after affiliates (who earn commission by promoting our company), SEO, email and CRM (customer relationship management tools) due to our multichannel approach. as a whole because we have a multichannel approach to our CRM along with being involved in the PR and social media strategies.
Effectively, I am in charge of overseeing all of the brand’s activity. I am involved in the ideation and signing off of our marketing campaigns, allowing our incredible marketing team to create the content and assets required to make sure that we get the best results from our marketing efforts so our customers can elevate their businesses with print.
How does your role fit into the instantprint customer’s journey?
If I was to pinpoint how my role fits into the customer journey, I would say that my job is all about getting people on to our website! Pretty much everything you see and interact with before you make a purchase is what I’m ultimately responsible for. From our social media posts that are full of inspirational ideas to our thought-provoking blog content which helps our customers with their business ideas, I make sure that the information you receive is relevant and beneficial for our customer's businesses.
The various communications you receive from us are strategically sent to ensure that your business can be as successful as possible. We ensure the content we create helps you make the most of print! Your business's success is at the heart of all of our marketing collateral.
What do you think makes instantprint so unique?
As a business owner myself, owning a hair salon, I can empathise with some of our customers' struggles. I am by no means a graphic designer, so I love the fact that instantprint checks every piece of artwork through their unique 10 point check. I love knowing that if I have any questions I can go on live chat or pick up the phone and speak to knowledgeable print experts. I feel confident knowing that if I have any questions or concerns that the team is on hand to alleviate any fears and that every single print I’ve received has been 10/10 in terms of quality. That’s what really makes instantprint stand out!
What has the marketing team been doing recently to stand out?
We recently ran an amazing PR campaign around neurodiversity. As a brand, we consulted with experts within the neurodiversity field to understand how workplaces across the country can support neurodiversity within the workplace and we’ve seen great success from this campaign so far!
If you want to read more about our neurodiversity campaign, you can check out our blog which was even been referenced in publications such as Huffington Post and HR News.
How do you make sure that customers are receiving relevant information through marketing?
The key to making sure customers are consistently receiving relevant information is having an ears to the ground approach. We really listen to what our customers wants and needs are. I always tell the team how we’re so much more than just a printer! For example, to help our customers there are two main pillars to our blogs, Printspiration and Think Big. Printspiration is all things print inspiration - hence the name! Our Think Big section is completely business related, where we explore a range of topics from the benefits of using video marketing in your marketing strategy to how to get more work as a freelancer.
What’s been your favourite marketing campaign to work on?
As we came out of the coronavirus pandemic, one of the final industries to reopen was leisure and hospitality. To support this sector, we sent these kinds of businesses cocktail menu examples. This meant they were able to see the product for themselves, but also help inspire the owners with amazing new cocktail recipes and design ideas. This campaign really lifted the spirits of business owners who were keen to order print ready to welcome their customers, some of whom used very similar designs to ours!
What should our customers keep an eye out for around instantprint’s marketing in the coming 12 months?
I would say as a customer, the marketing channel I would be most excited to look out for is our emails. We’re currently going through the process of shaking up our marketing strategy, so there are lots of amazing campaigns coming to our customer's inboxes soon. It’s a really exciting time to be a subscriber of the instantprint marketing emails! Create an account today and make sure your marketing preferences are set to receive emails to keep up to date with our latest products, ideas and inspiration!
Tell us about your downtime hobbies or a random fact about yourself
I initially got into marketing because I wanted to be an international pop sensation. I did a degree in Music and Promotion with a view of creating music that I would self-publish and market myself – I had visions of selling out arenas and becoming Rotherham’s answer to Beyonce. During my degree, I really fell in love with marketing and public relations, and uncovered a natural flare for business I’d never have known existed in an Innovation and Entrepreneurship module that was part of my course.
I also love house plants and have around 22 in my house, my favourite being my Monteria Deliciosa that I’ve named Cynthia. She sits in my living room, has a weekly drink and gets a lot of attention for looking fabulous – so really, we have a lot in common!
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