Jack Gocher caught up with Chris Minn, the founder of The Digital Ink, amidst the flurry of activity at the PRINTING United Alliance booth.
Chris, who wears multiple hats across the print and media landscape, discussed his advocacy for print software and his passion project dedicated to industry wellness.
Software, the unsung hero
Chris is a strong advocate for technology, arguing that software is now essential to the industry’s survival. He draws a direct link between a piece of machinery and the system that feeds it.
“To be quite honest, without software, there is no industry,” Chris says. “We take the purchase of the press very seriously, but that press is in effect useless if it hasn’t got the right software or the right energy or marketing behind it to drive the jobs.”
He says investing in software is about future-proofing and changing the mindset of print service providers (PSPs) to ensure longevity of success.
The Digital Ink, which Chris founded, offers much more than traditional marketing. While they deliver go-to-market strategies and creative campaigns, their core offering is technical marketing, focused on driving leads to sales by ensuring the entire workflow is efficient.
They partner with a sister company, Smart Elephant, to provide professional services that integrate web-to-print storefronts, product builds, and APIs.
Chris explains, “We add the strategy. We add the creative. We add the go-to-market energy. Ultimately, what we look at is selling the solution.”
Chris on AI
The agency is also leaning into the ever-evolving world of Artificial Intelligence (AI) by working with Smart Elephant, which brings AI intelligence directly into their marketing. This allows them to harness extensive data and offer a turnkey solution for digital marketing in print.
Chris’s advice to businesses is to first check: “Is the sales funnel healthy?” and secondly, “Are you using your software or your web-to-print software correctly?”
Sh*t for Brains
Another project Chris is working on is Sh*t for Brains, a mental health and wellness organisation he co-founded. The idea was born at a Dscoop event after a raw and authentic speech about the struggles within the industry.
Chris recalls, “It was very apparent, the more the conversation went on, that we’re not all being honest. As an industry, we generally say, ‘Yeah, things are good, things are great,’ but actually are they?”
The organisation aims to be a resource for the industry, helping people who are struggling with issues like payroll and the daily pressures of running a business. They work as facilitators, organising confidential quarterly sessions with professional medical individuals.
“Our plan is take this to the whole print industry and our aim is to keep helping at least one person each time,” Chris says.
Sh*t for Brains has a private LinkedIn group, where people can join, listen in, and access resources. The success has been immediate, with Chris receiving texts from participants getting in touch, which demonstrates they are already reaching and helping more than one person per session.
To find out more, connect with Chris Minn on LinkedIn or visit The Digitak Ink