In less than three years, Mark Krenn has taken San Diego’s Coastal Creative from theory into practice as a successful specialist in digital large format graphics.
“Everything we do to promote the business is on the Web,” says Krenn, outlining his marketing strategy. “We don’t do any other type of advertising; we don’t even wrap our own vehicles with company name and contact info.”
Yet the business has surged—driven by Krenn’s ability to attract and serve a growing roster of corporate accounts with multiple locations, including Marriott Hotels, Crunch Fitness, and Holland Partners Development.
“Client retention has been a big thing for us, because when we can retain clients, they tend to refer others to us,” he says. “I do everything I can to make sure working with us is never a hassle.”
Conventional wisdom holds that before you can keep clients you must find them. Krenn turned that notion around, putting his emphasis on making it as easy as possible for potential clients to find his company online.
“If someone who needs your services can’t find you on Google today, it’s as if they can’t find your front door,” he says.
Inside Opportunities
Just a few years ago, the entrepreneurial-minded Krenn was a dissatisfied project manager with a construction company when he started considering a new career path that would allow him to be his own boss.
Krenn sensed an opportunity in the way architects and designers were starting to use digitally printed wall murals and floor graphics to transform building interiors. “From what I could see, demand was strong and would only continue to grow,” he says.
Krenn decided he wanted to be a provider of those services and studied the sign and graphics industry in the two years prior to launch. He consulted several shop owners and managers about services, operations, and challenges and researched production methods and the latest digital printing technology.
Fully aware of how competitive this business can be, he knew he had to stand apart in a crowded field. Krenn decided the Web offered the most cost-effective path to break out and reach his target customers.
“I did a lot of research on search engine optimization (SEO) and looked at the Web sites of companies, trying to figure out why some placed so high in search results and others didn’t,” he recalls. “SEO is what can get you past the gatekeeper. Done right, it’s how they will find you.”
Krenn partnered with consultant and SEO specialist Joe Robison and together they built the company’s Web site (www.coastalrepro.com)—fully optimized to appeal to potential business clients. They opted for a “corporate look” with a simple yet sleek design throughout the easily navigated Web site. On every page, the emphasis is on digital print services and relevant information about them.
Krenn’s research taught “keywords are important but content is really key” to good search engine placement. Visitors can click on any type of sign or services offered and get a quick education on what they need to know to choose materials or order signs and graphics.
Versatile Investment
Though the Web site suggests Coastal Creative was an established, full-line supplier of large format signs and graphics, the business actually launched in Krenn’s 400-square-foot garage.
For the first six months, it slowly grew, as he and Robison refined their online marketing strategy.
“Our goal was to be a primary source of information on the services we provide,” says Krenn. “We posted a lot of articles and did a lot of link building.”
Then came the one call that changed everything.
A representative of the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina found Coastal Creative through a search and contacted Krenn one Saturday to inquire about graphics for a rebranding campaign.
Krenn assured the Marriott that whatever they needed he could provide. He had his proverbial foot in the door.
Respond and Agree
How Krenn handled that call demonstrates other aspects of his approach.
First, he says, whenever someone expresses interest in services, response time can determine whether or not they become a client. In this case, he was there to take the call. In other situations, he strives to address every inquiry ASAP.
“You have to respond in a timely manner, especially early on when you are trying to build a relationship,” he says. “For me, one of the keys to succeeding has been never telling anyone ‘no.’”
In his communications and promises, Krenn also sets realistic expectations.
“I make sure clients have a clear understanding of what I can provide,” he says. “If all they want is fast and cheap, that’s not us. We’re here to provide them with a quality product they will be happy with, with a reasonable turnaround.”
The project for the Marriott Marquis entailed print and installation of nearly 2,000 square feet of graphics. It included colorful wall murals, elevator wraps, and floor graphics, all printed on his Roland VersaArt™ RE-640 sixty-four-inch, eco-solvent, roll-to-roll printer (then the company’s sole piece of hardware).
The client was so pleased with the new look that they showed off pictures of it in their company newsletter. Soon representatives of other Marriotts and other businesses were calling.
A follow-up project required printing and installing similar graphics for the opening of Marriott’s 4,000th hotel, located in Washington D.C.
A Home of Its Own
By late 2014, Coastal Creative had a good referral network in place, and its investment in SEO was drawing more site traffic and job inquiries.
To help legitimize the business with some corporate accounts, Krenn decided he had to move the business out of the garage.
“I needed a real brick-and-mortar location,” he says, noting that additional space would allow him to expand the scope of Coastal Creative’s operations.
With relocation to its present 2,500-square-foot facility, Robison assumed official responsibilities as marketing director, and David Netherey joined the business as account manager.
To keep pace with growing demand for a range of print services, Krenn upped production capacity with the purchase of the wide format HP Latex 360 64-inch printer, the Graphtec FC8600 vinyl cutter, and a cold roll laminator.
Together with the Roland, the equipment line-up now allows Coastal Creative to complete most jobs in house. (Note: When a project requires direct-to-substrate printing on rigid material, Krenn outsources that to a service partner equipped with an EFI/VUTEk flatbed.)
This can-do approach is reaching his target customers and drawing more ambitious projects.
For example, Coastal Creative provided a turnkey service when advertising agency MeringCarson wanted to convey its expertise, “We Move People,” in its San Diego office.
Krenn worked with a photographer to capture the images, then everything else—design, printing, contour cutting, and installation—was handled by the Coastal Creative staff. It’s just one among hundreds of projects completed to date.
Clearly, it’s been a good two years for Krenn and company. “The biggest surprise has been how quickly we grew,” he admits.
But as he’s shown, with the right focus and strategy, and a little luck, overnight success is still within reach, even in this highly competitive business.
By Mike Antoniak
Photos (Top to Bottom): Marriott Marquis; Crunch Fitness, El Cajone, CA; MeringCarson, San Diego.
