VALUE LINE COMPATIBLE TONER CARTRIDGES BRAND MANAGEMENT
(CONCEPTION TO PRODUCT MANAGEMENT)
Dealer relations and assuring trust are major components of being a manufacturer of ink and toner products. At InkCycle, we operated with a sense of transparency in that we shared with our customers’ the accurate country of origin for all of our products. As a US-based manufacturer, it wasn’t feasible, nor possible, to remanufacture all products state-side. In 2012, we began to fill the need for reliable, imported toner cartridge that our resellers could trust.
With this change came a new way of marketing to our resellers. The entire TonerCycle/InkCycle dealer brand was revamped. I led this rebranding throughout the company and touched every level of customer interaction to ensure the reseller was aware of the change, understood our new product line and was prepared to sell it by utilizing our in-house marketing department for support collateral.
Responsible for:
- Devising and implementing a plan to market new, imported product line to existing database of dealers, as well as reaching out to new and current prospects. Advertised in industry magazines, utilized SEO search parameters, email marketing, direct mail, trade show displays and social media.
- Designed packaging, communicated with China-based company on ensuring brand guidelines were met in packaging and for installation inserts.
- Designed, printed and packaged support sales materials for product. Dealers received collateral custom for their use, while sales staff at InkCycle received their own custom collateral that spoke to the need of their prospect.
Results:
- Import line of products surpassed sales of domestically-produced within two months of launch.
- Value Line sells at a rate of 3:1 over domestically-produced products.
- Return percentages of Value Line remain under one percent overall. Domestic line is around 5%, with only 1% of those being defective.
- Voted by Dealer Network the "Best New Product" of 2013 and recognized by Recharger magazine's Readers Choice Awards as "Best New Product" in 2013.