The goal of any company website is to provide information to customers. In most cases, it is offering data on products and the business itself. However, a website can also be used to communicate ideas, such as trends and success stories.
 
This led Kao Collins, Inc., Cincinnati, OH, to develop The Ink Tank, its new blog and knowledge center. Kristin Adams, marketing manager at Kao Collins, said that showing how digital printing is changing the way we live was one of the key inspirations behind The Ink Tank.
 
“We’re witnesses to a really exciting time in our industry, right now,” Adams said. “Digital printing is everywhere, and when you think about it, in just a matter of years, it’s transformed how we manufacture, sell, communicate, purchase and consume, throughout the world. We wanted a space to showcase not only what our customers are doing with inkjet, but also what all innovators, creative thinkers and industry leaders are doing.
 
“At Kao Collins, we believe that any opportunity to talk about inkjet is an opportunity to facilitate growth in the market, which in turn, is good for everyone,” Adams added. “If nothing else, it’s just cool stuff to look at.”
 
Adams noted that the The Ink Tank features a wide variety of content, including articles, interviews, videos, lists and infographics. For example, there is a list of 20 unique product packaging ideas, and another of 16 innovative bus wrap designs. There is an informative piece on direct-to-garment printing and another on the differences between UV and EB curing, and a Q&A with Kao Collins founder Lawrence Gamblin, and an infographic in the history of printing.
 
 One key was to make the site interesting in terms of features and appearance.
 
“Besides having a ton of interesting content, we designed The Ink Tank to be attractive, easy-to-use and accessible to people from within and outside our industry,” Adams said. “Content is well categorized, searchable and easy to share.”
 
Adams added that the company is always looking for new ideas to share with its viewers.
 
“We have lots of ideas for new content moving forward, focusing on innovation and thinking outside the box,” Adams said. “We’d love to hear from colleagues on content and features they’d love to see on The Ink Tank.”
 
Adams said that the reaction to The Ink Tank has been excellent.
 
“We’ve had an unexpectedly great response since launching,” she noted. “Lots of people have not only viewed the blog but also signed up to receive emails as new content is added.”