How to Promote Your Business with Business Cards, Postcards, Brochures, and Greeting Cards

culled from:overnightprints.com

With so much attention placed on the increase of online marketing, it is easy to forget that traditional direct marketing is a viable way of getting the word out about your company. Online marketing is easy to track and cost-effective when promoting time-sensitive material like discounts or sales. Using a print marketing campaign coupled with developing solid online strategy can add greater leverage to sales.
Even small businesses with a limited budget can take advantage of printed materials by keeping a few tips in mind when designing business cards, brochures, and other promotional items. A well-planned marketing campaign that takes advantage of both print and online promotions gives business owners the best of both marketing worlds; a better return on your investment can be expected.
When designing a marketing campaign, choose a layout that works well with both online and print content. To build brand recognition keep things consistent and use the same colors, logos, font, and tag lines.  Your website or online ad should be the place where people can request reading material like catalogs, brochures, or fact/tip sheets. Likewise, printed materials should include not only your company’s phone and physical address, but any URL addresses to your home page, social media pages, blogs, and YouTube. Providing both print and online sources of information will allow greater opportunity of exposure to new and existing customers.Â
You need not worry about creating big elaborate marketing campaigns as the large established brands do for their products. After all, they started out as a small business at one point. Keep in mind that you can stay within your budget by generating business cards, brochures, and post cards. A successful marketing campaign depends on the plans and the implementation of those plans; follow-up emails and/or phone calls is a way of connecting with your customers and building on referrals that are more likely to do business with you again. The local Chamber of Commerce, Better Business Bureau, rotary clubs, and other associations offer workshops and provide suggestions for promoting your business. Use this guide as a way to get started in planning your marketing campaign to leverage online and print promotional material to reinforce your brand, boost sales, and increase revenue!
Direct Mail is Still Effective!

• Consumers prefer direct mail!
• Fifty-percent of consumers prefer direct mail rather than email.
• The new USPS Every Door Direct Mail ® program is very economical for small businesses!
• The Direct Marketing Association offers resources and tips to effective print marketing.
• Learning to use direct mail effectively will help your business grow.
• Post cards offer an economical alternative to more costly direct mail options.
• According to experts, postcards have a 94% success rate of being read compared to a 14% success rate of promotion letters being read.

Build Your Brand with Business Cards!

• Use business cards for effective networking!
• Maximize your business cards with the right information!
• Effective business cards should always be one of your first marketing tools for online and traditional businesses.
• Design your business card to stand out with a unique tag line, design, or message.

Provide Value with Take-Away Materials

• Use white papers or free reports to reach a targeted audience.
• Use brochures distill your message into easily accessible formats prospects can carry with them.
• Create an effective brochure by clarifying the purpose that you wish the brochure to accomplish, create an attractive design and include an effective call to action!
• Remember, brochure designs are of no use without an effective marketing materials and strategy
• Market your brochure with a personal touch. Enclose a personal letter that gives prospects the name and number of someone who can answer questions or take their order!

Promotion Opportunities for Printed Material

• Direct your business promotions towards a segmented market. Target your prospects and plan brochure content, cards, and postcards to appeal to your target group.
• Take advantage of opportunities to make your brochures, and promotions stand out among the competition.
• Low-cost marketing ideas include promote your business by exchanging business cards, and joining joint marketing ventures within your community.
• Promoting a business is more than simply having the right brochure, business card, greeting cards or flyers. Combining well-designed printed material with a clear promotional plan will increase your business and build brand recognition.