Category: Printing

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How much of your marketing budget should be Digital vs other forms of marketing?

Your marketing budget should be 6 to 10% of your gross revenue. Digital should be 50% of of your budget. (New businesses should allocate 12-20% of their gross revenue).

Can I use all digital marketing?

No, it doesn’t matter how perfect your digital marketing plan is, you should also be seen in other ways to really build your brand. This is especially true when you are a local company selling to a local target market. You need your potential clients to see you as a local community resource. Stress that you are locally owned and operated – people want to support local business.

All business need to take their marketing full circle. You can’t just do one part of marketing and expected to work for you. Remember, it takes 6 to 8 touches before a person makes a buying decision

Some other marketing strategies to add into your marketing plan

• Vehicle Lettering – Vehicle lettering is like a mobile billboard. Your vehicles are driving all through your target area, take advantage of this great exposure and it will also help to strengthen your brand recognition.

• Yard signs – Depending on your business, yard signs are a great way to get your business recognized and remembered. This is one of the least inexpensive form of advertising and helps to build your brand. The more your logo is seen, the more it will be remembered.

• Apparel – Have your employees wear shirts with your company name – In addition to knowing that they look professional when they are representing your company, they will be walking billboards for your company.

• Promo items should also be part of your marketing arsenal. When you do a job, you should leave behind a promotional item, something to keep your name in their mind after you leave the job site.

• Yard Signs are inexpensive and another great way for people to see your name.

• Door Hangers – Again, depending on your business, you may want to add door hangers to your marketing plan. When an installer is doing a job, have them drop off a door hanger on a few houses on each side of the home you are working on. If the homeowner saw your vehicle and saw the yard sign, now they see your information on their door it is a third touch!

• Print Ads – Find a magazine that is a good fit for your business – if you decide to do magazine ads, make sure you commit to at least 6 issues to give it a chance.

• Radio Ads – local radio ads are another great way to build your brand locally

• Billboards – again depending on your business, this may be a great way to be seen

• Every Door Direct Mail – this is a much less expensive option than direct mail. You can target the neighbors on a street you are working on or that you would like to be working on (you choose a postal carrier route – no mailing list is needed). If you use this with a yard sign and a door hanger and vehicle lettering, you have just had 4 touches! Now you are becoming familiar.

• Direct Mail is another great way to get your name out there. Depending on your business I would suggest either a small mailing so you can follow up, or send a larger mailing that goes to the people who receive the magazine that you choose to advertise in. They’ve already seen your name once, now it’s a second hit.

The Most Important Part of Marketing…

Remember when you’re doing any form of advertising the content is the most important piece to your marketing strategy, don’t just tell them who you are and what you can do. Tell the reader you understand them and their problems and how you will solve their problem for them, how you are the solution.

This is the perfect time to look at you marketing mix and make sure you take it full circle!

If you have a question about your marketing or design, email Askjoey@joeyknowsmarketing.com

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Know the Facts…The True Cost of the $9.99 Business Card

Do you really understand what you are getting?

There are always 3 things to consider when making any type of purchase – QUALITY, SERVICE and PRICE. You won’t always get all three, so you need to decide which 2 are the most important to you.

  • QUALITY – they look nice, but if you choose to design your cards and other items on their site using their designs it is just that, THEIR DESIGN. That is a problem because…
  • These are stock designs – Anyone else can choose the same design including your competition – your business will not stand out when others have the same look
  • You do not own the design or the logo you created on their site. Everything done on the site belongs to THEM – you can only use the design on items you purchase from THEM. If they don’t offer an item you are interested in – you cannot put their image on it.
  • When you order the “FREE” business cards, they put their name on the back and say “These cards are printed free courtesy of…” Do you really want potential clients to know that you don’t have enough confidence in your business to invest in printing business cards? Your business cards are the least expensive form of advertising there is – and they are also the most important piece of advertising you have!

When you purchase a logo or a design from Handouts – it belongs to you. Please always verify with your designer that the designs are yours before they do the design.

  • The design belongs to YOU. You can use it on anything you choose. You can build your company image around that design.
  • It will be a design created for you and not shared with others.
  • Your competition will not have access to the same design

SERVICE – if you need to contact someone at the online company, you will speak with the person that answers the phone, there is no personal service. When working with a local company…

  • You receive personal service
  • You are supporting a local business
  • Your design will be carried through all of your marketing pieces
  • If you want a specific promotional item or a direct mail or EDDM piece it can be handled through the same company

PRICE – the $9.99 business cards are rarely ever $9.99 once you add in for all of the extras.

  • We can’t speak for the printing price from other companies, but at Handouts ALL of our printing prices are very competitively priced with online companies at 500 pieces, and at 1000 and higher, we are actually less expensive with better quality AND your designs will be carried through all of your marketing.

Now you know some important facts that you should consider when thinking about purchasing your printed marketing pieces and how it will effect your other maketing pieces.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We would love the opportunity to provide you with a competitive quote on any of your marketing needs! We want to help you grow your business!

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Let’s Start With the Basics!

Take out your business card. Look at it…

Really look at it, objectively, as someone who doesn’t know anything about you or your company, as if you have never seen it before. Feel it, really study it.

Look at the quality of the paper. Does it clearly state the name of your company, who you are and what you do? Look at the design, is it professional?

Does it clearly state the name of your company, who you are and what you do,
is printed on quality paper, is the design professional, clean and easy to read?

As your first impression, is this a company you would entrust with your business?

If yes, congratulations, you are off to a great start in marketing your company!
If not, you need to make a change – RIGHT NOW!

Business cards are the most inexpensive yet important investment you can make in your business. Business cards cost pennies and many times are the first impression someone has about your company…make it the right one!

Tip #1 Make sure all of the information correct. Please, never ever hand write changes on your business cards, it tells people that you are not willing to invest even a small amount in your company. Don’t let a company give you free cards so they can put their advertisement on your cards. When the back of the cards say “ this card printed free courtesy of___” it show that you don’t have enough confidence in your business to invest in business cards…so why should the person you just handed the card have confidence in you?

Tip #2 Design
Carry the design of your business cards throughout all of your print and promotional items to build your corporate image.

If you need help, contact us for a free half hour consultation.