Eight Tips For Marketing Your Business Through Print

Traditional print marketing has seen a decrease with all the increases in online marketing. Some feel that it is simply easier to market online and that it will reach a greater target market. The truth is that although they are reaching a great variety of potential clients and customers, they are still missing something. In order for your business to truly succeed, you might want to consider marketing through the internet as well as on paper. The following are eight tips for marketing your business through printed media.

1. Stay Within Your Budget. You might think that you need to break the bank in order to get the influx of customers and clients that you really want. In fact, if you are not careful with how much money you spend on marketing, you could end up not having enough for production. Before you begin the process, come up with a budget and commit to sticking to it. After you have a budget in place, speak to the company who will print your media and find out what sizes and design layouts will get you the best prices.
2. Plan, Plan, Plan. Before you come up with the design for your printed ads, make a plan. Then make a plan to carry out your plan. Being completely organized is the best way to find success through your marketing campaign. Be sure that everyone on your team understands the purposes behind the ads. Be sure that each person on the team knows exactly what their responsibilities are. You want the message that you send out in print to be clear and concise and the best way to achieve that is by having everyone on the same page.
3. Keep It Simple. The simple truth is that people do not want to read for five hours to find out what you are trying to sell them. A brief but compelling ad will make you more attractive to potential customers and will hold their attention a whole lot better. Don’t cram a lot of information into a small space. If you are printing a small postcard, use fewer words. If you are printing an entire brochure, you can use a little more information.
4. Use It Online. In addition to using your ad in print, you may want to consider using it online as well. As you design it, keep that in mind so that you will be able to use the format in an online setting. If you have your ad in print and online, people may connect the two, giving more thought to your company.
5. Print Multiple Items. After you come up with a theme and a design for your printed marketing media, consider printing multiple items. This includes business cards, letter heads, flyers, brochures, post cards, magazine ads, newspaper ads, and more. There are a lot of places that you can have your ad printed, giving you more exposure to more potential clients and customers.
6. Find Your Market. Before you spend money printing your ad everywhere and anywhere, take some time to find your target market. For example, printing a sewing machine ad in a sports magazine probably wouldn’t get you the attention that you want. However, printing that sewing machine ad in a craft magazine would. Understand your target market and where they will be looking so that you can have the most success with your printing.
7. Track It. If you are going to print multiple items, consider using different contact information on each. On your flyer, you could put a 1-800 number. On your business card, you could include your cell phone number. On the brochure, you could include a web address. Track the progress of each method so that you know which is the most effective in your marketing techniques.
8. Good Placement. When you are going to have your ad printed in a magazine or a newspaper, consider paying a little bit more to get a better spot. The newspaper and magazine companies will know which areas get looked at more and which ads get more attention. They will probably raise the price for those spots, but if that is what gets customers in the door, it could be well worth the extra cost.

When it comes to marketing, you want to be sure that you are using the most effective methods. I believe that through a combination of online marketing and printed media, you will have the most success for your business. Follow these eight tips so that you can be successful at marketing in print.

Lawrence Reaves writes for Conquest Graphics, a full service printing company offering brochures, magazines, statement stuffers and post cards. Go here to see how they can help you grow your business.