8 Cheap Promotions That Will Strengthen Your Branding

No matter how big or small a business the brand is what customers need to remember. One of the best marketing strategies is printing cheap promotions to attract attention. Everybody loves getting something for free. Here are some suggestions for cheap free give-away promotions that are fun, useful and keep your brand in front of customer’s eyes. 

1.     Bookmarks are a very popular promotion. Since so many people read books, custom printed bookmarks are a great way to reinforce your brand to parents, teens and children. Put a cute photo or illustration and non-selling inspirational or funny copy on one side. On other side, add a strong call to action along with your logo, business name, address, phone number and web site. Your free gift will be used for a long time and every time the book is opened, your brand and contact information will be seen. 1,000 bookmarks are printed as low as $ .13 each

2.     Calendars are always a welcome free gift everyone can use and appreciate. They can be handed out or mailed to your targeted audience. The best thing is they are a full year’s promotion for a very low cost. 5,000 8.5 X 11 24-page full color custom printed calendars cost about $ .83 each. What other marketing promotion can you buy for that little money? It’s a good idea to distribute calendars around Thanksgiving so there is no rush to receive them before the holiday rush.

3.     Magnets attract attention and can be placed on any metal surface. They can promote a business for years. They are available in many sizes from 3.5 X 2 business card to 8.5 X5.5. They can be printed with a team schedule or any other important emergency information like police, fire department, hospital or contacts and your ad can be placed on top or bottom of the magnet. 1,000 business card size printable magnets cost less the $ .17 each.

4.     Membership Cards are a fabulous restaurant or local store promotion.  They are same size as credit cards so they make customers feel like VIPs. They can be offered as a freebee or as a valuable discount when a predetermined number of visits or total amount is spent.  They can keep customers coming back to build and collect their rewards. To make membership card more valuable, offer VIP specials on occasions like birthdays and holidays. If you let them bring guests, your member list will grow and so will your business. Membership cards on 20 Pt. white plastic can be printed on both sides while frosted or clear plastic cards can only be printed on one side. White is the most popular choice for VIP membership cards and 5,000 cards cost about $ .11 each.

5.     Notepads are used by many local businesses including realtors, doctors, dentists, attorneys and lots of other professionals and businesses that want to keep their name close to your eyes. Cheap notepads are available in 25 and 50 sheet glued chipboard backs. They are 5 standard popular sizes including 4.25 X 5, 4 X 6, 5.5 X 3.5, 8.5 X 5.5 and 8 X 11. They are printed on premium 70lb. white smooth offset paper and they can be tinted to any CYMK color you choose. Printing is on one side only. 1,000 pads 8.5 X 3.5 cost $1.20 ea.

6.     Stickers are a collectable marketing promotion. Since customers want discounts let them earn and redeem them for points. Place a value on each sticker and when a given quantity is redeemed, an appropriate discount or item is given to them. The more stickers, the bigger the discount or the more expensive the item. For a collectable promotion, the best size is 2.5 X 2.5 so a lot of sticker can be placed on a sheet of paper. Stickers are available in many sizes and shapes and can also be used as labels. They are printed on 70 lb. crack-N-peel sheets on rolls. 5,000 roll stickers cost $ .05 each.

7.     T-Shirts printed with your businesses logo and a powerful graphics in full color are walking billboards that promote your business. They can be sold with a low markup or regular customers can earn them. Good quality 100% cotton custom printed T-Shirts are affordable and the ROI is very high when you consider the amount of coverage and the length of time they last. T-Shirts are a terrific way to drive new customer through your door. The cost depends on quantity of the order and the brand you choose. They can be ordered in mixed sizes so they fit everybody.

8.     Trading Cards are a novel approach to marketing. If you make new trading cards every month and give them to your customers, it will drive them back at least once a month. Once they collect 12 months, they receive a free gift or reward. If the customer is a regular, they can give a extra card to another person who might start collecting them. 1,000 trading cards cost about $ .12 a piece.

As I said in the first paragraph, “Everybody loves getting something for free.” Any one of these eight marketing promotions will create higher brand awareness in a fun and affordable way. Building a loyal customer base is the foundation a successful brand every business is built on.

BRANDING WITH WOW FACTOR EFFECTS

When someone looks at one of your marketing materials, they are not only reading what is printed. They are also looking at the design of your marketing material as a whole. One way to capitalize on this is to use a WOW factor coating for your business card, brochure, flyer or other marketing material. If you want to highlight a specific area of text, you can use spot UV coating. This works great to highlight a special offer or discount that you include on your marketing material. If you want to give your marketing material a cohesive but unique look, you can use a matte/dull finish. This is an excellent choice for any business that is branding itself as a luxury option.

Because people will hold your printed marketing material as they look at its design and read what it says, their sense of touch also plays a role in how they perceive your company. To stand out from other "flimsy" businesses, you can use a WOW factor stock of 14PT or free upgrade 16PT. By using a heavy stock, people will perceive your business as a strong and robust authority. This will also make people more likely to hold on to your marketing material when they throw other businesses' materials away.

Print stunning gold and silver foil business cards without expensive dies and hot stamping. Color Printing Pros prints top quality foil business cards inline as a 5^th color.  This new cold foil process is easy to make with just a simple black mask were you want the foil. Your business card is printed on a luxurious extra heavy smooth silk laminated cards stock that will create an impressive first impression.

In addition to coatings and stock, when you order your marketing materials from an online printing company, you will be able to take advantage of additional WOW factor options like gold or silver foiled business cards. Ordering online also makes it easy to secure high quality marketing materials that are sold at low wholesale prices.

BOOKMARKS - A GREAT WAY TO MARKET YOUR BUSINESS

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Despite what techies may think, people still love reading paperback and hardcover books.  If you need proof, just walk into any bookstore or library, and you will find plenty of people looking for or enjoying a paperback or hardcover book. 

Since people still read paperback and hardcover books, they still need a way to keep track of how far they have read in a book.  And although it's by no means new or cutting-edge, a bookmark is still the most effective way to accomplish this task. 

When someone is reading a book, they are going to see their bookmark on a regular basis.  Each time they open and close their book, they will see the bookmark that they are using.  This regular exposure makes a bookmark a valuable marketing opportunity. 

Not only is a bookmark a valuable marketing opportunity, but it is also a cheap one.  While marketing with bookmarks can delver a lot of value for your business, it doesn't cost much to print them.  Therefore, even if your marketing budget is fairly tight, you can still take advantage of this opportunity.  In addition to being cheap, when you order from an online bookmark printing service, you will be able to choose the stock your bookmark is printed on, as well as its finish.  Best of all, placing an online bookmark printing order is easy, and you can rest assured that the bookmarks you receive will be very high quality. 

So, what's the best way to market your business with bookmarks?  Well, there are actually several effective ways that you can use bookmarks to market your business.  The first method for marketing with bookmarks is to use them as a giveaway.  You can give them to customers who visit your business, as well as potential customers you meet in person or target through a mailing.  To obtain the best results from this method, you will want to put an offer on your bookmark that will motivate people to come back to your business, or visit it for the first time.  Depending on your business, what you offer can be anything from a special discount to giving them something for free when they make a purchase from you. 

Another way to successfully market your business with bookmarks is to use them to spread awareness about your brand.  Because people will look at your bookmark on a regular basis, it can help you establish a strong brand identity.  For this method to work well, you will want to not only create a bookmark that conveys your brand, but also one that people really like, which will ensure that they continue to use it.  A great way to do this is by incorporating a WOW Factor into your bookmark's design. Using a Spot UV effect can add both a textural and visual experience unlike ordinary bookmarks. The idea behind a full color printed bookmark as a marketing tool is to attract positive attention and create interest in your message. Spot UV coating is an affordable technique that separates your promotion from your competition.

HOW TO GET STRONG BRANDING FOR LITTLE MONEY

In today's business climate, creating a strong brand is the most effective investment you can make for your business. A recognized brand is the best way to make your business stand out from your competitors. By creating a brand that people trust, not only will you be able to claim attention, you will be able to capture it. If you're are able to hold people's attention, you have a customer base.

This means that instead of needing to get your customers, your customers will come to you. Branding is also a best way to cultivate customer loyalty. When you have loyal customers who recognize the quality of your product or serves, they will actually go out and sell for you by recommending your business to their friends, family and colleagues.

While a brand is more than a logo or a slogan, visual communication is a major component of establishing a strong brand. In general, people are visual creatures. To establish and convey your brand and its message, you need strong visuals that communicate the distinctiveness of your business.

It's probably not in your budget to plan for magazine, radio or tv marketing. Use your printed marketing collateral materials and packaging as an inexpensive opportunity to visually communicate your brand to potential and current customers. With printed advertising, sales and marketing literature, you are able to decide how you want your business to be remembered. While many businesses miss this opportunity by settling for marketing materials that are boring and unoriginal, savvy entrepreneurs can make their marketing materials stand out and grab attention using a strong visual WOW FACTOR effect, like plastic cards, silver metallic ink, colored metallic effects, gold or silver foil on silk laminated paper or spot UV coating.

When someone receives your printed marketing materials, they need to be drawn to reading your message, to accomplish this use your choice of eye candy printing effects to create a powerful attention getting visual. You have less than a second to seize the moment.

If you want to highlight a specific area of text, you can use spot UV coating. This works great to spotlight a special offer or discount or call to action. If you want an elegant look matte/dull finish is a good choice for your cards. This is an excellent choice for any business that is branding itself as a luxury option. You can also combine matte aqueous coating with high gloss spot UV coating for a very impressive presentation.

Because people will hold your printed marketing material as they look at its design and read what it says, their sense of touch also plays a role in how they perceive your brand. To stand out from other businesses use lheavy weight papers. Fourteen or sixteen point card stock is a great choice. by using a heavy papers, you will be perceive as a professional quality leader.

In addition to coatings and stock, when you order your marketing materials from an online printing company that offers these unique options, you will establish your business as different then your competitors. This may sound expensive until you acturally see how affordable it is even if you’re a start-up or small business you can level the playing field.