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.

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.

BOOKMARK MARKETING STRATEGIES - The Power of Bookmarks

Want more business? Need a very cheap promotion that really works?  A custom printed bookmark is an affordable strategy that produces very high ROI . Here’s why, Everybody appreciates a free gift that’s useful.  Printing and distributing bookmarks is a savvy way to gain market share. If you could reach everybody in your market area that reads books, do you think your sales would grow quickly?

Custom bookmarks with your message are frequently seen multiple times a day, a week and a month. Every book reader moves bookmarks from page to page. Each time they see your bookmark, your brand is strengthened and reinforced passively without sales stress.

The best part of bookmark marketing is you can print 10,000 extra heavy 16 pt. 2 X 8 with full color bookmarks on both sides with your choice of free high gloss UV or matte coating for less than $ 250.  That’s .025 cents each. You can make your own bookmark, hire a professional print designer or  have Color Printing Pros design it for you.

Many sizes and finishes are available. Choose from 2 top quality card stocks. Heavy 14 pt. is available as well as extra heavy 16 pt.  Both weights come with your choice of free UV or matte coating that protects the card from fingerprints, scuffing or scratching. Want to add something to catch attention, optional spot UV coating is available.  

Our custom bookmarks come in 7 different sizes- 1.5 X 7, 2 X 8, 3 X 4, 3.66 X 4.25, 8.5 X 2.75, 8.5 X 3 and 8.5 X 3.66. Pick the size that best fits you need.

About The Design

When designing your bookmark, you need to consider your bookmark as  being an asset to your customer.  To create a value bookmark, you must have an eye-catching photo, illustration or graphics.  If your company has its own colors scheme, use it. You may want to use an inspirational message to give the bookmark value. A poem, proverb, famous saying or funny cartoon gives it value.  You can use a small logo and /or your business name stating

"Compliments of  (insert your business name here)"

The back of the bookmark is the selling place. To give your bookmark more value, offer a coupon, discount or other deal. Your logo is important for branding. Don’t forget your name, address, phone number and website URL. QR codes are handy to add on your bookmark so customers can find you easily. It can be scanned to add to smart phones or to take customers directly to your website. Be sure to put a strong call to action on any marketing promotion.

Personal custom printed bookmarks starts a friendly relationship between you and your customers that your competitors won’t have.  Bookmarks can be a powerful promotion for organizations, charities, medical practices, retail stores, free promotional gifts, coupons, high traffic area handouts and more.

GET A HIGH ROI WITH CHEAP BOOKMARKS

Cheap bookmarks are an affordable promotion for small and local businesses that don’t have the resources to do expensive advertising and marketing campaigns. If your business isn’t growing because you don’t a budget or plan for a marketing promotions, you need to find a strategy that’s fast, cheap and effective. When sales are low and new or old customers aren’t buying your products or services, it’s probably because your brand isn’t in their mind so you are losing business that could have been yours. Buyers need to know what your company can do that will make their lives better and they have to remember your brand instead of your competitors.

A low cost solution to the problem is to create a powerful affordable marketing promotion campaign. One idea is to find an online wholesale custom bookmarks printing service. Everyone likes a free gift that can be used to promote your brand with a useful, soft sell bookmark. Full color bookmarks are so cheap you can give them away. They’ll work and be kept for a long lifetime because they’re useful. Bookmarks are very popular and every time anyone opens their favorite book, they see your name and contact information. When they need your product or service, your brand will be in their mind so they don’t have to look far to get your information. If they are searching online, they will find your competitors and your chances of making the sale are greatly diminished. Custom printed bookmarks with your logo, name, address, phone number and an inspirational or useful message will get attention. If you give them away as handouts, your distribution costs are $0.

If you’re creative and have a flair for design, you can design your own bookmarks but be sure to know the file requirements. The other option is to ask your printing service if they have a design department or you could hire a professional graphic designer that specializes in designing for printing. If your printing service can do it, you may what to work with them. The price may be lower and it will work like an insurance policy so you don’t get caught in the middle of a potential problem.

The message on your bookmark is important so here are 4 ideas.

    1.    Put a social message on one side and a marketing message on the other, for example, “Love is Reading with your Child” or “Shop Local” on one side and your promotion, “Pipe Pros Emergency Plumbing Service”, 24/7, Call 123-456 7890 on the other. Make an offer that can’t be refused. Add a code on the card so you can easily track the success of the campaign. What you put on the card is up to you, but make it powerful enough so it will have some value and will be saved.

    2.    Put emergency services and contact information on one side and your message on the other.

    3.    Print your local high school football and or basketball calendar on one side and your promotion on the other.

    4.    For take-outs and local restaurants include a few photos. Give a discount with a code so you can track the sale to the promotion.

The idea of any marketing promotion is to create sales and reinforce your brand. This is where graphic design is important. Your bookmark needs to be visually exiting. Color combinations, fonts, photos and illustrations have to capture the eye and hold attention to be effective.

When you consider the investment and risk compared to the good will and potential ROI, custom printed bookmarks are a very effective marketing strategy.