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.

POSTCARDS - A Cheap and Effective Marketing Tool

Postcards are one of the oldest direct marketing tools that are still effective today.

In our high tech digital world low tech postcards are still the best, fastest working direct marketing tools ever. If you don't believe me, check your mailbox. Don't think the companies that stuff your mailbox are stupid. If they didn't make big bucks, you wouldn't get all that mail from the same companies over and over again.

Postcards Get Noticed

A well-designed inexpensive postcard campaign with strong call to action copy will keep your company at the top of the mind of customs.

Postcards Are Cheap

Postcards when compared to other marketing tools are the cheapest to print than they ever have been. Online printing companies make it easy to find the best value cheap postcards without spending a lot of research time. As a matter of fact, full color postcards are cheaper than two color cards were just a few years ago, so you get more bang for your buck. You can buy 5,000 4.25 X 6 high quality full color postcards for under $160

Postcards Are Read By Almost Everyone

It's harder not to read an interesting postcard than to avoid reading it. An eye candy design and a compelling offer can catch your eye and it's difficult not to read it. Nothing else in your mailbox can capture that much attention except a large check from the government. Most junk letters never get opened unless they looks official. People don't have the time or care to read. Flyers can also have too much to read and they instantly get tossed. On the other hand, postcards are noticed and read because the message requires just a second to decide if you're interested or not. They don't have to be unfolded and they don't waste time with a lot of words.

Postcard Campaigns Return a High ROI

If you plan on sending only one postcard, you may be wasting your money if you are trying to determine the results.You don't have to have a huge mailing list to monitor your postcard stats. If you don't have a lot of money to test the direct mail marketing waters- and what small business does-, you can print wholesale inexpensive postcards in short runs of 100, 250, 500 or 1,000. The trick is to send them every 4-6 weeks to the same list. Each time with a different offer. It's not the quantity, but the frequency that keeps your brand in front of your customer.

Postcard Effectiveness Testing is Fast and Easy

Use short run postcards to try different ideas and see which ones have the best returns. Once you know what works slowly increase your mailings and keep on checking results. The best value for short run postcards is about $55 for 1,000. You can send as few as 100 cards at a time to spread your mailing cost. Just make sure you change lists.

Postcard Printing Tips:

1. When buying cheap postcards online, don't buy the cheapest deal you can find. Cheap looks cheap, feels cheap and can represent your company as cheap. Considering the size of a postcards, the paper stock should be the issue unless you are printing hundreds of thousands. The minimal card stock weight should be a heavy 14 Pt or extra heavy 16 Pt.- either UV or matte coated card stock.

2. If you're distributing the card through the mail, the address area should NOT be UV coated. UV coating is a liquid laminate that can't be overprinted with a personalization or address for mailing. There are two solutions for this issue. Order your cards with UV coating one side matte coating one side or pay a little more have your cards printed with spot UV coating so you can decide what is to be glossy. Spot UV coating is an eye candy wow factor effect that will catch attention so your card has a better chance of standing out and getting noticed.

3. Bigger is better when it come to postcards and diamonds. Postcards are available in many sizes. Small 4 X 6 and 4.25 X 6 postcards can be sent at lower postcard postal rates. You'll save money but lose impact. If you're going to do it, do it right.

4. Print "SAVE THIS CARD," you'll be surprised at how many will then save it. If you say it, they will be it.

5. Be sure to put a time limit on your offer. Add a tracking code so you can identify the mailing you sent out. The offer should be redeemable only with that code. Customers like to receive codes because they are identified as being special.

It doesn't matter if you have a small local pizza takeout or you're selling tours to Europe nationally, the key is to make sure you have a "can't refuse" offer and your card looks impressive. You don't have to spend much money to get a postcard campaign going. Plan to send six different postcards in 6 months and you will make money fast and easy once you get your program started. Remember it takes money to make money and cheap but high quality postcard campaigns will make you money and a high return on what you have spent.