When you have something to offer your target clients, a postcard printing project is the most simple, the fastest and the most cost effective tool to use. It is also the easiest to distribute especially if you’re going to send your postcard printing pieces to your target clients by mail.

And if you’re looking at making your postcards extremely attractive, you should always present your product or service as an item of value and significance. One of the most popular techniques to increase your business’ value is to offer something for free.

That’s right. The most attractive word in any advertising or marketing campaign is the word “free” – free item, free consultation services, free gift. In fact, many believe that the word “free” gives your business the importance that is otherwise missing if you don’t use it in your postcard printing copy.

So when you’re offering something for free, don’t be content in just putting it haphazardly in your postcard printing project. On the contrary, place your “free” where it would be easily seen by your target readers – the headline would be the best place for starters. Always start your headline with the word “free”. It would definitely increase response as well as generate more opportunities to make a sale.

Use “free” often when designing and printing your postcards and see the difference it can make for your business.

Some of the most common means of getting the word out about your business is through print and media advertising. Here are some of the strategies you can use to optimize your marketing tools:

Print Media (via newspaper, magazine and marketing collaterals)
1 – When you’re using newspaper and magazine ads, be sure to get a page that emphasizes power and control for your business.
2 – Choose half-page, two-thirds page, and junior-page advertisements rather than small ones. This ensures that you get exposure without having to pay for the more expensive costs of a whole page ad.
3 – Integrate color when designing your print collaterals such as your catalogs, booklets, and flyers.
4 – Make your print flyers and business brochures stand out with unique images in full color instead of the usual black-and-white.
5 – Always ask for extra treatments especially during your brochure printing, booklet printing, or even in your flyers. You’ll never know how much you can get for less if you don’t ask.

TV and Radio Advertising
1 – For radio ads, it is better to buy ‘commute’ times for its captive audience. It may cost you more but it will be worth it.
2 – Take advantage of the captive audience during the airing of news, weather, sports and traffic reports especially on primetime. This is true for both radio and TV ads.
3 – As for both radio and TV, make sure that you have the right audience listening or watching your ad. If your prospects are not the regular audience of your radio or TV spot, then you’re just wasting your time and money. There’s no sense for you to place an ad if you’re going to be ignored anyway.

Beyond your marketing efforts, you also need to make sure that your most significant element in your business is attuned with the brand of service you would want your clients to remember you by. And I’m talking about your most valuable asset – your people.

Your promotional efforts would be wasted if your people are not equipped with the training and skills to make your brand work. Can you imagine having spent so much on your brochures and flyers or even your business cards, and have it all go down the drain just because you don’t deliver what you have promised?

Branding is not mere advertising. It is most of all, the actual service that you and your people provide when the time comes that your clients make you walk your talk.

You have to make sure that you train your people well. They should be able to communicate and deliver the kind of service you have promised your clients. This is particularly important if your business provides customer service rather than concrete items.

When your people don’t deliver the brand that you have promised in your marketing collaterals, you will lose your clients and that would be the end of your career in the industry.

On the bright side, when you do have employees that can reflect your brand clearly and impeccably then you’ll surely have one successful business indeed.

So how much budget should you spend on advertising?

One expert says that 20 percent of your resources should be put in advertising, including your time. And then you increase your investment by 20% on a regular basis.

Others will tell you to lessen your amount of marketing especially when your business grows. Still some would suggest that you continue to market to the old and loyal clients as well as the new ones.

But when you?re on a tight schedule, you got to make your money work at the fullest. You need to have business card printing items that can provide you with the best marketing tool for your business.

Again, how much budget do you need in order to have an effective marketing campaign?

And I?d answer that it depends on what medium you?ll use to work best as your marketing tool. Will it be in print, internet, radio time, commercials, or even tv slots? The most important thing is to test the medium you?ve chosen to see which can perform and provide you with the best results.

Learn to mix and match your marketing activities and try to cross-match your strategies. When put together, your marketing tools such as your full color business cards can be put to work along with your brochures or catalogs to bring in the success you need.

Even if you think you don’t have time to market your business, or that you’re too busy completing one job and the next, you’ll need to promote your business when the dry season comes.

Marketing your business through collaterals such as flyer printing can bring about growth in your business. You can always rely on promotional flyers to help you advertise even if you do it while completing such mundane tasks as answering the phone.

Here are a few ideas to help you enjoy marketing your business:

While sending your invoice. When you’re about to send your invoice to your clients, why not insert a flyer or two, or add a couple of lines to advertise your service. Your flyers can be placed inside envelopes and boxes, along with your letters and outgoing packets.

While recording a voice mail. Include a few lines on how your clients are “guaranteed” the best service when they get your answering machine. Even with misdialed calls, you can catch a few prospects that might just need your particular service.

While asking your clients for referrals. You might want to try to market your business and ask for referrals from your current clients. You can always offer a free gift or special discount as an incentive. The more clients they can refer to you, the bigger the incentives. Send out a letter or a postcard and tell them about your referral incentive. Your clients may just need a little push if they haven’t already done referring you to their relatives.

Marketing your business need not be a bad experience for you. You might be surprised how enjoyable it can be, especially when you see the outcome of your marketing campaign.

Well it’s like this. I had a major migraine when last week I was in an office where I was supposed to give my brochures to some of the executive officers of one of the companies in the city.

So I was met by this guy who was supposed to be the executive assistant of the vice president, and he took my packet. I took off then, but I turned around because I forgot to give a letter. It was then that I saw the executive assistant opening my packet and when he saw that it was a brochure he proceeded to put it in the trash can.

What nerve! It was later explained to me by an officemate that this is the way with most big companies. The executive assistants often screen the documents and letters before they ever go in to the executive’s office. She said that I’ll just have to find a way to make my brochures sent straight to the big guys.

She proceeded to tell me what she herself did with her own promotional materials. She got her president to write a personal letter to the head of the company. And voila! Her brochure was read by the president himself.

So yesterday, I did the same. Today, we got a call from the executive assistant asking for a presentation from us. The strategy was a hit.

So if ever you are in need of a tactic to get your promotional ad sent straight to the highest officials, get your letter signed by your president. It’s a president-to-president thing. Who are we to argue?