Cheap and Creative Small Business Print Marketing Ideas

If you’re a small business owner, you know how difficult it can be to compete with the big fish in your industry who have seemingly an unlimited marketing budget to work with. Even if you don’t have a dedicated, in-house marketing team, you can still make the most of your marketing toolkit to increase brand visibility and boost sales. How do you know where to allocate your dollars?

In a recent survey conducted by FedEx office, a whopping 9 out of 10 consumers voiced that the quality of printed marketing materials hints at the quality that the company provides through service and goods. The same survey revealed that the good majority of consumers, 85 percent to be exact, would rather take their business to companies that have professionally printed material. The numbers show that print marketing for small businesses isn’t just an added luxury in the marketing toolkit, it’s a vital part of branding and credibility!

Check out these small business marketing ideas that will save you money and make your brand shine.

Branded Posters that Customers Will Actually Want to Hang Up           

Unless your brand represents a social movement or has incredible recognition, chances are consumers won’t want to have your logo plastered all over their clothing and homes. The alternative is custom posters with a visually appealing design that your customer base can connect to. Include your logo off to the side. Posters are great giveaway option that people can hang up in their homes or workplace, or even gift them to someone else who may appreciate the content.

An auto repair company can have car posters in the reception area for customers to take home. Realtors can create posters with unique homes from around the world. Having a logo and website or social media handle in the corner is a subtle way to still promote your brand, while not being too promotional in your approach.

Postcards to Give Away

Like branded posters, having a small stock of fun postcards for those who walk into your store to take with them is a subtle way to spread your brand. These can be related to your industry or just designs you think your customer base would enjoy. Include contact info for your company on the blank side. Whether someone chooses to hang up the postcard or send it, the card serves as a constant reminder of your brand.

Postcards Announcing Limited-time Sales or Upcoming events

Apart from announcing sales on a website and social media, spread the word on a company special through postcards. Whether you choose to send these as direct mail or hand them out from your business, postcards are great to include event information for someone to hang up on the fridge or coupons that people will keep.

Re-purpose Business Cards into Loyalty Stamp Cards

To save money, re-purpose one side of your business card into a stamp card. This tactic works well with industries that expect regular customers, such as food and beauty services. The choice of what incentive to provide for a filled-out card is yours.  Having the promise of at least something to look forward to will encourage customers to keep the card in their wallet.

Take-Home Menus or Catalog Brochures

When most of our searches for products and services take place online, your small business can easily get lost in the mix. Feature a menu or catalog of services in a brochure that customers can take home to look over. As with many other small business print marketing ideas, printed menus repeatedly flash your brand name in all sorts of places, even when consumers may not be actively looking. Another low-cost option is opting for flyers that are easy to stack up on a counter.

Book Publishing

More and more, small businesses are looking to become thought leaders in their respective industries. What better way to be considered a thought leader than by self publishing a book? Creating and distributing a book publicizes your philosophies while opening up new doors (speaking gigs, consulting projects, and more). 

ZoePrint offers high quality paper choices and modern printing technology to deliver excellent quality at affordable prices. If you’re looking to spiff up your small business’ visibility through print marketing, try out ZoePrint.com and get instant quotes and online proofing to streamline your order! Cheap printing for your small business has never been easier.