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Economizing on Marketing: Good Savings vs. Bad Savings
Good Savings: Keep your mailing list up to date. Prune dead contacts to save printing and mailing costs.
Bad Savings: Stop mailing. If they don't hear from you during a difficult economic period, your customers may
interpret your "lying low" as "about to go under." You want customers to remember you when they do have the
opportunity to buy.
Good Savings: Simplify. Use standard formats for printed materials. Avoid production costs for complex page
cuts and folds or high-end binding. Reduce the number of different pieces of marketing material that you print.
Print several pieces at the same time to save money.
Bad Savings: Using out of date marketing materials. Your materials need to contain your "latest and greatest"
or you won't look your best. Your pitch and materials won't match, and using a lot of supplementary sell-sheets
creates clutter and confusion.
Good Savings: Work with a good designer who can be creative about saving money on printing. The number of
colors can make a big difference in printing costs, as can the type of paper used (but see "Quality" below).
Bad Savings: Skimping on the quality of your marketing materials. Marketing materials that are poorly designed
or badly executed can undermine the credibility of your business.
Good Savings: Take advantage of lulls in your business to invest in marketing development, as you've been
meaning to.
Bad Savings: Implementing the marketing plan you developed two-years ago, just because it's ready to go.
Good Savings: Consolidate mailings to save on postage and printing costs, e.g. use one monthly or bi-monthly
mailing rather than using separate postcards for each sale or news item.
Bad Savings: See "Stop Mailing," above.
Good Savings: Use printed materials appropriately for each marketing situation.
- Save full brochures and marketing packets for people who have already expressed interest in your
products or services.
- To attract interest at networking events, use postcards or similar formats
- At trade shows, consider using single page or bi-fold pieces that respond to the
visitor's specific interests, rather than giving each visitor a folder with a
brochure and six supporting pieces. Your booth and computer display provide
credibility; an elaborate marketing package is less critical.
Bad Savings: Being stingy about the number of copies of printed materials you display or mail.
Good Savings: Be creative about using the Internet. Rather than print a lengthy mailer, do a smaller teaser
with a link to more detailed or specialized information on your website. Supplement print pieces with electronic
newsletters. Use electronic communications for late breaking news.
Thanks to Stephanie Aaron of Aaron Design, Inc. for her suggestions for this article.