Looking for some new business cards? Check out my list of 8 great places to get business cards online for less than 20 bucks. How do I know they are great? I have personally used each one of them (some many times). Who is your favorite? Read more →
Have a business or website that sells products? Try mailing a “mini” catalog to prospects or current customers.
If your business survives on selling actual products, you must have a website, storefront, or large catalog that displays your merchandise. Many of your buyers don’t need a generic message such as we sell toys or an expensive large catalog of every toy you sell. Rather, try hitting prospects with a small, yet effective reminder you sell interesting, popular, and new toys. The image, description, and price for a few hand-picked toys is an efficient way of giving the reader a few choices, and at the same time a tool to find more at your website or storefront.
Online printers have made creating mini-catalogs very easy and inexpensive. Start by making a short list of your best selling, most popular, and newest products. If you can grab their attention with these products, odds are they will take the next step and visit you to learn more. Next you need a print provider. Use the links below to find a printer that best suits your needs and budget. We have given you our best picks. Each of the printers below offer 5.5 x 8.5 booklets that you can use for your mini catalog. The amount of pages is up to you. Even just a small 4 to 8 page booklet will carry a small selection of products and your message.
Once you have found your printer, the easiest way to create a catalog is to start by downloading a template. This way you are sure to meet the printers specs. Use this template to add your own colorful images, descriptions, and creative. Add your name, phone number, and website to every page.
You will find that creating and ordering your own mini-product catalog may not be as difficult or expensive as you think. By creating a mini-catalog you cut down on the high print cost of a larger and heavier booklet. The smaller and lighter the booklet, the more inexpensive the print and mail costs. Remember you don’t have to display the exact product that the reader needs, you simply need capture attention and drive traffic to your business or website and make that sale.
My pick for color catalogs and mini-catalogs: PsPrint
Want a marketing piece that is difficult for anyone to throw away? If so, hand them a calendar – A shinny new 2009 Calendar with your business and colorful pictures. You are sure to have been the beneficiary of a calendar at some point in the last year? Whether it be a custom print or twelve months of cute little puppies, it’s something that is hard to forget to throw away.
In the last few years the advances in printing technology coupled with the availability of online print services, has made marketing pieces such as custom calendars, easy and less expensive to create as you may think. Many of the online print services I have reviewed in recent times offers custom calendar prints as a regular product. You will find that some printers offer 2 types of custom calendars – static or personalized. Static calendars will be one that you create and each calendar will be exactly the same. Personalized calendars would be printed on a digital press and can be designed to include the recipients name or other personalized information and even images. Personalized calendars are becoming extremely popular as they are sure to grab attention and impress.
Each printer of course has its own specs, sizes and requirements. The first step is to find your printer. I have done a little of that work for you. See below for my picks. Prices will vary depending upon the amount you order, size of the calendar, and the type of complexity of the print (personalized). Step 2, find the best 12 images that will capture the audience that will receive the calendars. Try taking some funny pictures around the office, local landmarks, or even purchase 12 images online of a certain topic or interest. The printer will do the rest. Many offer calendar services with software and templates to choose a look and feel and create the days and months.
My pick for custom Calendars: PsPrint Custom Color Calendar Printing at PsPrint