Back in the good old days, if people were excited about your business, they told each other — over the fence, at the water cooler, etc. Today’s world is different. People are overbooked, with very little in-person time to share thoughts on companies or give recommendations. Add in all the apps for curbside/in-store pickup, and there’s no longer even chatter while waiting in line.
Still, referrals are essential. For a graphic designer, realtor, accountant, lawyer, lender, broker, or other service provider, familiarity is what makes the sale. But advertising or direct mail can be expensive. Instead, capture more leads and referrals by creating materials your customers can pass along for you! Here are some ideas:
Companion coupons — Smart retailers like Kohl’s build their clientele through annual “Friends & Family” events. They offer coupons, promotional credit card opportunities, and more through printed pieces and emails that customers can pass along. This concept is a great one, but to get people to be your messengers, the offer has to be mutually beneficial. Give customers “points” or rewards for the number of your coupons they hand out. You can track these with referring name mentions or unique codes, which can be created easily through digital printing personalization.
Usable promotions — Banks, churches, and realtors give out calendars to stay engaged with their customers. Since they are kept for a year, they get exposure to relatives, neighbors, and friends as well. Consider more unique items such as notepads or sticky notes, cell phone carriers, custom playing cards, or wall art. It’s best if you can align these components to your business. For example, a pet-related business could offer window decals on which people could list their animals in case of a fire. Service providers could print tip percentage info on the back of their loyalty cards. You could even consider die cutting your piece into a usable instrument that parallels your business.
If you opt for the calendar route, make sure yours stands out. Add foil stamping, use unusual coatings, print on a novel stock, or include an eye-catching embellishment. You could also personalize the imagery or actual dates to your business. Restaurants could showcase a recipe of the month from their menu items. Accountants can list estimated tax due dates, early-year reminders of what to save, end-of-year tax-saving strategies, and other tips. Your Digital Lizard rep can offer you tons of business-building ideas!
Branding materials — For entrepreneurs (especially professional services providers), branding material is key. Business cards are often the one thing a customer keeps as a connection. Do what it takes to stand out. Your business cards can be oversized, have a perf-off panel (or two), offer discounts, boast 2-D barcodes to capture leads.... whatever your creative mind can imagine. With digital printing, it's even affordable to do a number of different versions of your business card. For example, you could have multiple card backs, each showcasing your specific experience or certifications in particular industries. You could also add or swap out a photo on the front, and test out which image pulls best for you. As to actual production, go with something remarkable. Round corner or die cut it, use fluorescent or scented inks, emboss or deboss it, print it on clear plastic, or even look into biodegradable or earthy stock. There are many intriguing digital printing possibilities that are both effective and affordable. Purposefully done, these can become pieces that start the conversation — and win new sales!
As one of the nation's largest digital printing providers, Digital Lizard can provide you a vast range of digital printing services to help you grow your small business. Call us today at 702.852.3400, email info@digitallizard.com or click below.
