3 Ways to Make Your Own Marketing a Priority

The topsy-turvy chaos of the last year made many people finally understand the importance of making self-care a priority.

From eating better to getting more exercise to finding connection in new ways, no longer will anyone bat an eye if you say you need to take a little time for yourself.

But what about your business? Is your print business being cared for in a way that you can ensure it will continue to weather whatever storms may come?

The print and marketing industry is unique. A large part of what you do is helping other businesses take care of themselves by getting their message out there and helping them to connect with their audience through print.

And, yet, so many printing firms tend to put their own direct mail marketing, their own relationship-building, on the back burner. Their intentions are good, but they just can’t seem to get themselves and their own marketing to the top of the priority list.

That needs to change!

3 Ways to Make Your Direct Mail Marketing a Priority

If you recognize this need in your business and you’re ready to make a change, here are three ways you can make your own direct mail marketing a priority.

1. See Your Print Business As Worthy.

Making marketing a priority comes down to your mindset.

Is your business worth the effort it takes to invest in marketing to keep it thriving? Of course, it is. But the action (or inaction) on your part may be conveying a different belief.

Why is investing in your own direct mail marketing so important?

Imagine your printing business as a beautiful garden, if you will, and your marketing as the water it needs to grow. While you can care for and work in that garden every day, the reality is that if you don’t water it, it will dry up before your eyes and ultimately not survive. A shriveled-up garden not only loses its enjoyment, but it also loses its bounty, its output, and it can quickly become obsolete.

Is your garden beginning to dry out a little? Now is the time to put out the sprinklers and start watering consistently!

2. Put Yourself on Your Production Schedule.

Consider for a moment all the appointments on your calendar right now.

More than likely, you have appointments to take care of your clients’ needs. You probably have appointments for your own personal care, such as doctor and dentist appointments. But is there time blocked off on your schedule for marketing yourself – for watering your own garden?

Never forget that your own direct mail marketing is
the most important print job you’ll produce each month.

Check out these quick tips for effectively implementing a regular direct mail marketing campaign:

• Make it easy on yourself with ready-to-print direct mail marketing available for download each and every month.
• Plan ahead and pre-schedule time in your production area to personalize, print, and mail your own marketing materials.
• Keep your mailing list current and updated. Remove bad addresses and add new businesses as you go.
• Spend a few hours each month personalizing your mailers to optimize their impact on your particular market and customer base.
• Mail on time – the same time – every month to create a steady connection and relationship with your prospects and customers.

3. Remember the Point of Marketing

The purpose of marketing has gotten lost in the continual onslaught of advertisements that are hurled, unapologetically, at consumers day in and day out.

But marketing doesn’t need to be that way. Marketing shouldn’t be that way.

What if marketing was simply a tool to let others know you’re here to help them, that you care about the success of their business, and that they have a friend in the print world?

Marketing is about putting your oxygen mask on first (by sending your own marketing), so you can ultimately help others with there’s. By watering and caring for your own garden, you’re helping other businesses to water theirs. This is the point of marketing.

Rachel Nies, the Marketing Director here at Marketing Ideas For Printers, says it this way, “Your marketing shouldn’t be about striving to be the best marketer. At its core, marketing should be about helping others. When the pain points and struggles of your audience are made clear, use your marketing as a platform to say, ‘Here. This will help,’ and mean it.”