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Do-it-yourself marketing materials?
Q: "Should I create and print my own marketing materials, or would it save time and money to outsource this kind of work?"
A: When you ask the question, should I produce my own marketing materials, there are two issues to address. Should you be doing the creative and the graphics? Or should you be doing the printing? Certainly, there is some graphic work that we all can do. However, we can never match our talents against a professional graphic designer. I believe whatever money you might save could be lost in effectiveness. Having said that, I insist that every graphic designer I use should produce material that I can duplicate myself with my own color copier.
I believe that every small business should be printing small quantities of marketing materials internally. The reason is simple: quality inkjet and color laser printers are affordable and well within reach of even home–based business budgets. The colors each machine produces are crisp, and the availability of high–end papers make short run printing a good choice. Marketing materials and messages can sometimes change overnight. It's nice to have the flexibility to change, and printing your own materials provides just that flexibility. Many times we are tempted by the low cost of printing 5000–10,000 units. But if you are only going to send out a marketing piece to 322 customers, where are your savings? The days of having store rooms full of extra "stuff" are over.
I believe that every small business should be printing small quantities of marketing materials internally. The reason is simple: quality inkjet and color laser printers are affordable and well within reach of even home–based business budgets. The colors each machine produces are crisp, and the availability of high–end papers make short run printing a good choice. Marketing materials and messages can sometimes change overnight. It's nice to have the flexibility to change, and printing your own materials provides just that flexibility. Many times we are tempted by the low cost of printing 5000–10,000 units. But if you are only going to send out a marketing piece to 322 customers, where are your savings? The days of having store rooms full of extra "stuff" are over.
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