Never fails… you have an idea for a mailer that hopefully will bring you business. You go to the local print shop, describe what you want, go back and forth with their graphic artist and before you know it you’re several hundred dollars in deep between art, print and mailings and no results!

Many business owners make this mistake. Uncertain of what they really need, undefined budgets and a lack of direction can be costly. Planning a print job is not a difficult task if the proper steps are taken and can help you save alot of money.

Project Strategy – Whatever category your print job falls into – direct mail, stationery, product information brochure – the first challenge is to define the goal of your print project. Ask yourself – what are you trying to accomplish with this piece and what is the most effective way to present this message, in other words will be effective as a brochure, or a postcard or some other format. Other points to address are also: Who is your audience. What image do you want the piece to project. How will this piece tie in with other marketing materials or campaigns. How will it support the branding you have done so far.

PreDesign Planning – Find an seasoned graphic designer with marketing experience. Your local printer may have a artist on staff, however they normally are production artists. Their experience is usually to set up artwork for print. The graphic designer with marketing knowledge can help you define the goals of your project and create a piece that will communicate a message to your audience. A qualified designer should have experience with printing and press setups to help you develope a printing budget. Establish your delivery date – make sure everyone is aware when you need your printed project completed. From the designer, down to the printer and make sure you include shipping time.

Get Estimates – Make sure you are aware of the designers cost including any images they use. Stock image purchases are usually not included in a designers estimate. Scanning of images may also be a separate charge. Make sure your estimate includes all these costs. Printing estimate vary on your paper selection, quantity, textures and weight. Your designer and printer can both help in the selection process and find the right paper suitable for your print project and your pocket.

Define your Budget – Combining the steps above should give you a ballpark of what you are about to spend on your print project. If doing a mailer, make sure you get an estimate on postage and mailing. Avoiding extra costs is the point of setting up the budget.

My rule of thumb is for every sale I make, I usually save 40% of my profit and put it towards my own marketing budget. Combining the mediums of printing, advertising, marketing and internet are the ways to communicate to your audience that your business exists. Setting up preliminary budgets with a defined direction will assure getting better results for any marketing campaign.

Tags: budget planning, marketing budget, plan a print budget, print planning, printing

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 11th, 2008 at 4:15 pm and is filed under Marketing Tips, Printing Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.