In today’s technology world, it’s never been easier to start a small business. And yet, it’s still challenging to run a small business successfully. When your budget is limited, marketing your business can be difficult. In this article, we will discuss ways your business can stand out using something as simple as custom notepads.
Standing out today is harder than ever. Did you know the average person has to read a message 7 times before they remember it? And that’s just the average. So repetition is the key to increasing the chances of prospects and customers remembering your name.
At Captain Notepad, we have some ideas that are sure to help get your business noticed. Everyone can use an extra notepad for jotting down ideas, making lists and keeping track of their busy lives. The great thing is, you can add whatever you want to your custom printed notepads, from your business name and logo to pictures, a calendar, important phone numbers, sports schedules or marketing messages. The possibilities are endless. Custom printed notepads featuring your company’s logo and contact information may be just the thing to help them remember YOU!
Brand your business
Whether it’s hospitality or real estate, people get attached to brands. Ask yourself: how is your brand different from your competitors? Are you the most experienced? Have the best reputation for quality? What sets you apart? Make sure your key differentiator is included in all of your marketing materials.
Offer something useful
Good salespeople get into the mindset of their customers. Business travelers, for example, are always looking for ways to ease the pain of traveling. Homeowners may need help managing a renovation project. And keeping track of to-dos, in general, is a constant challenge for most people.
So why not offer your prospects something that makes managing their lives easier?
At Captain Notepad, we offer hundreds of options for custom printed notepads. Choose from a variety of pre-designed styles featured on our website that are geared towards the business traveler:
- The Honey-Do List
- My Packing List
- Coloring Customized Notepad
- 2015 Goals
Or maybe your customers are more of the do-it-yourselfers. Is your hotel hosting a conference for engineers? How about graph paper custom notepads.
We know that it takes people at least 7 times of seeing something to finally remember that name/brand, so why not take advantage of that and give your consumers something that they will use every day.
With a lot of clutter out there with marketing materials used to brand businesses, it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle. The key to getting people to notice you and want to use your business, is by being creative. And what better way to do this than by using custom printed notepads.
Get creative with your notepads
Since you have a very short time to get your customer’s attention, a simple but different idea will get your point across much faster. You want potential clients to stop for a moment and be able to recognize your business. If a person is presented with a piece of your marketing material and can’t walk away knowing your business name, then you're not grabbing their attention.
Let’s look at some options that might help you stand out:
- Captain Notepad’s promotional die-cut collection
- This notepad gives you a little more pizazz. It instantly communicates the idea of houses for sale or a helping hand. These die-cut notepads can really help you stand out from the collection of standard rectangle shaped notepads everyone has sitting in their drawer.
- Special hardcover journals are ideal for loyal or repeat-business customers. (Be sure to include handwritten note for a personal touch.)
- You can upload your favorite artwork, plus your logo and contact information to our Web site and our talented designers will get you a proof to review in just 24 hours.
Think outside the box
Ready to try something really different? Think beyond notepads with Captain Notepad’s other promotional items. Here are just a few ideas to get you started:
- Print the game schedule for the your region’s favorite sports team to thank people for their business.
- Custom magnets with your logo, so your phone number is always handy.
- Order stickers to place on gift bags or give to your customer’s kids.
- Mini-calendars, great give away gift at the end of the year!
- Include a pen with your contact information on it. After all, nothing goes better with notepads than pens!
When you think about it, marketing is simple really. Keep your business’ name in front of as many customers and prospects as possible, so when they need your services, you’re the first one they call. Thankfully, Captain Notepad makes ordering promotional items for this goal a snap.
We pride ourselves on providing professional, high-quality notepads that truly reflect your branding message. That means that all of our notepads are tailored to your specific needs. Naturally, we have plenty of designs to choose from, but we can also print any custom design.
Do you prefer a special color combination? Need a magnet attached to back of a notepad? No problem. We’ve got you covered.
And because we know running a business can be hectic, we make the ordering process as easy as possible. And as you might expect from a company that specializes in custom printed notepads, we’ve created a helpful checklist for you to use before placing your order.
Know your market
Take a moment to jot down a description of your typical customer. Include their age, gender and income level. What kind of mindset do they have? Do they gravitate toward certain brands? If so, which ones? Why do you think that?
You can base your description on casual observation of your current customers or dig deeper on the Internet for more in-depth research. In addition, your local chamber of commerce might be able to give you statistics about a specific neighborhood or town. Chances are you know who buys from you already. When you have a clear picture of who they are, you’ll be able to tailor your marketing promotions to others like them.
As for your promotional material, look at styles that match their interest. Are they eco-friendly living in a hip urban area or are they traditional living in the burbs. At Captain Notepad, we have options to fit all those needs so that you can customize your promotional materials to your customer.
Be professional
It sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised how many small business owners try to cut corners when ordering promotional items. We get it. You are busy running a business. But when ordering something like notepads, which most people hang onto, it’s important to take the time to make sure your customized logo and contact information are printed correctly.
Be sure to use your company’s most current and approved logo. This is especially true if you’re part of a franchise or larger corporation (The same, of course, holds true for taglines or advertising slogans). After all, would you buy something from a place still using a logo from 1989? It tells prospective customers that you’re cheap or don’t pay attention to details. Always present your business professionally.
There’s one more reason to align your marketing materials so they comply with corporate branding guidelines — you can ride the coattails of recognition from their big-budget, national advertising campaigns.
Now you’re ready to order your customized notepad, here’s a notepad cheat sheet to help you get started. For more information on how we can personalize your order, contact us at 888-268-7237.
Notepad Order Cheat Sheet
Our talented designers will set up a proof and email it to you for approval within 24 hours. Plan on 7 to 10 days, plus 3 to 5 days shipping for your completed order to arrive. For more information, check out our list of frequently asked questions or contact or customer service dept. at 1-888-268-7237 and [email protected].
Here’s all the information you need to have one hand:
- Contact information: Name, cell phone, email, Web site, physical address
- Marketing message: Is this a thank-you gift or an acquisition promotion?
- Quantity of notepads
- Company Logo—We accept JPG, TIF, EPS or PDF with fonts embedded at 300 dpi.