Looking for low-cost, professional resources to promote your small business?
If you don’t know where to begin, or if until now you’ve been using a word processing program and cardstock from the office supply store to create “so-so” business cards, it may be time to kick things up a notch.
Online graphic design and printing companies offer an array of marketing products with the small business in mind. Using their easy-to-use online templates, allows you to take part in designing your own promotional products. They supply images you can use as a logo or to enhance your material, but you may also upload your own artwork or photos. Font selection is your choice as is the wording you add to convey to your message to your clients.
Producing products and ordering them online saves gas and time you might have spent driving back and forth to a local designer/printer, and, you can see a mock-up of the finished product within minutes without ever leaving your office.
The images you choose can be added to a variety of other promotional items they offer, enabling you to “brand” your company with matching material. With user-friendly design tools, you can create and order professional looking business cards, pamphlets, post cards, note pads, letterhead, magnets, pens, t-shirts, stationery, and so on.
Other fantastic tools offered by online graphic design and printing companies for minimal costs are: online business cards that can be inserted into your emails; email newsletter applications; and websites.
When you’re finished designing an item, simply review the mock-up for appearance and wording, and if pleased, insert your initials to approve it, select quantities, finishes, your preferred method of shipping, make a payment and look forward to receiving the package.
When choosing an online graphic design and printing company, look for one that is specifically geared for small businesses, entrepreneurs and solopreneurs as they will allow orders in the quantities suited to your needs and schedule, without a penalty. Find one that provides good customer service in a timely manner, ease-of-use templates, and reasonable shipping times and fees.
It’s helpful if your supplier’s website allows you to save partially completed orders to revisit later and saves your order history for ease of reordering.
For the small business owner, using an online graphic design and print company to create essentials as well as gift-type promotional items all under the same roof,
By J. R. Calderwood
