Have a limited print budget and want to make the most of it? Even if your dollars are limited, your impact can be significant. Start with focusing your efforts on the customers most likely to give you the best return. Let’s look at five strategies to help you make the most of your investment.

    1. Focus on existing customers. Existing customers already know the value you have to offer. They may just need a simple reminder, such as a postcard or letter, to give them a reason to re-engage. If you’re looking to stretch your marketing dollars, start with those already buying from you.
    2. Identify your most recent customers. Of your existing customers, you are most likely to sell to those who have purchased from you most recently. Follow up their purchase with a relevant cross-sell or upsell.
    3. Identify your top customers. Do you know who your “best” customers are? They may buy from you most frequently or less frequently but spend more when they do. Define what your best customer looks like for your business, then create special offers.
    4. Create a copy-cat list. Once you know your best customers, target prospects with a similar profile, either in your current area or in a new market. If you don’t know who your top customers are, even a tiny investment in customer profiling can reap significant returns.
    5. Be relevant. You can only satisfy buyer motivations if you understand what your prospects love and hate—their hearts’ desires and what keeps them awake at night. Knowing your customers and engaging in sincere dialogue about what they want and why they want it will pay off in repeat sales and quality referrals.

Print marketing is evolving. Success is no longer based on trying to get a “same to all” message in front of as many people as possible. It’s about marketing smart and marketing relevant and using the tangible, confidence-building medium of print to its maximum advantage.