Partner Article

Sell yourself! Three good reasons to create your own marketing materials

It doesn’t matter how big or small your business is, effective marketing will work to drive sales and profitability while maintaining or improving a loyal customer base. But do you really have to pay big bucks to market your business?

Well the short answer is …no! Consider DIY marketing and start creating your own materials today. Here are three great reasons to start doing it yourself…

Don’t cut corners, just cut costs

Money is probably the biggest motive for ‘doing it yourself’ and in an attempt to save money you might even be tempted to abandon your marketing policy altogether. However taking such a drastic move can have negative effects on your business in the long run and here’s the proof.

Statistics from a McGraw Hill study shows that businesses that maintain or increase marketing during a recession have seen sale increases of 256% compared to those that cut. For example, Intel saw its worldwide sales increase by more than 62% thanks to their marketing campaign while its competitors were cutting back. In short, marketing your business should still be a priority.

It’s true that campaigns and promotions all cost money, but free web design software and free desktop publishing software like Serif’s WebPlus and PagePlus Starter Editions, can help you quickly produce brochures, flyers, websites and more to a professional standard. It’s quick, easy and will save you a shiny penny.

My house, my rules

No one knows your business, or how to represent it, better than you. So before you listen to every design agency that claims to know how to market your business, have a go yourself!

Your business is your baby – you know what’s best for it, how to nurture it, who your customers are, what new customers you would like, and how you want to treat them. Believe it or not, the passion, knowledge and care you have for your business will manifest itself when you come to putting together your own marketing materials.

With complete control over the process, you can let your marketing materials do the talking and try out ideas that would otherwise have proven costly.

Convenience is key

There’s no doubt that creating marketing materials for yourself is much more flexible and affordable. It’s also a more convenient process than hiring professionals to do it for you. If there’s something you’re not happy with, or something’s not working, you can re-evaluate and change it quickly and easily.

Templates and tutorials in web design software enable you to produce and edit websites without being a software-savvy designer. Should you suddenly need some flyers printing at short notice, it can be difficult to get them turned around at a quick pace if you use a printing business. However, if you do your own printing, you can quickly do so as and when required, without hassle and for a much lower cost. As you can see, there is more to benefit from marketing yourself than just saving money. Simplicity and control over the process allow you to be more adventurous and also present you with speed and flexibility, making marketing more current and convenient. All of this enables you to further your skills in the marketing world and better your business’ marketing.

For more information on Serif, the award-winning creative software developer of products including desktop publishing software PagePlus, visit www.serif.com

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Nikki Godwin .