A Penny Saved is a Penny Burned

Time and again I see examples of someone trying to save money at the expense of getting their message across. I get it. I shop the clearance bins myself.

But if your marketing message is tied to making money, winning votes, or recruiting/retaining employees, then you need to recognize the cost of that attempt to save money.

I see roadside signs at half or less the typical 24”x18” size. Service businesses and political campaigns are thinking they can save money with smaller signs. But if the signs cannot be read by the drivers passing by them, what good did the signs do at all? I saw a campaign sign recently and all I could read was a first name — Tracy. I had no idea what office was being campaigned for. Nor could I see any website address that would tell me more about the candidate.

Sometimes people will have signs printed with the back side of the sign left blank. Sometimes depending on how they are displayed, that makes sense. But more often those signs can be positioned to be read from both sides. There is not much added cost to have the signs printed on both sides.

I will get postcards in the mail that try to cram so much on a 4”x6” space that it makes it difficult to read. You can mail a 6”x9” or 8.5”x11” postcard for the same amount of postage. There’s a small amount of cost increase relative to the size but it isn’t much. The biggest expense typically with a postcard mailing is the postage. If you’re going to mail it at all, then you may as well make it easy for people to read and large enough to make your points.

I recently received the letter-sized mailer shown in the photo. I was shocked. A landscape company sending out a black and white printed piece. Is gray the first thing you think of when considering flowers in the yard? The quality of the print was poor. The second side had nothing at all printed on it. How many people are going to respond to that sort of appeal for business? They may have well as taken the money they spent (most of it on postage) and just composted it with the leaves they rake up.

There are ways to save money. Work with us and we can help identify the ones that make the most sense.