Where do you go to get your business’ print and marketing materials? For some small businesses, the easiest answer is to find them online. Using a cookie cutter website that offers mass printing services via templates and pre-designed materials is usually pretty cheap and quick. The drawbacks to this, however, are numerous. Not only are you stuck with what you get, regardless of quality, your options are limited based on what the website’s capabilities are. More often than not you’re going to get a “good enough” product.
The smartest thing small businesses can do when it comes to obtaining critical print and marketing materials is to find a local partner to help them. This means finding someone like your nearest AlphaGraphics and getting to know the people there, so that when the time comes for you to order print and marketing materials, you can be sure you’re getting the best quality possible.
There are numerous benefits to choosing a local print partner over an online solution! Let’s take a look at five critical ones:
- Face to face, human interaction: Have you ever opted to call someone instead of sending an email, because it’s just easier to explain something over the phone? Working with a local print partner is kind of like this, only instead of calling, you can walk right over and explain your needs in person! Face to face, human interaction has no substitutes and will be the clearest, easiest way to tell someone what your needs and wants are, without confusion or misinterpretation.
- Expedited timelines: Running a business means being able to adapt on the fly. If you’re at the mercy of some far off printer, however, you’re not going to be able to adapt appropriately when it comes to your marketing materials. Being able to work with a local vendor to implement any adjustments or tweak timelines means being able to get the products you need, when you need them.
- Accountability and transparency: Customer service online can be a nightmare. So what are you going to do when that online print shop messes up your order and sends you something you can’t use? Aside from sending a thousand emails, calling a hotline and yelling at your computer, you’re at the mercy of an online provider. When you work with a local partner, any mistakes come with accountability, which means working with someone to get them fixed right away.
- Unlimited possibilities: When you have a local print partner, you won’t have to work within the confines of templates and options that online print companies set down. Instead, it becomes instantly possible to design your own materials that are unique to your needs! Instead of working within a box, you can think outside of it and watch as someone brings your vision to life as it was meant to be.
- Support local business: You’re a local business, so you know the value of keeping community money within the local economy. When you order print materials online, you’re sending money to some far off economy and removing it from your local scene. Partnering with a local print shop means keeping value in your local economy and promoting businesses around you, so that they can bolster your business in return!
Need more reasons to pick a local print shop and marketing partner instead of choosing an online, discount option? Think about all of the reasons you want people to choose your local small business! The upside to choosing a local partner is tremendous as compared to digital options, and it’s sure to put your business in a better position to succeed.