Smart small business owners know that everything is marketing and marketing is everything!
In a world where your customers are constantly being bombarded by media messages, it is absolutely crucial that you seize every opportunity to break through all that noise and grab their attention.
If there were an efficient way to use something you already buy for your company and turn it into an effective branding tool, wouldn’t you jump at the chance?
Your business checks could be providing your company with a boost in exposure while giving you an extra bang for your buck. But are you taking advantage of the opportunity?
Whether you’re a plumber or an attorney, a restauranteur or a landscaper – you are using your checks for a lot of different reasons. You probably have employees on your payroll, write checks to vendors or contractors and pay your bills.
Business checks are a lot like your business card. Except with a business card, there’s a good chance it will get lost or tossed. At best it will get stuck in a wallet or Rolodex and no one else will ever see it.
But checks are valuable. Since they represent money, people take extra care and pay special attention to these pieces of paper. Plus, the person accepting your check will be far from the only person who lays eyes on it.
Let’s say you have your own dog-sitting service and fill out a manual business check at an office supply store for some paper clips and post-it notes.
The first person to see the check will be the cashier. Then a manager or accountant will see it as well. After that it goes to the bank where even more people will handle the check.
Now if any of those people are planning a vacation and need somewhere for Fido to stay while they live it up in Jamaica – they might think of you.
The trick is that you have to make your business checks stand out and provide the right contact information on them so that you can win a new customer or client.
Here’s how to do it:
1. Print Important Contact Info on Your Business Checks
If you’re only having your business name, address and phone number printed in the “Imprint Info” area of your checks – you’re missing out on an opportunity for increased exposure.
When you order business checks from Check Advantage, only one line of text is actually required – but we offer a total of five lines. Name, address and phone number leaves you with two other lines to fill. Why not add your company’s website, an email address to contact, possibly a short slogan or call to action? You could even add social media URLs or handles.
There’s also an area above the signature line where you can insert text. That’s typically where you see a printed name and title or something like “Void After 90 Days.” However, some customer’s choose to get creative with that area and use it as a place to put a marketing message.
2. Add a Logo to Your Business Checks
The best way to make your business checks pop is by adding an attractive logo in the left-hand corner. At Check Advantage, you can have logos printed on both our Laser Checks such as QuickBooks Checks and Quicken Checks, or on any of our manual checks as well.
Email your company’s logo to sales@checkadvantage.com, and we’ll add it to your checks. We can also work with you to add a color logo to your checks.
Don’t have a logo for your small business yet? Not a problem. We have a huge library of stock logos representing many different occupations and industries – from dentists and auto repair technicians to landscaping and accounting. We also offer some franchise logos for popular fast food restaurants and more.
Adding a stock logo will only cost you a measly $2.50. That’s a very small price to pay for something that could help you brand your small business!
But you could get a stock logo for free! Everyone who orders one of our business check kits gets a free stock logo added to their new checks. Business check kits are a great package deal for new start-ups!
3. Color Coordinate Your Business Checks
Besides logos we also offer a selection of different colors to choose from. When ordering Laser Checks, you can pick from a dozen different shades.
If you’ve branded your company with a specific color – look for the business check style that best matches with the style of other marketing materials you’re using.
Choosing to use a brighter more eye-catching color is another smart idea. Studies show that yellow is the color our eyes notice first. Think about it! That’s why McDonald’s has its “golden arches” and yellow is used in so many other corporate logos – from Best Buy to Shell gas stations.
Bonus Tip: Use Personal Checks for Marketing Too!
Why stop with business checks? Use your personal checks to spread the word about your business too!
We’ve got a growing selection of Career Checks to choose from that reflect quite a few different jobs and industries. These unique checks can be conversation starters that helps get word-of-mouth marketing about your company going.
If you’ve got a sole proprietorship and don’t need the extra features found on business checks – you can still use personal checks with your business account. Some of our customers also choose to use more professional personal check designs found in our Basic Checks and use them for business. Personal checks can be more convenient to carry around because of their compact size.
It’s a dog eat dog business world out there – and you’ve got to do everything you can to stand out from the crowd. So make the smart move and use your checks to spread the word about your small business!
+Kasey Steinbrinck is a former TV news producer and newspaper reporter who is now the lead blogger for Check Advantage. The online printer offers affordable Laser Checks for small business as well as Christian Checks for personal use.
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Useful article, useful blog.. I agree with this because I’ve known someone who used personal checks for marketing too and it has help him promoting his business
I agree business checks can make an effective marketing tool. It’s important to remember that everything you hand to people you do business with should represent your company’s brand. This includes your business checks.
I find that checks are something many small business owners overlook when it comes to branding their business. However, I believe a custom logo is much better for your branding, than using a stock logo. There are many places you can get a logo for your business for a nominal price.
I’ve found that most business check printing companies can help you set up company checks with your custom logo, in a way that looks professional, without adding much to the cost of the checks. Overall I believe, in the long run, it’s well worth the investment.