Marketing Strategy for Print Businesses: A Plan and 9 Tactics

Key takeaways

A marketing strategy holds a print business's value proposition, target customers and the four Ps; a marketing plan sets out the campaigns that carry it out.
Photos of finished print work on social media and direct messages to prospects are a low-cost way to build visibility.
Video tutorials on the online product designer and blog posts with design tips establish a print business as an authority.
SEO, email and retargeting turn visits into orders, within the rules of Google, Meta and anti-spam law.
Affiliates, LinkedIn and influencers extend reach, especially for B2B orders; influencer posts need a clear disclosure.

On this page

A marketing strategy combines all of a print business's marketing goals into one plan: who the business serves, what it is known for and how it reaches those customers profitably. It is one of the habits in how to grow a printing business; this guide turns it into six steps and nine tactics a print shop can use.

What is a marketing strategy for a print business?

A marketing strategy for a print business is its overall plan for reaching prospective customers and turning them into buyers of its print products and services. It holds the business's value proposition, its key brand messages, data on its target customers and the "four Ps" of marketing: product, price, place and promotion, a framework E. Jerome McCarthy proposed in 1960 (Wikipedia).

The value proposition tells customers what the business stands for, how it operates and why they should order from it. For a print business, that might mean fast turnaround on rush orders, a product specialty such as large-format signage or custom apparel, or an easy-to-use online product designer. It gives the whole team a consistent message across all products and services, and market research helps decide the product mix that earns the most.

From strategy to tactics: value proposition and customers, the four Ps, the marketing plan, then the tactics — Diagram: Printcart. How the strategy, the plan and the tactics of this guide fit together.

Why does a print business need a marketing strategy?

A print business needs a marketing strategy because it directs the advertising budget to where it has the greatest impact, rather than spreading it thinly across untargeted efforts. The strategy is how a business achieves and communicates a lasting advantage over competitors, by understanding what its customers need, and every marketing asset can be judged by how well it carries the core value proposition.

The strategy is set out in a marketing plan: a document that details the specific marketing activities and their timetables. A strategy should last longer than any one plan, because its value proposition and other key brand elements stay fairly constant; in other words, the strategy covers big-picture messaging, while the plan covers the operational details of specific campaigns. Market research then shows how well a campaign works and which audiences it has not reached yet.

What does a marketing strategy include?

A marketing strategy includes the business's advertising, outreach and public relations activities and how their impact is measured. It covers the four Ps: market research for pricing and new product lines, messages tailored to customer segments and regions, the platforms used to promote products (digital, social, print and trade channels, and the mix for each campaign), and the metrics used to measure results and how often they are reported.

How do you build a marketing strategy for a print business?

A print business builds its marketing strategy in six steps: write the value proposition, choose the target customers, set the four Ps, pick two or three tactics that reach those customers, write the marketing plan, then measure and revisit it. Each step is short, but skipping one is how marketing budgets end up spread across tactics nobody measures.

Step by step

Step 1: Write the value proposition
Say in one sentence what the print business is known for, such as fast turnaround on rush orders, a specialty like large-format signage, or an easy online design tool.
Step 2: Choose the target customers
Name the groups the shop serves best, such as local businesses, event organisers or corporate buyers, and what each needs from a printer.
Step 3: Set the four Ps
Decide the product mix, the price levels, the places customers order (store, counter, trade channels) and the promotion channels for each group.
Step 4: Pick two or three tactics
Choose the tactics below that reach those customers, rather than every tactic at once, and decide the budget for each.
Step 5: Write the marketing plan
List the campaigns, their timetable and who runs them, so the whole team uses the same message.
Step 6: Measure and revisit
Choose the metrics, such as orders per channel, report them on a fixed rhythm, and revisit the strategy as the market changes.

What marketing tactics work well for a print business?

No single tactic works for every print business, and most of the tactics below take time rather than a large budget. As long as the basics of the business are solid and it consistently offers real value to customers, these are worth using; the table after them lists the platform rules that apply to each.

Nine marketing tactics for a print business: what each is best for and whether it mainly costs time or budget — Diagram: Printcart. A summary of the tactics in this guide; the rules for each are in the table below.

5 T-shirt business promotion strategies that really work (video from the Printcart YouTube channel)A short Printcart video on five promotion strategies for a T-shirt business. Its point is the one this article makes for any print business: a strategy only works when it is used properly and aimed at the target market, not applied to everyone. It suits a print or apparel shop owner choosing the first two or three tactics of a marketing plan, before spending on paid campaigns.

Use social media

Post photos of the custom products you produce: business cards, apparel, signage, packaging or whatever your store specialises in. Share ideas, your process and anything that helps your audience learn about your business or the print industry. Use direct messages on platforms like Instagram or X (formerly Twitter) to connect with potential clients who are looking for the products or services you offer; promoting printing designs on Instagram goes further on one platform.

Create video tutorials

Video is one of the most effective ways to spread the word about a print business. Show customers how to use your online product designer to create their own business cards, signs or apparel, step by step. The more genuinely useful the video, the more exposure, and sales, it is likely to generate over time.

Start blogging

If your print business does not have a blog, start one, covering design tips for specific products, how to prepare print-ready artwork or care instructions for finished products. You are not limited to your own blog: platforms like Medium, Quora, Reddit or LinkedIn's publishing tool give reach you would not otherwise have. Focus on giving real value rather than thin, generic content.

Understand search engine optimisation

SEO can be intimidating, but it pays off over the long run, unlike shortcuts such as link schemes: Google's spam policies treat buying or selling links for ranking as link spam. For a print business, SEO usually means writing about the specific products, materials and services customers search for, in the words they use, and making the content useful to a reader; Google's SEO Starter Guide asks for helpful, reliable, people-first content. Web-to-print products you can sell is an example of writing around products.

Create an affiliate program

Affiliates can be a source of growth once your store converts reasonably well, since affiliates are more willing to promote a store that already turns visitors into orders. Setting up an affiliate program and reaching out to potential affiliates, or listing your program on an established affiliate network, extends your reach beyond your own marketing.

Use LinkedIn the right way

LinkedIn is a useful, and often underused, channel for a print business, particularly for reaching corporate or B2B customers who order promotional products, business cards or branded merchandise in bulk. Posting about your business, sharing your story and reaching out to other businesses directly helps build these relationships; the print shop full stores include a B2B print store, in build, for that kind of buyer.

Use Facebook ads with retargeting

Facebook lets you target an audience by interest, location and other criteria, but the real value comes from retargeting rather than click traffic alone. The Meta Pixel is a snippet of JavaScript that tracks visitor activity on your website, measures ad conversions and lets you build custom audiences from visitors. For a print business, that might mean retargeting visitors who started a custom product in the online designer but did not complete the order.

Leverage influencers

Working with influencers, including smaller, niche "micro-influencers", builds awareness faster than growing an audience from scratch. The key is finding influencers whose audience matches your target customers, so unboxing or showcasing a custom print product reaches people likely to order one. This works best once your offer and ordering already convert well; start with small tests, and ask for the disclosure the FTC expects from influencers, such as "ad" or "Thanks to [brand] for the free product".

Use email marketing

An email sequence is a standard part of a print business's sales funnel: the automatic messages subscribers get after signing up. Use it to build a relationship and tell subscribers about your business. Segment your list by what people click on or buy, for example a subscriber who clicked on business-card templates versus one who bought custom apparel, and test subject lines and content to learn what your audience responds to. In the United States, the CAN-SPAM Act sets the rules for commercial email.

Which rules apply to each marketing tactic?

Each marketing tactic of a print business comes with rules set by the platform or the law: Google's spam policies for SEO, Meta's tools for retargeting, and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's guidance for influencer posts and commercial email. The table pairs each tactic with what it suits and the rule to check before spending on it.

Which rules apply to each marketing tactic?
Tactic	Suits	Rule to check	Source
Social media	Showing finished work, local and niche audiences	Each platform's own terms for business pages and messages	–
Video tutorials	Customers new to the online designer	Use your own footage and music you are licensed to use	–
Blogging and SEO	Customers searching for a product or how-to	No buying or selling links for ranking; paid links need rel="sponsored" or rel="nofollow"	Google spam policies
Affiliate program	Stores that already convert visitors	Affiliates who post about you must disclose the relationship	FTC disclosures
LinkedIn	Corporate and B2B buyers ordering in bulk	LinkedIn's own terms for pages and messages	–
Facebook retargeting	Visitors who started a design but did not order	The Meta Pixel on the store; custom audiences from visitors	Meta Pixel
Influencers	Building awareness in a niche quickly	A clear "ad" or "sponsored" disclosure with the post itself	FTC disclosures
Email marketing	Bringing past customers back	Accurate sender, honest subject, postal address, opt-out honoured within 10 business days (US)	FTC CAN-SPAM guide

How often should a print business revisit its marketing strategy?

A print business should revisit its marketing strategy whenever the market or its customers change, and check the plan's metrics on a fixed rhythm, so tactics that do not bring orders are replaced. The strategy outlines how the business fulfils its vision, purpose and objectives, and where its products and services fit in the market.

The strategy should be well articulated and shared with the whole team, so everyone understands the long-term plan and how success is measured. As you learn more about what customers want, revisit it from time to time, to keep the marketing aligned with the business and customers engaged. A store that makes ordering easy, such as the Printcart WordPress print shop store, is where every tactic above sends its visitors.

Frequently asked questions

How is a marketing strategy different from a marketing plan?

A marketing strategy addresses long-term, big-picture messaging that stays fairly constant, such as the value proposition, while a marketing plan documents the specific campaigns, timetables and budgets used to carry it out.

What social media tactics work for a print business?

Posting photos of finished print products, sharing behind-the-scenes content about the process, and using direct messages to connect with potential customers who are looking for similar products or services.

Can a print business buy links to improve its SEO?

Not for ranking. Google's spam policies treat buying or selling links for ranking purposes as link spam; a paid link is acceptable only when it is marked with rel="sponsored" or rel="nofollow".

How can email marketing and retargeting help a print business?

Email sequences segmented by what a subscriber clicked on or bought bring past customers back, and the Meta Pixel lets a store build audiences of visitors, such as those who started a custom design but did not order.

What must a marketing email from a print business include in the United States?

Under the CAN-SPAM Act, as the FTC explains it, a commercial email needs accurate sender details, an honest subject line, a valid postal address and a clear way to opt out, honoured within 10 business days.

Sources

Marketing mix (Wikipedia), checked 20 October 2026
SEO Starter Guide (Google Search Central), checked 20 October 2026
Spam policies for Google web search: link spam (Google Search Central), checked 20 October 2026
Meta Pixel (Meta for Developers), checked 20 October 2026
Disclosures 101 for social media influencers (U.S. Federal Trade Commission), checked 20 October 2026
CAN-SPAM Act: a compliance guide for business (U.S. Federal Trade Commission), checked 20 October 2026

About the author

Huy Nguyen (David)

Founder & CEO, Printcart

Huy Nguyen (David) is the Founder and CEO of Printcart. Questions about this article go straight to him and the Printcart team. This article was originally written by Rose Helen for the Printcart blog.

Tell us what you want to sell. Huy Nguyen (David), our CEO, and the sales team reply with a written scope and quote.

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