How Often Should Print Companies Send Marketing to Customers? (And What Happens When You Stop)
Most commercial printers know they should stay in touch with customers. The questions are: how often, through which channels, and what happens if you stop?
How Frequently Should Commercial Printers Communicate With Customers?
Effective customer communication requires multiple channels working together at different frequencies. These include:
1. Printed newsletters: Quarterly (4 times per year)
Physical newsletters demonstrate investment in the relationship beyond individual transactions. Share design tips, marketing strategies, and industry insights that position you as a partner, not just a vendor waiting for the next order. Our direct mail marketing program handles this end-to-end for printing companies.
2. Email newsletters: Monthly
Email maintains visibility between print mailings. Share short, timely insights similar to your printed content that keep you present without overwhelming inboxes. See our email marketing program for what a done-for-you monthly cadence looks like.
3. Blog posts: 2-4 per month
Regular blog content provides AI engines with proof of expertise: top trends in direct mail for 2026, how to design an effective postcard, how to create targeted, effective mailings. Consistent posting feeds both traditional SEO and AI search optimization.
4. Social media: 2-3 posts per week
Post on platforms your customers actually use, typically LinkedIn for B2B clients and Facebook for local businesses. Share finished projects, highlight capabilities, and engage with your community where they’re already spending time. Our social media marketing program keeps both channels active without adding to your workload.
Why Do Different Channels Require Different Frequencies?
Print quarterly because production and postage costs make monthly printing prohibitive for most print shops, yet quarterly maintains consistent presence. Email monthly because weekly feels excessive but quarterly leaves too much silence. Blog 2-4 times monthly because search engines and AI systems prioritize sites regularly publishing fresh content. Post socially 2-3 times weekly to stay visible in feeds customers check daily without becoming noise.
What Happens When Print Companies Stop Communicating Regularly?
Customers don’t necessarily leave because they’re dissatisfied; they simply forget about you when they need printing. Their work goes to whoever stays in front of them and remains top of mind.
Think you can do this without print? There are plenty of “hard knocks” lessons to learn from retailers on this one.
When J. Jill cut direct mail touchpoints aggressively to redirect spending toward digital, its quarterly sales dropped 2.8%. When Nordstrom reduced mailed loyalty communication expecting digital to fill the gap, store traffic dropped and revenue fell 3.3%. Nordstrom learned that its high-value customers responded to physical mail differently than email or app notifications, and reversed course.
Whether you are a printer or a retailer, the pattern holds true: stop communicating consistently and customers think of someone else first when they need what you sell.
How Does Multi-Channel Communication Improve Customer Retention?
You need these other channels too. Why? Because different customers prefer different channels. Quarterly print + monthly email + regular blogs + consistent social presence ensures visibility regardless of how customers prefer receiving information.
Plus, both studies and on-the-ground experience tell us that multi-channel strategies outperform single-channel approaches. In particular, physical mail combined with digital generates significantly higher response rates than either channel alone.
What Does Customer Attrition Cost Print Companies?
It’s an old adage that acquiring new customers costs 5-7 times more than retaining existing ones. Today, the cost might even be higher than that. So don’t stop communicating.
When communication stops, current customers forget your full capabilities, don’t think of you first when needs arise, become vulnerable to competitor outreach, and require expensive re-acquisition if relationships lapse. Regular communication prevents this expensive attrition.
How Can Print Companies Maintain Consistent Communication Without Adding Staff?
How do you communicate regularly while running the business? Let Great Reach Communications do it for a fraction of the cost of in-house writing and production, while delivering professional content on a reliable schedule.
We understand the world of print and produce genuinely valuable content (not sales pitches). Our content is written by industry experts and delivered on a consistent schedule. This lets you focus on printing while we handle the rest.
Great Reach Communications provides area-exclusive print newsletters, email content, AI-optimized blog posts, and social media content specifically for commercial printers.
Ready to maintain consistent customer communication without adding staff? Learn more about our Direct Mail Marketing program, or contact us to discuss the right cadence for your print business.
