Digital marketing strategies are a critical component for many businesses today. Having an online presence, whether through a stand-alone website or strategically placed online ads, is an important part of promotion and marketing. Even traditional brick and mortar businesses market online to the millions of potential customers using social media daily. As important as having an online presence is, companies that rely solely on that with no print marketing are overlooking key opportunities to reach customers in different ways.
Print marketing encompasses a full range of options for promoting your business to prospective customers. It is a great way to maintain contact with past customers as well so that they continue purchasing goods or services from your business. Further, printed marketing materials such as business cards and brochures allow you to literally place your business information in the hands of customers. Many print materials are tangible items customers can pick up and hold. That’s not something you can do online.
PRINTED MARKETING MATERIALS INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING TYPES OF ITEMS:
- Business Cards
- Letterhead
- Postcards
- Brochures
- Posters
- Flyers
- Banners
- Door Hangers
- Magnetic Vehicle Signs
- Packaging Labels
- Catalogs etc.
BENEFITS OF PRINT MARKETING
Since digital marketing has virtually taken over, print marketing is now viewed by many businesses as an alternative and non-traditional marketing strategy. In other words, it seems new. Take advantage of the newness of print marketing before everyone else does. Utilize printed marketing materials to reach customers in new ways that are not possible through online and digital marketing techniques.
Using printed materials for marketing is an excellent way to extend the reach of your company’s branding. From business cards to brochures, every piece of printed material is an opportunity to increase visibility of your company name, logo, and slogan if you have one. Each piece of printed material is also another avenue for making your company’s goods or services known to potential customers. Using printed marketing materials can enhance branding and emphasize your company’s message.
Increased customer engagement is another benefit of using printed materials. Online, many people quickly skim web pages and overlook or intentionally ignore the ads. In other words, potential customers spend a limited amount of time viewing digital content. Engagement with printed materials that customers can see or hold in person tends to be longer. Additionally, they have a chance to look over the material longer. With print items, customers can take them and keep them, giving them a chance to review the materials repeatedly.
Another benefit of incorporating printed materials into your company’s marketing plan is increased credibility. Consumers tend to associate a higher degree of credibility with print materials versus online content. Print materials have been around forever in comparison to digital content. Moreover, printed materials such as brochures will still be there when a customer comes back to retrieve it from wherever they set it down. Contrast that with digital content that can disappear instantly, leaving only broken links behind.
Reading printed materials gives customers a chance to unplug from the digital world as well. Sometimes it seems that people are constantly plugged into the digital world through the internet and social media. Many people might not even realize just how much time they spend digitally connected. When you share print materials with customers you are giving them a break from this constant digital engagement. That break creates an opportunity for them to slow down and take their time reading your materials.
Print materials provide an excellent means of retaining customers. For instance, a properly timed postcard sent to existing and past customers on your mailing list is a great way to remind those customers that your company is still around and that it offers products or services from which they can continue to benefit. Whereas an email update or newsletter can become quickly buried in someone’s inbox, a postcard or other printed material can be easily referred back to when your customer has a chance to read it.
A final reason to include printed materials in your marketing plan is that not everyone is online or accessing information digitally. With today’s practical digital overload, it seems almost impossible that there are actually people who have limited digital exposure. Some people simply choose to limit their time plugged in. Others are likely busy with other things, such as work and family. Those people are still a huge market in need of your products or services and they are more likely to find you through your printed materials.
MAKING PRINTED MARKETING MATERIALS EFFECTIVE
There is a hidden power in printed marketing materials that stems from all of the benefits discussed above. Printed materials help build legitimacy and credibility. Companies come and go in the online world. When your company takes the time to prepare actual physical materials such as letterhead, banners, or catalogues, those items let customers know that your company intends to be around for a long time. Potential customers or clients gain a sense of confidence about moving forward because your company will be there for them.
In order for your company’s printed marketing materials to be as effective as possible, several components should be included. Design, length, company message, and customer engagement are all key elements that should be given consideration when creating printed materials to represent your business. This is where you can benefit from having print materials custom tailored to your business by professional designers with experience creating memorable print materials that send the right message to your target audience.
Printed materials should be visually appealing. A combination of text and images creates a balance so that consumers are not overwhelmed by excessive text. Additionally, images that complement the message your text is conveying are an excellent way to make that message really pop. Your company’s message will be more memorable when reinforced by a corresponding image.
Certain types of printed materials are more effective when they focus on the customer. Postcards and brochures are a great example of this principle. Information should be presented in a manner that speaks to the consumer. One way to accomplish this is to emphasize what benefits each feature of your product or service has for the customer. Let them know what your company’s products and/or services can do for them. Be sure to include a call to action to encourage customers to call or stop in for more information.
There is no doubt about the importance of maintaining a digital advertising presence in the online world. However, printed marketing materials present additional opportunities to successfully promote your business in new ways not possible online. The best way to ensure you select the right print materials to represent your brand is to consult design professionals who can help you develop materials with a huge visual impact that broadcasts the exact message of your company directly to potential customers.