As the world becomes more digital, it might seem counter-intuitive to include print collateral as part of your marketing strategy. But that’s exactly why it’s so effective. Printed assets cut through the noise and make a lasting impression on customers and prospects, helping to boost sales and convert more leads.
Working with print gives you the perfect opportunity to show off your creativity and make a lasting impression without seeming pushy. You can use it to:
- secure your brand identity with business cards, letterheads and branded envelopes when communicating with prospects
- make money with flyers, catalogues and vouchers promoting your products or service
- educate people with newsletters, postcards and brochures
- reward loyalty with stickers or loyalty cards.
Holding printed material in your hands is a sensory and emotive experience, and despite the rising popularity of apps, many people still read paperbacks, take notes by hand and love getting letters in the post.
Read on to find out how print collateral can help your customers remember you.
Strengthen your brand
Using print alongside digital campaigns gives you an extra opportunity to strengthen your brand and make an impact with stunning visuals. Everything you produce should be unique to your brand, from the logo to the colours and style of imagery. Your company collateral should be easily identifiable and memorable. Fast food restaurants do this well; a green and white leaflet brings Subway to mind even before you see the image of a meatball sandwich, and a red sticker with the golden arches doesn’t need the word ‘McDonald’s’ to have you hankering after a Big Mac®.
Unlike digital, print shows your customers that you’re willing to invest in something tangible that they can touch and keep — and you’re giving it to them for free. It’s a subtle way to remind people you every time they catch a glimpse of your collateral around their home or office.
Digital is great for targeting customers who are ready to buy, but print will help you play the long game and keep leads nurtured.
Leave a lasting impression
Broadly speaking, printed assets can be split into 2 categories: those you leave behind or put up at a specific location where you think your customers will notice and/or engage with it and direct mail which goes straight to your customers letterbox.
Material that you leave behind includes business cards and brochures and supports your sales or fundraising team when they’re out having meetings or pitching. It also includes posters, banners and flyers that you may put up or hand out at exhibitions to help visitors remember you.
Leaving prospective customers with something they can hold in their hands and look through in their own time will help them keep you in mind without seeming pushy. Printed material is more informative than splashing out on branded pens or mugs. Using high-quality paper and professional designs are particularly important to help people associate high quality with your business. Fed Ex revealed that 85% of consumers think that the quality of print indicates the quality of service.
When our client, Anglian Water, came to us to support its ‘Keep It Clear’ campaign, we produced a variety of items ranging from vinyl banners to leaflets and 3D printing. The campaign was promoting the safe disposal of waste at holiday destinations to protect the coastline. As the team would be moving around the country, print collateral was the best format to help them set up a branded stand at each location. The assets were attractive and consistently branded, durable and easy to transport.
Get noticed with direct mail
Whether you’re targeting new customers or trying to secure repeat business, direct mail is more likely to be opened than an email and 67% of people think it’s more personal than digital communication.
It can be used to raise awareness for a cause, to educate customers about new products, or to reward customer loyalty. For example, Papa John’s send customers a menu including discount vouchers, which makes them feel appreciated, reminds them of their favourite toppings while introducing exciting new dishes and tempts them to order another meal.
Direct mails don’t have to be standard leaflets and letters. We worked with Mira Showers to help launch its innovative new shower head. The shower head swivels 360-degrees, so we used this as a starting point to create collateral with a unique spin, including a flip brochure and direct mailout with a flipping mechanism. It was a fun and memorable way to reach out to prospective customers.
Make it count
Before embarking on a print campaign, take your time to research the options available to find the most effective one for your business goals. Or get help from an expert.
At Artisan, we work closely with our customers to design stunning and innovative print collateral to support their campaigns. We can’t resist the smell of a freshly printed brochure and love creating direct mail that people just can’t put down. Get in touch to find out how we can bring your print campaigns to life.
