Your Complete Print Marketing Guide: How to Design and Print Marketing Materials

There is no question about it, print marketing is looked upon as the OAP of marketing techniques by the majority of new age digital marketers. But being old doesn’t mean it’s out of date and unusable. Just like a bourbon Whiskey or blue cheese, print marketing is only getting better with age. 

Would you rather be able to smell and taste bourbon whiskey or just read about it online? Although both tell you how good it smells, you are more likely to remember and act upon the physical thing compared to the article you read online. This analogy can be applied to print and digital marketing.

How to Start a Print Marketing Campaign

Print marketing is not something that you can just jump head first into and expect results. It requires a level of detail that you may not have to consider when developing a digital marketing plan. One important part is once you have the item printed that’s it, you cannot adjust it unless you have it re-designed and re-printed. This takes time, money and leads to a large amount of frustration so getting your design correct is critical. It’s important to consider every aspect of why you want to venture in to print marketing, what the goals of your business are and how could print marketing help to realise those goals? When working through this, don't hold back on what you want to achieve, you would be surprised just how much print marketing can do with just a little brain power use upfront.

A big positive of print marketing is that your leads get a physical item. They get something that they can touch, smell or even taste if they really wanted too! Whatever your potential customers are into, print marketing gives them the opportunity to connect with your brand through a physical item instead of a line of text on a google ad.

Integrate Traditional Marketing and Digital Marketing Strategies

Many of today’s marketers are excited about the ways that digital media can revolutionize their business — and rightfully so! Whether you are part of a Fortune 500 company or a small business in your local community, digital marketing strategies can attract more customers, increase brand recognition, and ultimately benefit your bottom line. But here’s the thing: print media can do all those things, too. “Two heads are better than one,” as they say, and there’s no reason to discount one form of marketing just because another has a slightly wider reach. 

What should you do instead? Consider an integrated strategy that uses both print and digital marketing collateral. For example, consider using direct mail (a form of print marketing) that includes digital material like QR codes.

This type of marketing material serves two purposes: your customers can get direct, printed material that will remind them to visit your business or check out your product, while they also receive an immediate way to view your company in the digital world! This gives your audience ample opportunity to engage with your business both in-person and online.

Think Outside the Box

Now it’s time to think outside the box. Think about how many business cards, flyers, leaflets and postcards you receive in the post during a month. Sometimes it’s so ridiculous that you just throw it away without giving it a second glance. If you attempt to use one of these tired printing tactics yourself, you are likely to suffer the same fate. All is not lost though. You could think of something that your customers could interact with or use daily. Technology has brought printing prices down so much now that you can afford to go above and beyond. Consider physical items like a pen, notepad, mug or mouse mat that could all be considered more of a gift than a sales pitch. Make them personal to your clients and this will reap rewards you never thought possible.

Think Big!

Think of it like this, you could randomly send 10 customers a tin of fudge for Christmas, this would cost around £3 per person so has a total cost of £30. They eat the fudge or give it away as they are on a diet and 10 minutes later it’s a forgotten failed marketing attempt. But say you ordered 6 personalised mugs, each with that person/company’s name or logo on. Nobody would throw a personalised ‘anything’ away let alone a mug they could use every day. So by giving your customers something of value, you instantly create a positive association between the customer and your brand. Having a positive mindset means your brand is more likely at the forefront of their mind which in turn could lead to the sale and that is the big thing here, selling.

Do Your Research

No matter what business you’re in, every worker (even the ones unfamiliar with marketing) wants the same thing: to help their company grow without overspending. Therefore, it’s important that every marketing decision you make is carefully thought out and researched. The more time you spend studying marketing trends and your target audience, the more likely you are to see a stellar return on investment. 

Luckily, the digital sphere has made it incredibly easy for businesses to learn about their target market. Are your customers predominantly men or women? Are they older (and therefore more likely to respond to traditional print campaigns) or younger (more drawn to digital or integrated ads)? By looking at analytics and user statistics on your website or company social media pages, you can discover the age, sex, location, and even interests of your target audience. With this knowledge, you can determine what kind of marketing campaign will yield the highest response rate.

Don't Forget Your Objective

Don’t think that because you are taking a more generous approach to your print marketing you shouldn’t try to sell. A call to action could be something that turns your print marketing efforts into a thriving sales tactic. Having a call to action doesn’t just mean a link to your website. Be creative, have a QR code that customers can scan to take them to a page on your website or social media page.

If you link your print marketing to your digital channels like your website or social media pages, you give your customers a much more streamlined experience that will help your customer feel at ease. Making it easy for your customer to action something means they are more likely to buy from you. So don’t just practice basic print marketing. Mix it with digital marketing to create the best customer experience.