A Guide to How Print Marketing Can Drive More Sales
Ask any business owner and they’ll tell you: It’s all about sales. You’ve got a list of other goals, like raising brand awareness and creating customer loyalty, of course – but boosting sales is at the top. One way to drive more sales is print marketing.
With a thought-out print strategy, your print assets can be not only engaging, but also – and more importantly – effective. So let’s dive into what print marketing is, some popular print marketing materials, how to incorporate them into your broader marketing roadmap and a few print ideas you should consider trying.
Hint: Check out Smartpress’ print marketing essentials and printed business essentials.
What is Print Marketing?
Print marketing is a type of advertising where businesses and organizations use a variety of printed media to promote their products, services and brand. Print and marketing go hand in hand, as studies have shown that the tangible nature of physical pieces like postcards and flyers results in customers engaging more and having stronger emotional responses when compared to digital ads.
But dismiss digital marketing at your peril. The smart business owner knows to employ both print and digital to see the biggest boost in sales (not to mention many other metrics). In this digital age, it’s crucial that print advertisements complement your digital strategy to create a holistic marketing approach.
Popular Print Marketing Materials
The term print marketing encompasses a lot of different print pieces, and when you print them with Smartpress, they’re all as versatile as you need them to be. Whatever your business, wherever you’re promoting, our premium options turn your printed marketing materials into branded assets tailored and targeted to various audiences.
With a whole host of product options at your fingertips, the potential impact on sales, conversion and ROI is huge. Take a look at how brochures, catalogs, collated printing, door hangers, flyers, postcards, posters, table tents, menus and other marketing collateral can drive the kind of numbers you’re looking for.
Brochures
Compact with more than 10 folding options, custom brochures are marketing tools designed to offer detailed information in an accessible way. With this type of printed marketing material, the content can be tailored easily to your intent and need, from your company’s mission to product and service details. Design yours with engaging imagery on a variety of paper stocks and finishes that elevate your messaging.
Catalogs
Catalogs are a convenient way to create comprehensive guides for your customers and clients. Complete with a classic saddle stitch binding (meaning they’re stapled through the center), these booklets let you put your company’s offerings on full display, along with detailed presentations of your products and services. A key addition to your business marketing materials, custom catalogs should feature organized content and imagery that captures your clients’ interest. To really add a polished touch, finish your cover with a UV coating or our velvety Soft Touch laminate.
Collated Printing
Printing marketing material can often mean printing in a specific order or sequence, and that’s where collated printing comes in. Ideal for informational packets, instruction manuals, note cards and stationery, it ensures consistency and adds serious professionalism to your assets. It’s essential for multi-page documents and saves you the time assembling packets yourself (we can even staple completed packets for you).
Hint: See all collating can do for you with our top 10 marketing ideas.
Door Hangers
Personalized door hangers give your local marketing campaigns a huge boost with their direct and personal approach. With print materials like this, it’s all about getting your message to the masses without getting lost in the clutter. When designing your door hangers, include a strong call to action, and encourage engagement by adding perforation to create a tear-off coupon or instant business card. You can even print branded content on both sides to communicate your message entirely and clearly.
Flyers
So simple yet so effective, advertising materials like flyers are versatile go-tos for any campaign. Easy on the budget and easy to design, they’re ideal for widespread distribution and can be customized to coordinate with your brand, company or organization. With full-color printing available on the front and back, flyers designed with vibrant imagery instantly grab attention, while bold fonts and bulleted lists or columns deliver your message succinctly. Make a truly professional (and memorable) statement with premium flyers printed by Smartpress.
Postcards
For a quick and easy personal touch, custom postcards are the way to go. To ensure your printed material engages and connects with customers, design postcards as package inserts, recipe cards, even souvenirs showcasing your photography or artwork. Ideal for direct mail campaigns, they give you the flexibility to create designs that make a statement about your brand and products and prompt action from clients.
Hint: Get the biggest bang for your buck with a postcard marketing strategy.
Posters
For high-traffic areas, marketing posters ensure you make a visual impact. With both small and large size options, custom posters are ideal advertisements for events like grand openings and fundraisers, plus product launches. With different print materials like this, it’s important to design yours with eye-catching designs that draw people in and to hang them strategically so your message isn’t missed.
Table Tents & Menus
As a business owner, you take advantage of every marketing opportunity, and for restaurants and events, that includes table tents and menus. Two less-obvious print marketing examples, table tents and menus allow you to promote specials, open mic nights and other events with variable data printing for personalization and menu binding options that suit your services. Even set them out at trade shows to be seen and held for optimal engagement!
Other Marketing Collateral
But that’s not all! We told you print marketing encompasses a lot, including business cards, letterheads, notepads and printed promotional materials like drinkware, electronic accessories and apparel. When you design yours with branded colors, logos and messaging, you strengthen your brand identity with clients and potential customers, while also maintaining consistency across all your marketing efforts.
Hint: See how real estate companies use letterheads and more in their marketing.
How to Incorporate Print Marketing into Your Marketing Strategy
Like we said before, if you want to get the most out of your marketing strategy, your print and digital assets must work together to enhance your customers’ overall experience, thus driving sales. Be sure to keep your brand colors and messaging consistent across both channels, and consider a targeted distribution of your campaigns to maximize your reach and impact.
To seamlessly blend your printed marketing materials with your digital strategy:
- Add QR codes to direct mail pieces.
- Include hashtags on printed pieces to encourage social engagement.
- Share digital versions of your print materials via email.
- Design automated drip email campaigns that send follow-ups to recipients of your direct mail.
Print Marketing Ideas to Boost Sales
By now, you know print marketing that’s designed effectively and targeted specifically to audiences can give your sales a boost (and then some). All of your assets should be cohesive and creative to increase customer engagement. But how do you design them exactly? Here are a few print marketing ideas to boost sales on your next campaign:
- Slip thank you cards into packages with a short personal note and a discount code.
- Include a perforated coupon on trade show brochures (and a QR code that directs customers to a specific product or landing page).
- Personalize direct mail postcards with “You Might Like” items based on customers’ previous purchases.
- In your catalogs, include fun facts and stories about how products were created to help customers connect personally with them. (According to the U.S. Postal Service, catalogs contribute to a 15% increase in sales.)
Explore All the Print Marketing
Materials from Smartpress
No matter your business, in order to stay in business, you need sales. There’s no way around it. Brand awareness and customer engagement is all well and good, but if the sales aren’t there, it doesn’t really matter. Luckily, with your print marketing strategy (combined with your digital endeavors), your business will be booming.
With creative business marketing materials, from brochures to door hangers, and an online printer like Smartpress that’s with you every step of the way, your business will stand out in the best way. Explore our marketing essentials and business essentials, then upload your print-ready design file today.
