Which Print Marketing Is Right for You?
So it’s time to create a marketing campaign for your business. You know you need a website, so you put one together. You create a prospect database, you get a logo designed, you make a bunch of business cards, you join the local Chamber….then what?
Print marketing will probably play a significant role in your efforts to reach your target market. But out of all the different types of print pieces out there, which one makes the most sense for which situation?
Let’s take a look at some of the options:
Postcards. The great thing about a postcard is that it’s relatively cheap to mail, and you don’t have to worry about how to make the client open the envelope because there’s no envelope to open. Your message makes its point the instant the prospect’s eyeballs make contact with it. A direct mail postcard must deliver its point concisely and compellingly in a small amount of space, so it works best for specific offers, coupons or announcements. You can also hand out postcards in lieu of business cards if you’d like to make a little extra impact at that mixer or other networking event. Be aware, however, that a postcard can provide just enough extra size and bulk to make it annoying in settings where everyone is handing out business cards, so it may get left behind “accidentally.”
Onesheets. A onesheet is a general-purpose flyer with a strong sales message, some information about your products or services, and a call to action followed by your contact number, website URL and email address. More than a business card, less than a brochure, a onesheet gives readers enough solid data to get excited about your company and want to know more. The great thing about onesheets is that you can create a different sheet for each product or service in your lineup, then mix and match the right sheet with the right clientele. You can even distribute different arrangements of them in the form of portfolio books. If a product in your lineup drops out or a new one comes along, it’s just a matter of adding or omitting a onesheet instad of rewriting an entire brochure or booklet. The downside to onesheets is their full-page paper format. Set a score of them down on a luncheon table and watch them become soggy, stained messes that no one will want to take home. (Put a stack of them near the door instead so people can collect them on their way out.)
Brochures. A brochure offers a more detailed overview of a business than a onesheet can provide, usually assigning separate panels to different products, services, or other information categories. Brochures work better when they can be read instead of skimmed, making them ideal for offices, waiting rooms, or take-home reading. They’re a logical follow-up piece to a onesheet, and they reinforce your professional image as an established company. Unless the content in them is absolutely “future-proof,” however, you’ll find yourself updating the brochure periodically, an operation that may entail redesigning, rewriting and reprinting the thing.
Booklets. Booklets represent the big time. These multi-page guides usually provide in-depth information on a comprehensive suite of services or products, giving prospects a complete set of answers to most any questions they could possibly have. The booklet format is useful for content that just won’t fit comfortably into a brochure. Booklets cost more to design and produce than brochures. They’re intended as long-term marketing tools — but if the information needs updating, get ready to pay.
So which print piece is right for you? At some point or other, maybe all of them. You’ll need to think about how who your prospects are, how to reach them, and how much information they need before they’ll buy. Good luck!