Just like peace, print deserves a chance, too.
Last week, I proposed the death of print as we know it, just to see if I could get some kind of reaction. I did.
In the black hole of advertising, where a gazillion dollars disappear each day, Mr. Who-Do-You-Think-You-Are, the 4-color brochure, was a star. We used them for everything: mailing them out in mass, pushing them into people's hands at networking events, seeing how many counters we could pile them up on.
"Oh, just a minute. I'll get you a bro-chure."
Then along came the web. Cheaper, faster. All of a sudden we could fire off an e-mail or create a few sentences on our home page and our customers would be persuaded to open their pocketbooks, right?
Not exactly. It's a jungle of information, misinformation and exaggerated sales claims out there. It's hard to know who to trust. And people hawk their stuff online like carnival barkers.
Something to touch, feel, smell
This is good news for you. It means that you actually have a better chance of getting noticed with your printed piece. If you know why you're writing it, who you're writing it for, and what customer problem you are solving, you'll be competing with a lot fewer businesses.
Last week, I talked about the special feeling I get when someone takes the time to aim a brilliantly written and designed marketing piece, new ink smell and all, at me. I tend to pay attention.
It's not in my crammed full in-box. It's in my hand. I can, as a designer friend of mine said, gaze in awe at "a beautiful brochure, flawlessly designed on supple paper." Okay, "supple" was a little weird.
Sometimes print just works better
Three print pieces that still pack a punch:
• a brochure- Sometimes a client is already looking to buy, but just needs all the facts to make the right purchase. So they know what they want and they are just shopping around for someone who has all the product features and specs they need. This makes a brochure the perfect tool.
• a targeted direct mail postcard- Postcards are so versatile. You can promote a sale, introduce a new product or service, drive traffic to your website, reward your most loyal customers or promise top solve a specific client's problem. They get read more often because the message is short and your prospect will at least scan it before tossing. With a strong message, you have many more readers and potential buyers.
• a multi-use marketing folder- While a brochure can become dated quickly, a snazzy presentation folder with pockets for value-focused inserts can be a brilliant solution. Pieces to consider (or not), depending on the client: About Us/Bios; a buying guide that positions you as an industry leader; some case studies or customer success stories; a list of products and services; company profile/history; a copy of your newsletter; and, of course, a business card with an optional, handwritten note of introduction.
I predict that print, especially the expertly designed and written pieces, will become more important again. Why? Because it rises above the Internet noise and sets the smart business owners apart from the fire hose of spammy information that lands in our in-boxes every day.
What about you? Do you see new uses for print? Are you being more selective in your use of it? What about you designers out there? Are you finding creative ways to market with ink and paper?
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