Why Print Must Be a Part of Your Content Marketing Strategy

Once upon a time, print marketing was the only game in town. Flyers, banners, posters, business cards, and ads in newspapers were essentially your sole options for getting the word out about your business.

Then the Internet happened.

And with the advent of company websites, email lists, and social media, everything changed. In the last few decades, marketing has switched almost entirely to a digital platform.

So does this mean that print media is a thing of the past? Not even close. In fact, there are many reasons for why it is important to incorporate print advertising into your content marketing strategy.

1. It hangs around.

Emails can be archived and never seen again with just one click. Top-of-the-page banners and side-of-the-screen ads are instinctively ignored. But a brightly-colored brochure with engaging pictures or a fun and unique business card is something you might not immediately throw in the recycling.

To the contrary, you might put it on the fridge or keep the business card in your wallet. In other words, print media hands around, and that’s what you want a good marketing strategy to do.

2. It’s already “printed.”

Much of marketing involves coupons and discount codes that must be printed to be redeemed. This is a pain for a lot of people, which is why most skip this step and never engage in that type of marketing.

On the other hand, coupons and discount codes that have already been printed and mailed or handed out are much more likely to be used. Furthermore, even though some coupons can be redeemed by showing a barcode on your phone, most people find even this cumbersome. Taking a coupon out of your purse, though? That’s easy.

3. People trust it.

Finally, remember that most people today remember the old ways of marketing. They remember looking for jobs in the newspaper and clipping coupons from magazines. They remember handing out business cards at mixers. This makes these marketing strategies trusted. People have confidence in print marketing because they remember using it to great effect once upon a time.

Digital marketing still offers numerous advantages that print marketing will never rival. But what we should recognize is that current and potential clients and customers will often respond positively to print media tactics in ways that they wouldn’t if you just shot them a mass email every week. Try implementing print media into your marketing strategy and see what it can do for you.

3 Basic Print Layout Mistakes to Avoid

When creating your print design, there are some common mistakes which you should avoid at all costs. These errors will make your printout look messy and unpresentable and, as a result, you can lose clients. Below are the easily overlooked aspects when setting a print layout.

1. Failure to add Bleed

You will notice that at times the document layout will extend to the edges of your design. In this instance, it is important to use “bleed,” which will extend your colors past the edges of your document. After printing the design, you can trim off this extension, ensuring that there is no white edge on the finished product.

2. Using a Low Resolution

A file may look fine while on your screen, but upon printing, it will appear blurry. This can happen if the file is not set at the right resolution, or if you have imported a pixelated image. The quality of your printout will be determined by the dots per inch (dpi) and the resolution. An image with 300dpi will be of much better quality compared to the one with 72dpi, which is why 300dpi is recommended.

3. Setting Incorrect Size

Before sending the design for printing, you should confirm that it matches your desired size. You should also ensure that the design is positioned correctly and has the right proportions. If you intend to have a have a 25 x 25mm sticker, you should set the layout at 31 x 31mm so as to include the bleed area. After setting your document correctly, you should send it to the printer without making further changes. There are many pre-set templates which can be downloaded online including PDF versions with step-to-step guides on how to set your design’s proportions correctly.

Evidently, there are many mistakes which can lead to a low-quality design, but they are typically easily avoidable. If you avoid these mistakes, your printout will no doubt be presentable and attractive ensuring that your clients stick around.

5 Design Tools for the Non-Graphic Designer

Creating quality content is one of the ways of ensuring that you attract the intended online audience. With the advent of social media, great imagery is playing an increasingly significant role in the world of content creation. While relevant text content is important, images can help to entice your audience to click and read what you have created. If you do not have the knowledge and experience required to come up with quality images, there are several design tools that you can use.

Canva

Canva is one of the most popular design tools for non-graphic designers. The tool not only lets you make your own visuals but also comes with tutorials and teaching materials to help you develop and improve your skillset. Although Canva is not free, it has pre-made design layouts, pre-sized templates, and allows you to save your designs as well as to use the templates you have created at a later date.

Fivver

In case you have budgetary constraints, using Fivver will offer you the advantages you need to communicate using quality images. The tool lets you make custom logos within a very short period of time. With this graphic design tool, you will also be in a position to market the various products and services that you offer at an affordable fee.

99Designs

One of the advantages that place this particular tool ahead of its competitors is that it features crowd-sourced design services. You can create a contest for the specific project you have at a given time. This could be your business logo, a cover image for your social media account or website imagery. From such a contest, there is a chance that you will have many experienced designers competing for your project. This gives you an extraordinary chance to tap into some of the best talents in the industry.

Pixlr

This is a simpler and easy to use equivalent to Photoshop. The tool allows users to edit photos and create graphics. You will be able to choose your fonts, customize the size of your images and access it both on your desktop and mobile device.

PowerPoint

Although PowerPoint does not have as many features as those of the previous tools listed, it can also be used to make images. And since most people are familiar with the application, they can easily create the quality images that they need to make their content more attractive.

Having good quality images is a hugely important piece when it comes to creating your content, and just because you don’t have a degree in graphic design doesn’t mean you can get away with poor visuals.

The Importance of Relevant Messaging Both Online and Off

Whether online or offline, creating relevant messages to communicate to your audience is hugely important. These are messages that engage with people and add value to any campaign, marketing or otherwise. As you work to create your next campaign, ask yourself, “Is this message truly relevant to my following?”

What Is a Relevant Message, Then?

Relevant messages are a critical component to any online or offline strategy. They should convey certain themes and add value in some way. Here are some examples:

  • They are revealing.
  • They are informative and timely.
  • These messages can be challenging or empathetic.
  • They may be inspirational.
  • In some cases, they can be cautionary.
  • They should always be truthful.
  • In some way, they connect directly to your audience.

Why Does Relevance Matter?

Relevant messages convey more than just an announcement, a sale or a product launch. Rather, they help to create a unique bond between the viewer of that message and those putting the message out there. For example, the right message helps to show industry leadership thus creating a bond of respect. These messages create emotion in the reader. They appeal to the consumer in some way as well. Your message must impact your reader in a way that encourages them to take the action you desire. Without a relevant message, there’s no way for your reader to connect with your company. That leaves you without the return you want.

Pulling the Pieces Together

Every type of marketing you have should communicate a relevant message to your customer regardless of the platform. It should connect with them on some level to show them why a relationship with your company or organization should matter. When you create this connection, you build your brand, build your revenue, and create long-term connections with people who respect your team. Without a relevant message, your marketing will fall flat.

No matter whether you are creating a campaign in print, launching a social media campaign, or merely speaking out to the public one thing is for sure – make sure every word you add or any message you convey is relevant to the relationship you hope to build with your customers.