Despite a rapidly digitizing world, print media, advertisements, and designs still hold a special place in society. For starters, print is the single most reliable marketing medium and well over half (56%) of consumers trust it over any other platform—including social media, television, and more [1].
Additionally, 75% of people “feel special” when they receive print media in the mail and 90% of the time, they choose to open and read it [2].
Print media is a cultural mainstay and isn’t going anywhere. But for your pamphlets, packaging, and posted advertisements to stand out from the crowd, they’ll need unique print designs that capture your customers’ attention and leave a lasting impact.
From business cards to mail advertisements, let’s draw up some basic guidelines for print and graphic design to make your physical advertising more eye-catching and memorable.
Bolster Your Business Card Design
Business cards are booming and are as relevant as ever. Every year, around 10 billion business cards are printed and distributed to would-be customers. Unfortunately, just a week after being handed out, 88% of those cards end up forgotten or discarded [3].
Yet unique, attention-grabbing designs stick around for much longer than drab, run-of-the-mill cards. In fact, simply adding color will cause your customers to keep your card for ten times longer than basic black-and-white designs. Plus, there’s even more you can do to improve their aesthetics [3].
To give your business cards star power, put your own unique flair on their design with:
- Fun, die-cut shapes – The original purpose of business cards was to blend into the pack as they were shoved into a Rolodex, wallet, or desk drawer. In modern marketing, camouflaging your card amongst the masses will simply leave it ignored and discarded. For maximum visibility and memorability, try retiring the standard rectangle design altogether in favor of another, more unique shape—preferably one related to the goods or services you sell.
- Quality printing details – The further from black-and-white, the better. That doesn’t just mean splashing a palette of paint across your cardstock and calling it a day, either. Be conscious of your color choices and pick accenting details that complement your card’s overall design. Try embossed lettering with subtle metallic embellishments for a refined, classy look. And try printing on soft-touch paper so customers can tell which card is yours without even looking at it.
Make the Most of Your Mailers
When you send someone an advertisement in the mail, they tend to remember its design and contents. For instance, print media enjoys an 80-90% higher recall rate than digital advertisements [2]. That means the recipients remember it far more clearly than any on-screen ads they encounter.
When you think about it logically, it makes perfect sense. Physically holding and looking over a piece of media is far more memorable than quickly scrolling past an ad you never wanted to see in the first place. And, to make that experience stick with your recipients even longer, use:
- Unique shapes – Similarly to business cards, cutting your mailed-out media into fun shapes distinguishes it from standard pamphlets and flyers. Again, going with shapes that match your industry—such as barbells for gyms, dogs for veterinarians, and so on—can raise that recall rate even higher and keep your ads (and business) at the top of consumers’ minds.
- Engaging campaigns – Don’t just list out your offerings and prices. Instead, add a little mystery, fun, and flair to your advertising campaigns. You could hint at future product drops, give clues about upcoming pop-up events, or use any other sort of advertising technique that fits your organization and its goals. If you need help dreaming up compelling campaigns, partner with a proven marketing agency to elevate your ideas and designs.
Take Your Trade Show Handouts to the Next Level
Attending trade shows and similar industry conventions can increase your brand awareness by 76%. In addition, over 80% of attendees can recall at least one brand they interacted with a whopping six months after the show [4].
To ensure it’s yours, hand out catalogs, brochures, and other print media for your visitors to take home and consider. Recent Harvard studies identified a 170% increase in ordering from such mediums over the last couple of decades—so your handouts won’t just remind attendees of your business, they’re likely to increase sales as well [5].
Ensure your trade show collateral has everything your potential customers need to learn about your business, including:
- Information about the goods and services you offer
- High-quality graphics
- An overall theme related to your industry
- Your company’s contact details
Bring Your Print Media Ideas to Life With Coal Creative
Truly beautiful print media has an intangible, magical, nostalgic quality to it. If you’ve ever received a pamphlet or business card and found it simply too well-designed and appealing to commit it to a life in the rubbish bin, you’ll know exactly what we’re talking about.
Coal Creative is the leading creative agency in Northeast Pennsylvania (NEPA) and beyond for gorgeous graphics and powerful printouts. From drafting up your company’s logo to sticking it on meticulously crafted business cards and mailers, we’ve got every aspect of graphic and print design covered for your business.
Browse our portfolio to get a taste of our work and, if you like what you see, request a proposal to partner up on your next project. Together, we can create profound and captivating designs that perfectly encapsulate your message.
Sources:
[1] “Why 56% of people find printed marketing the most trustworthy of all the marketing channels.” Data and Marketing Association. July 7, 2016. [Online] Available: https://dma.org.uk/. Accessed June 18, 2024.
[2] “31+ Print Marketing Statistics & Market Size (Latest Report).” Persuasion Nation. April 13, 2024. [Online] Available: https://persuasion-nation.com/. Accessed June 18, 2024.
[3] ‘Business Card Statistics.” Credit Donkey. July 20, 2022. [Online] Available: https://www.creditdonkey.com/. Accessed June 18, 2024.
[4] “[2024] 150+ Trade Show Stats That Reveal All.” Trade Show Labs. March 3, 2024. [Online} Available: https://www.tradeshowlabs.com/. Accessed June 19, 2024.
[5] “Why Catalogs Are Making a Comeback.” Harvard Business Review. February 11, 2020. [Online] Available: https://hbr.org/. Accessed June 19, 2024.