How to succeed as a start-up in your industry with print marketing
It might be a knee-jerk reaction to side with digital when it comes to contacting potential customers and promoting your brand, but don’t be too hasty. Research shows that print is far more capable at creating a lucrative marketing campaign for start-up and small businesses than many think.
If you’re new to your industry, chances are, you don’t have pools of cash to throw around. Print marketing can be fund-friendly, and this article will explore why start-ups should try it and how they can make it a success.
Print: the current statistics
The print industry offers plenty of formats to suit individual objectives and business types, including case bound book printing, leaflets, pamphlets, business cards, stationery, posters, and pull-up banners. If you’re not sure about the benefits of print, check out these stats:
- 34% of all printing is for advertising and marketing products, such as event programmes and tickets.
- 30% of all printing is for products such as newspapers, magazines and brochures.
- Only 20% of users click on any online banner advert.
- 63% of UK adults still read magazines (according to YouGov).
- Only 10% regularly read magazines online.
Clearly, print depends on marketing as much as marketing relies on print. Consider also that around 80 new businesses launch in the UK every hour, according to a report by StartUp Britain (a national, government-backed campaign) — print marketing might be your chance to diversify from competitors in your industry.
Transforming your business with direct mail
Which print marketing format should you choose? Unfortunately for direct mail, many associate it with ‘junk mail’. However, this hides its ability as an effective marketing tool — just take a look at these figures:
- 7% of the UK’s advertising expenditure was on direct mail in 2009.
- 54% of consumers in a survey said that they’d be happy to get direct mail from brands that might interest them.
- In 2015, 2.5 billion+ direct mail coupons were exchanged.
What’s more, direct mail seems to run rings around digital, according to studies. 80-90% of direct mail is opened as opposed to just 20-30% of emails. Clearly, this is a win for start-up companies looking to get their message across to potential new consumers.
Transforming your business with a brochure
If direct mail doesn’t sound like your brand, consider the iconic brochure. Brochures are all about advertising your business and getting a point across concisely — in as few pages as possible, of course. To help you whittle down the details and create an attractive, easy-to-read brochure; just ensure you’ve thought about these essential features:
- Succinct, informative and quality-checked copy.
- Strong call to action.
- Tidy layout.
- Enticing header.
After proofreading and cross-checking your brochure design, call your print agency to negotiate a deal and discuss how many brochures you wish to order. The more brochures you buy in bulk the less the overall cost in the long-run. However, you don’t want any to go to waste collecting dust in cupboards, so you need to think hard about how many you truly need.
Evidently, your marketing options are far greater than just emails, online banners and social media ads. Whether you opt for brochures, direct mail or another form; print marketing is certainly worth considering if you want to boost your brand and promote its products and services in a personal, professional manner.
Sources
https://smallbiztrends.com/2017/01/direct-mail-marketing-statistics.html