Print marketing for your retail business

The internet is accessible to more people than ever before. Newspapers, books, and magazines are increasingly cutting costs by moving away from the hard-copy format. However, far from the printed format being dead in the water, it’s actually becoming more of a novelty these days.

When everyone has a blog, publishes online, produces apps, and ‘does’ social media, they are competing for attention daily. Printers can produce professional, digitally printed material that has greater longevity and is a tangible, lasting reminder of your company’s presence. 

How digital print can make your company stand out from the crowd 

It is so easy these days to create marketing content in-house and then simply send it out via email to your mailing list at the touch of a button. Especially if you are a small business, this can seem like the cheaper and easier option: with a little investment of time, all of the costs of a printing shop can be eradicated. But there are good reasons why a printed leaflet or brochure may be the better option. 

While the internet is always there, helping you create and sell your products here, and people often turn to it first to search easily for products and services, the information on there is ultimately short-lived. There is also such a plethora of content that it can be hard to attract and retain a consumer’s attention for long enough to read a whole article, or click on one advert out of many.

Compare that with a printed brochure, which is visually appealing, captures the undivided attention of the viewer, and research shows that they will spend on average longer reading this then they will an Internet article. Imagine seeing an amazing per like same day courier delivery advertised for a store on a brochure rather than a passing web page; it stays in your mind!

Printed documents also tend to carry more credibility. Pay-per-click adverts online are often viewed with suspicion because of the number and frequency of internet scams being reported in the media. In fact, it’s estimated that around four in every five Internet readers never click on a banner ad.

Finally, the beauty of using a print shop is that, through digital printing, it can create a range of more personalised material to target specific audiences, cost-effectively – rather than blanket advertising on the web to millions. 

How to evaluate printers

If you are convinced of the arguments for digital print, you then need to source the best company to fulfil your needs. These days, everyone’s marketing budget has an upper limit; and if you are to receive a healthy return on investment, your primary concern will inevitably be cost. Look for printing shops that offer attractive prices and discounts for bulk ordering.

However, bear in mind that if a price looks too good to be true, it probably is, so talk to your shortlisted suppliers and ask for samples of their previous work to check the quality first-hand. You want the best you can afford, after all. If you have multiple requirements, such as business cards, roller banners for a conference, and a batch of leaflets, make sure they provide a sufficiently wide range of products. It will be unnecessarily expensive if you have to source more than one supplier for your orders. 

Also, ask about the print shop capacity and current workload. If you are in a hurry or have a deadline to meet, it’s important to know that your supplies will not be delayed because the printer has too much work on. Finally, keep an eye on potentially hidden costs, such as shipping, which can escalate disproportionately.