10 Benefits of Print Marketing for SMEs

With Guardian experts rating print marketing as one of the strongest strategies for small and medium sized businesses, we thought we’d explore the top benefits of using print to advertise and how small business owners can get the most out of it. And with printing service prices getting cheaper and cheaper, we’ll show just how effective your marketing strategy can be even on a budget! Here are our top 10 benefits of print marketing for SMEs:

1. You Can Get Close & Personal

One of public speaker Patricia Fripp’s self-named ‘Frippicisms’ we can’t get enough of: “Technology does not run an enterprise. Relationships do.” Building relationships with your customers is the key to your business’ success. And with B2BMarketing’s research showing that 38% of business owners revealed that experiential marketing wins them business, events and fairs are the way to go for promoting your SME. So, why not up your swag bag game with some printed merch? From custom Notebooks to Mugs and even Tote Bags, there are loads of ways to stand out and start a conversation at your next event.

2. Make It Easy to Get in Touch

What happens if you meet a potential client or customer and neither of you have pen and paper to write down your contact details – and even if you do, what’s more unprofessional than a scrap of paper with a phone number on? You can’t really expect them to crack out their phone and make a digital note of your contact details (and it’d definitely be awkward to ask them to do this), so what’s the solution? Make it as seamless as possible to share contact details with a Business Card. It’s the classic, and most professional, way of networking! Not only are you helping build a personal relationship with them, but you’re also doing all the hard work for them. And with our free Business Card design templates, the ‘hard work’ is actually quite fun and easy!

3. Increase Awareness in Your Local Area

Opened a shop in a town or on a high street? Now all that’s left is to make sure people know you’re there – and not only that, but to make sure they know why they need to come to you! One of the 2018 print marketing trends to watch, door-to-door Leaflet distribution is a fantastic, cost-effective way of spreading the word about your business. Why not incentivise your next Flyer drop with a discount voucher to be used either in your shop or on your website? If you really want to stand out from your competitors, why not opt for Postcard printing instead of Flyers and Leaflets? You can get really creative with your artwork, and give customers everything they need to know – they’re just even more likely to soak all that info up!

4. Engagement and Interactivity

Another trend of the year is the ultimate marketing combination of print and digital. Jetline.com’s study found that advertising campaigns that used this killer combo saw a 25% higher response rate than campaigns that used digital marketing alone, meaning that this is a trick you really don’t want to miss! Whether you find the balance by glossing up your business’ social media icons or website URL with Spot UV Business Cards or through adding a QR code leading to a campaign landing page on a Poster, it’s a good idea to match up all of your marketing materials so they’re consistent with your brand – make sure people know it’s you the second they see it!

5. Advertising on the Go

Do you have a car or a van? If so, you can use your car to advertise your business on the go! Magnetic vinyl signs for cars and vans are a really great (and cheap) way of promoting your business. This investment is invaluable – think of all the people who will see you driving around with your logo design, contact details and any other vital information on there? The best part of this strategy is that you don’t really have to do anything different to what you would normally do on a day-to-day basis – just drive and let this low-cost tool boost your business.

6. Strong Call to Action

Print marketing is fantastic for gaining undivided attention – so what are you going to do with that attention? Take advantage of the fact that the recipient of your marketing will be looking solely at your message, even if it’s just for a few seconds, by using a strong call to action. Think about what you want them to do, what the purpose of your Flyer or Folded Leaflet is. Do you want them to enter a competition on social media? Visit your store? Check out your unmissable new range online? Marketing tip: always have a reason ‘why’ behind every communication you send out.

7. Trustworthiness

Our recent survey of 500 smartphone users across the UK found that Flyers are the most trustworthy and informative form of marketing, whereas online ads were considered the most intrusive and didn’t rank very well at all for trust! Think about it – pop-ups are generally associated with viruses; there have been many examples of these turning out to not be legit. We’ve never heard of Flyers that give your computer a virus! So, why not reinforce your brand’s trustworthiness with a direct mail campaign?

8. Stand Out from the Crowd

One of the huge benefits of print marketing, especially with new and emerging technologies, is the incredible amount of customisation opportunities. From different lamination types to pearlescent papers of all kinds of weights – and even Spot UV – it’s never been easier to make a complete custom designed product that’ll really make you stand out from your competitors. And the best bit? Even choosing these options when printing your products isn’t going to cost the world. You can get shiny Metallic Business Cards from less than 20p per card!

9. Specific Target Audience

Print marketing makes it really easy to specifically target the people you want as your customers. From organising a door-to-door Flyer drop to leaving a Leaflet with your offers inside a sales Brochure or Booklet whose readership is your potential customers – you could even get your hands on a branded pop-up Exhibition Stand and book onto an event where you know your target market will be.

10. You Message Will Last

Prints key strength is its longevity. You hand someone a Flyer and they’ve got this concrete piece of marketing in their hands. It’s not like an online ad that your potential customers might just scroll past without even glancing at or an email that’ll either get lost amongst all the other marketing emails people receive or even deleted without even being opened. If you’ve got a waiting room or reception area as part of your business, why not pop a temporary Sign up to promote an upcoming sale or event? It’s a guaranteed way of making sure your message is heard loud and clear!

From increasing brand awareness to forming fantastic relationships with your clients and customers, there are countless benefits to using print marketing to boost your business – without going over your budget. If you still feel like you need some more examples and ways of advertising with print that are perfect for small and medium sized businesses, check out this blog for even more printspiration!