Even in this digital age, ‘the power of print‘ cannot be denied. Human beings will always have an emotional reaction to holding something colorful and interesting in their hands. From a very early age, people learn to examine and understand with their fingers and hands. This is why the printed page will very likely always have a unique appeal.
As a business owner, you have to take advantage of that power and use professional printing to your advantage. But how, in this age of distraction and animation and slick video presentations can a mere roll-up banner, poster or business card measure up? Consider the fact print book sales are going up, even though e-books have been available at retail now for more than ten years.
Using print effectively is not as difficult as you think. In fact, you may find a fair number of your prospective clients and customers relieved by the fact your business cards and brochures aren’t reaching through a screen at them.
If you are looking for ways to leverage print for your business, here are some things to consider.
Coordinate Your Imagery
Think about the most successful music videos of all time. What did they have in common? Some can credibly argue they all shared at least one synchronized dancing segment.
Well, what if your documents could synchronize themselves somehow? Wouldn’t that draw more attention than a simple business card or booklet?
If you were to place a pen, business card, roll-up banner, brochure and t-shirt on your table at your next trade show, and all five objects had the same logo on them, how do you think people would respond? You know how you responded the last time you saw five image-coordinated objects. It draws the eye. It creates curiosity.
Coordinate Your Colors
Ask your printer to explain color theory to you sometime if you want to learn one of the keys to the universe. Even simpler, ask yourself this question: Why are all fast food logos red and yellow?
Color theory says yellow makes you anxious and red makes you hungry. If you want to know if color theory works, stop by In-N-Out Burger on a Friday evening around 6PM and count the cars in the drive-thru.
If you want to use color theory in your brochures or tchotchkes, try green. It conveys peace and prosperity. It should probably be your official color if you’re selling investments.
Whatever you do, pick great colors that send the right message and paint everything you print with them.
Face to Face
The human brain is uniquely constructed to decode human faces. Nothing draws attention like an unfamiliar face, except possibly the face of a very attractive man or woman.
If at all possible your printed materials should have someone’s face on them, whether it is your own or a stock photograph. If you can use color theory and image coordination to combine with the same face on all of your materials, so much the better.
Tell a Story
Everything starts out as a story and ends up as a story. The reason is pretty simple. Human beings respond to stories in ways we respond to nothing else.
There is no faster way to get someone’s undivided attention without their defenses going up than to start with “let me tell you a story.”
Your print materials should tell a story of some kind. Even if it’s just an intriguing tag line, getting someone to buy in before you even start your pitch is vital to your long-term sales prospects, even at a trade show.
Importance of Contrast
The most effective contrast combination on Earth is white on red. If you are skeptical, count the number of youth sports teams that use red jerseys with white numbers. Then count the teams with green jerseys and blue numbers.
Good contrast is attention getting. Think of the best book cover you’ve ever seen. Chances are it has big bold letters and a high contrast centered color of some kind on a receding darker-colored background.
The reason you bought that book is because it jumped off the shelf, and the other books had inferior covers.
Your business should have superior attention-getting power. That’s why you need contrast.
There are no silver bullets when it comes to marketing. All you can do is give yourself the best chance of success and throw for the end zone. But if you follow the advice of professional printers and get the highest quality printed materials you can, your chances of success will be considerably enhanced.