In addition to digital communication, it is important to consider print media to optimise communication with your target. Posters, flyers, badges, stickers are still widely used in marketing strategies to communicate on events, news, promotions... In this article, we give you some advice on how to make a success of your print communication media.
What are your objectives for your physical communication?
Before choosing which communication levers to use, it is essential to define your marketing and communication objectives.
Here are the 3 objectives that you can achieve:
- Cognitive: raise awareness
Communication should optimise brand awareness, in particular by providing information on the products, their advantages and values, in order to arouse the interest of the target audience. This helps to develop brand awareness and thus acquire new customers and increase sales.
- Affective: making people like you
This communication should focus on the brand image to rejuvenate it and make it evolve. It must arouse desire and make people like its products by playing on the emotions of the public. This increases the rate of awareness and customer loyalty by creating a certain proximity between you and your customers.
- Conative: making people act
The objective of the communication action is to activate the consumer, to incite to purchase by conveying a message. This increases sales.
Whatever your objective, print communication supports your sales force and accelerates the dissemination of your message. It is a guarantee of professionalism. It makes it easy for a message to be remembered by as many people as possible.
What budget should you allocate for your communication?
The budget allocated for communication depends on the sector of activity, the competitive environment and the target. According to INSEE, a BtoB company's annual communication budget is at least 5% of the company's turnover. In the case of a company targeting the general public and operating in a competitive market, the budget represents at least 20% of turnover.
To make the best use of your budget, it is important to analyse your digital and print communication. Print communication can be for more occasional operations (trade fairs, new products, etc.). This can be adjusted according to the medium chosen, the quantity printed and the occasion.
To find out the price of printing materials, it is essential to compare quotes from different printers. You can adjust these expenses by adjusting the weight of the paper, the number of colours and the printing technique (digital or screen printing).
Print communication is relatively cheap. Often, prices are degressive, i.e. the higher the quantity, the less expensive it is. This makes it possible to order larger quantities and reduce costs in the long term.
Which communication medium to choose?
There are many different media and it can be difficult to choose the right one to communicate effectively with an audience. Here are the different media and their advantages:
- Posters
The first print communication medium that comes to mind is posters. They are intended to be placed in strategic locations to be as visible as possible. Bus stops, metro stations and other public places are the most popular places because a large number of people pass through them. However, you should also check which places are allowed to be displayed.
To achieve the content of your poster, it is important that your message is clear and visible. It should answer the questions Who, What, Where, When, How? and the colours used should be eye-catching. Don't forget that your poster should represent you, so it should respect your graphic charter.
Before going to a printer for mass production, it is essential to do a test print to check the correct placement of information, the sharpness of the images and to see how it looks in reality.
- Flyers
Flyers are one of the most used communication media by professionals to present a service, a product or an event. Thanks to their small format (A4/A5), they are easily distributed. Indeed, they can be distributed in the street during street marketing operations, be displayed in strategic places to be taken by a large number of people, distributed in mailboxes, be placed under windshield wipers, etc.
The aim of this economical medium is to attract new prospects and customers. To do this, the paper must be of good quality with an impactful hook. The information must be clear and well structured with a clean design to arouse the curiosity of the readers.
To make effective flyers, ask yourself the following questions:
- What is the purpose of the flyer?
- Who are the targets?
- How can you arouse their curiosity?
- Where should the flyers be distributed?
Don't forget to add the compulsory information required by law, i.e. the name of the printer, the name of your company, the RCS registration number and the amount of share capital for commercial companies. In addition, you must add the words "do not dispose of on the public highway" imposed by the Environmental Code. If you forget this information, you can be fined €750 respectively.
If you print on recycled paper, it is recommended to write "printed on recycled paper" or "printed on PEFC paper". This is useful for your positioning and reassures customers, which plays a role in your brand image.
- Customised badges
Badges can be completely included in your graphic communication supports, especially during events (trade fairs, meetings, exhibitions...). Indeed, in addition to identifying a person at first glance, it creates a feeling of belonging. The visibility of your company will be optimised thanks to the printing of your logo and your colours on the badge, making it easy to recognise your brand. It is important not to overload your badge to keep a nice design and to see the useful information.
The PVC badge is a very good choice in terms of cost and quality. These access cards have a neat print and are resistant to frequent handling. To protect your badges and allow people to be identified quickly and easily, you can complement them with badge holders, neckbands or customised badge clips.
- Customised stickers
Customised stickers are an original communication medium. It is an effective way to get your message across. The cheapest is paper, but this is easy to tear.
The most economical is paper, but this can be easily torn off, so it is better to use flexible vinyl, polyester or polypropylene stickers for long-lasting use. Moreover, this material can be freely personalised from the shape to the marking (logo, text, visual, etc.). These stickers are resistant to all types of handling, high temperatures, solvents, etc. Their high quality printing will reinforce your brand image.
These stickers have multiple uses: they can be distributed directly to the public, placed prominently on a counter or put in your packages as a small gift when making a purchase. They allow you to communicate visually and encourage word of mouth from one person to another. This allows you to acquire new customers and to keep the old ones.
- Advertising objects
Bags, caps, key rings, water bottles, USB keys, pencils... These customisable objects are very popular with companies. Indeed, it is a very positive, useful and even original way to communicate. Using communication through objects is a way of reminding customers that you exist and of building loyalty.
If you choose this type of communication, the goodies must be useful, durable, design, and if possible eco-responsible. To make it a supreme weapon of your communication, the advertising object must be distributed to a receptive person, at the right time.
These communication tools are ideal for events to gain visibility in the long term. It is easy to give and receive. It is the little extra that can make the difference.