Say the word “flyers” and most people immediately imagine colorful pieces of flimsy paper, tucked under a car’s windshield wiper, casually flapping in the wind. Others may picture street team members handing out flyers to folks passing by. Sure, these are typical uses for flyers; but this media type has so much more potential.
Check out these simple flyer printing ideas for business… and feel free to leave your own suggestions in the comments.
[From top left to bottom right]
1. Mini-concert poster or event flyer (Credit: Danny PiG on Flickr)
2. Product spec sheet / sales sheet
3. Coupon for services
4. House flyer for real estate / home services
5. Kid’s restaurant menu or placemat (Credit: Denny’s Restaurant Flintstones kids menu, c 1988)
6. Calendar to highlight special events or sales
7. Daily specials
8. Price sheet
Do you have any creative uses for this media type? Share your ideas by posting a comment.
Marketers—especially those who rely on direct mail and print marketing to reach audiences—are becoming more conscious of how they affect the environment. What can we do to reduce our ecological footprint? Should we stop sending direct mail postcards and printing marketing collateral altogether? No. We just need to learn about ways to reduce waste and make choices that benefit business and make less of a negative impact on the environment.
Here are a few things you can consider:
- Partner with vendors that use ‘green’ materials and processes and are chain–of–custody certified by the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council).
- Use a micro–targeted approach to marketing: define a specific goal/objective, target audience, location, duration, and response metrics before starting a campaign.
- Ditch the spray–and–pray method of direct mail marketing. Use a targeted list, segment based on specific demographic characteristics, and cleanse your list throughout the duration of your campaign.
- Reduce waste and storage costs by printing marketing materials on demand. Digital printing allows you to print only the quantities you need precisely when you need them.
- Use direct mail and/or print to capture the attention of prospects. Then continue to nurture relationships online via email marketing or through social media.
Some call this awareness and approach ‘green marketing’. Honestly, I think it’s more than just being respectful of our environment and its resources. These are simple steps you can take to market smarter. You not only reduce the negative impact on the environment, but you also get better results from your campaigns.
Learn how QuantumDigital is doing their part to conserve.
While taking a lunch break poolside at the Email Evolution Conference in Miami, I saw a curious thing happen. A woman sitting next to me had a printed coupon book (direct mail piece) from Target with her. She carefully inspected each coupon, and when she came to one that she liked, she took a picture of it with her smart phone. After watching her repeat the process several times, I asked her what she was doing. “I’m taking pictures of these coupons and saving them to my phone so I’ll have them with me when I go to the store. I’m always forgetting to bring the book.”
Here’s a perfect example of how consumer behavior is evolving; of why brands need to embrace digital marketing technologies and work to integrate them with direct mail and print; of how the new point of sale is everywhere thanks to mobile devices.
Target could have chosen to include a unique QR code or SMS text element on each coupon allowing a consumer to:
- have specific coupons delivered to their smart phone or mobile device via email
- redeem the coupon and make an immediate purchase from their smart phone
- sign up to receive email or SMS text alerts of future promotions on the same or similar items
- share the coupon with friends on Facebook, Twitter, or via email
The list of possibilities goes on, and you can watch a short video for more examples. Blending sophisticated digital technologies with traditional media not only gives consumers a more robust and engaging brand experience, marketers are able to leverage those digital technologies to:
- effectively track responses from offline channels in real time
- collect consumer data in order to personalize communications and provide more relevant content
- expand brand reach by connecting offline with online, allowing viral sharing
- increase response rates and more effectively measure ROI
Again, the list of possibilities goes on. It’s stunning to me to see how many opportunities brands are leaving on the table by not leveraging digital technologies or developing solid marketing integration strategies that include both online and offline channels. I’m only left with more questions as to why it’s so hard for brands to close the chasm between print and digital marketing channels:
- Are brands not aware of all the digital marketing technologies and capabilities (such as qr codes, SMS texting, variable data digital printing, etc) available today?
- Are brands resistant to using these digital technologies because they think their consumer is not savvy or ready to use them?
- Are companies operating in such silos that it’s difficult for them to collaborate and effectively manage internal communications between teams (mobile marketing teams, email marketing teams, direct mail and print teams, social community managers, etc) in order to integrate traditional marketing efforts with digital marketing efforts)?
Your thoughts?
QuantumDigital is one of eight G7 Master Printers in Texas and one of the first and few pure digital printers worldwide to achieve this distinction.
What does G7 mean?
For corporate print buyers, brand managers and ad agencies, the distinction means that you and your clients can maintain brand integrity across all of your print projects. It changes printing from an art (visual check), to a science. G7 solves a common problem for print buyers: getting consistent color quality regardless of the technology, printer or location.
Find out more abot QuantumDigital and G7 master status by reading the press release.
G7® Master Printer status is awarded by the International Digital Enterprise Alliance (IDEAlliance).
