There is no denying the popularity of social media platforms. Websites and downloadable applications help us to communicate, share photos and talk to friends and family far away, but we also use social media for our business aims. Facebook, Twitter, Google +, Linked In and Bing or sales platforms like Etsy and Shopify help us to advertise products online (often) free of charge. You may be wondering if allocating funds for printed business listings, business cards, flyers, calendars and posters to communicate with customers about products, services, events, sales and other important business goals is a valid expense.
Quality, artistic, professional flyers, business cards, posters and calendars are still an important way to advertise. This is especially true if the correct potential customer base is targeted. When printed media like flyers, price lists and business information is disseminated where they will have the most impact – for example child-oriented flyers that provide a picture to colour as part of an advertisement for child-friendly activities, or flyers for a local dance festival or concert handed out at the local drama, music or ballet school. No matter the purpose of your advertising, you will want to connect with a receptive audience and printed media still forms a large part of this potential reach.
The mass onslaught of online media and social networks has in some aspects desensitised potential customers to advertisements and in some cases there is a greater response to printed flyers than there is to online advertising. Flyers are colourful, eye-catching, to the point and can be held in the hand, placed in a handbag or in the car where they are immediate and likely to be noted several more times, encouraging potential business. Flyers may also be shared within families, friendly circles, church groups, moms and teacher groups or within large offices. The immediacy of printed flyers means potential customers don’t have to be online to find out about your business offerings or events.
Flyers are a cost effective method of reaching a large number of people and can be handed out at events, left at local businesses, tourist centres, handed out with purchases and they can be delivered to doorsteps, placed in mailboxes or left on vehicles. Nowadays there is a wide number of online providers, that offer all kind of print products at affordable prices. Online shops such as Onlineprinters.co.uk allow you to order flyers, business cards, poster, calendars and even merchandising in some minutes without even leaving your office.
Flyers can be also used for timely promotion of events, advertising the duration of sales or promotions and highlighting limited special deals. When you opt for a glossy aqueous coating in four-color printing your unique message will fly off the page! You can even fold your flyers. Big colour posters can be placed in varied locations where they can be seen by people walking past, motorists, restaurant goers or visitors to the local information centre or library thus further extending your reach. Booklets can be handed our to attendees or customers to be disseminated along with positive reviews. Brochures and business cards can be used to cement positive contacts with interested customers.
By Patrick Swint from Knoxville, TN, United States (EMP-SFM (13) Uploaded by Guitarpop) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
