In a world where digital marketing reigns supreme, you might be wondering if there’s still room for print ads. The answer is yes – there’s always room for print ads because people still largely consume physical media. What you need to be concerned with is how to run successful print ads, and this article will help you sort that out.
The first thing to know is that effective print ads operate by the same principles as digital marketing messages. You still need to know your target demographic, reach your audience with convincing copy, and include an enticing call to action. The difference is that digital marketing can reach a larger number of people. However, that doesn’t mean the conversion rate is higher. In fact, many companies generate a higher conversion rate from print ads.
The conversion rate for print ads will vary based on each organization’s strategy and industry but consider this example from Print Observer. Their average conversion rate for a print campaign is 42%. The reason their ads are so successful is that they have identified a very specific market for their products, that market has specific needs, and their ads are convincing.
Whether you’re already running creative print ads or you’re just starting to think about launching a print advertising campaign, here are seven strategies that will help make your print ad campaign a success.
Always hire a professional designer if you want successful and the best print ads. The aesthetics of your print designs matter just as much as your copy and call to action. Stunning graphics will get you more conversions than stock photos ever will. If your design elements are flawed, low-quality, or off-center, the perception will be that your company is also low-quality.
Print ads are not a good DIY project. While templates are available, they’re harder to work with than digital ad templates. For instance, if you’re not a designer, you can still open up a template in Photoshop, make some changes, save your file, and make it work. It doesn’t even have to be high-resolution sometimes. Print is a different story.
Working with print templates is harder if you don’t have design experience. Most of the time, print ad templates will be created for use in programs you don’t have, like Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator, and Adobe Spark. While you can buy a subscription to these applications, there will be a huge learning curve just to learn how to use the basic tools. The same goes for Photoshop. No matter how many times you’ve used Photoshop, preparing images for print media is a whole other story.
Even if you make it past that learning curve, it’s easy to mess up a print-ready file if you don’t have experience. For example, say you create a design from scratch in Photoshop but fail to set the right resolution. A design created in the standard 72 dpi will need to be recreated in 300 dpi in order to be print-ready. In other words, you’ll have to do your work over if you want it to print well.
You also have to set up your templates with the right margins and bleeds, and you need to know how to make your text print flawlessly. This is easier said than done. You’ll also need to take your file(s) to a professional printer because printing your files at Walmart or a local mail center won’t produce high-quality results.
If you don’t have professional design experience, hire someone to create and print your ads to ensure you get the best possible results.
When it comes to print ads, white space is your best friend, and simplicity is king. However, “white space” doesn’t need to be white – it can be any color. The point is to have space on your ad that isn’t stuffed with content.
You want generous margins and plenty of space in your ads. Resist the temptation to fill the entire space with images and text. You don’t even need a background image most of the time. You may want to use a solid-colored background with a light texture, but it doesn’t need to be busy to capture attention. That’s what your main imagery is for.
Print ads with generous white space are easier to read and actually stand out more than cluttered ads. Spacious designs can make your business look higher-end as well, and with the right color scheme, you can convey some very specific feelings about your brand.
Typography is crucial for print ads, just like it is for digital ads. When you craft your typography for your print ads, you’ll want to spend time getting it perfect because even just the typeface you use will influence visitors in specific ways.
Choose the wrong typeface, and you’ll convey the wrong idea. For example, if you use a font that has been branded by a well-known company, you’re going to send subconscious signals to people related to that brand. It doesn’t matter if that isn’t your intention because once people associate imagery with a brand, it’s impossible to counter that brand recognition.
To avoid sending the wrong message to your audience, run your ads by several different people to make sure they don’t make them think of other brands, especially if they’re your competitors.
To ensure you convey the core message you intend, stick with easy-to-read typefaces and don’t use too many different fonts on the same page. It’s okay to use a couple of different fonts, but don’t use them in a way that distracts the reader.
Whenever you run ads, adjust them for the season or upcoming holiday. For instance, if you’re running ads in December, use a Christmas themed visual element and advertise the value proposition of your products and services as holiday specials.
People are going to have the next upcoming holiday in mind, and by running ads that connect to that holiday, you’ll capture more attention. It’s easy to do this even if you don’t actually have any upcoming specials for each holiday. You can rebrand your existing deals as a holiday deal or create a new deal.
Or you can just run a basic ad for your company with imagery and copy that highlights the holiday. For example, for Veteran’s Day, the top ¾ of your ad can depict a patriotic image with a copy that honors all veterans. The bottom ¼ of your ad can be a general ad for your business. Around Veteran’s Day, your ad will catch people’s attention because the holiday will be on their minds.
Some of the best holidays to craft your ads around include:
These are the main holidays that most people celebrate in some way and are used to seeing ads with special deals for these holidays.
Both clever and direct copy will sell, but the secret is to know when to apply each of these techniques to your ads. It really depends on your industry because some industries don’t do well with cleverness or sarcasm. For instance, if you’re a firearms dealer, sarcasm won’t sell your products. However, if you sell cleaning supplies, sarcasm is on the table.
If you can’t make cleverness or sarcasm work to perfection, stick with direct messages. You can’t go wrong with a direct copy. However, misplaced sarcasm and cleverness can hurt your brand image. The best way to figure out how to use sarcasm and a clever copy is to look at past ads in your industry and see when or if it’s been used before. If popular companies have run successful ads of that nature in the past, it will probably work for you, too.
Having a clear call to action (CTA) is paramount in any print advertisement campaign, but it’s even more important in a print ad. Say you have multiple CTAs directing readers to do different things. Online, your audience can just hit the back button if they choose the wrong CTA, but in print, it doesn’t work like that.
Define the action you want your audience to take after reading your ad, and make sure it’s made clear to the reader. Tell people exactly what you want them to do. For instance, be direct and say:
These are just basic examples of CTAs you might use in your print ads. Whatever your desired action, just make sure it’s clearly stated and that you only have one CTA per ad.
Amazing print ads aren’t going to be effective on their own – you’ve got to get them in front of the right people. Do you know your target market well? If not, it’s time to get acquainted with your market on a detailed level. Do some in-depth market research to find out who your ideal market is and learn about them. The narrower you can define your market, the more successful your ads will be at generating conversions.
Once you have narrowed down your target audience, you’ll need to get addresses to direct mail your print ads. If you already have a list, you’re ahead of the game. However, if you’re new to print advertising, you’ll need to source a mailing list. The easiest way to do this is to go through a mailing list broker. If you just buy mailing lists related to your industry, you won’t get the narrow target you’re after. There are far too many lists out there that may not be specific to your market. A list broker will talk with you to find out more about what you need and will curate a set of lists that meet your specific requirements.
Many companies choose to run fully digital marketing campaigns, ignoring physical ads altogether. If this is the route you choose, you’re missing out on the opportunity to generate a large number of conversions through print ads.
Yes, digital has quickly eclipsed print in terms of advertising market share, but using print ads in your campaign is a holistic marketing strategy for your business.
For the best possible results from your marketing efforts, combine both digital and print advertisements; both are perfectly viable methods for generating revenue. If you’ve been avoiding print advertising and print marketing, try it – print ads just might turn out to be more effective than you thought.
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