Not so long ago, it was expected that from the business card in your purse or wallet, to the signage on the front of your store, that everything would be stylish, professional, and exemplary. But then we all went digital and the focus switched to the online presence. So where do more traditional, print marketing materials stand now, in the modern business world? Let’s find out…

Simple and effective

True, if you’re conducting most of your marketing efforts online, then you may not have refreshed your trusty business card for some time. However, it remains not only a practical, statement-making marketing material, and a professional first-impression to make – but it also has one clever advantage over digital marketing materials. It’s actually quicker to pull out and give to someone than it is for them to input your phone number – a benefit that’s unlikely to ever change!

They’re more memorable

Imagine, for a moment, returning to your car to find a dozen different paper flyers flapping around under your windscreen wipers. Essentially, this is the physical version of an email inbox filled with e-shots and newsletters – you never actually read all of them. However, one high quality, well-designed flyer or poster is far likelier to strike a chord. Studies have shown that the psychological ownership of an item is likely to be higher with physical goods – something digital marketing materials, so far, are unable to deliver.

…and emotional

Expanding on this slightly, once somebody has touched something, it’s stimulated more senses than just seeing or hearing it. Think of listening to a favourite song on your headphones, as opposed to seeing it live, for instance. Advertisers have long strived to stir emotions with their work, from trying to make you shed a tear, to leaving a tiny sliver of perfume or cologne on the pages of a glossy magazine. Essentially, the more ‘feels’, the better – and the same therefore goes for printed marketing materials.

More than words

While everything from a business card, to a poster, to a promotional brochure, can create its own positive impact, professional marketing materials as a whole are about more than just a message. They’re about creating a connection with a customer or potential business link, making what you do memorable – hopefully unforgettable – and trying to instill a sense of ownership in others.

You want them to feel, quite literally, the professionalism and positivity you’re offering, and take it home with them to consider both now, and in the future. Although professional, physical marketing materials are tougher to send far and wide than their digital counterparts, they stand a far better chance of making your brand stand out to the people they do reach.

Many businesses are therefore stepping up their print marketing material efforts, while continuing to expand their online presence simultaneously. Specialists in print and printers such as Duplo International are seeing brands embracing the power and emotional potential of professional, printed marketing materials – helping brands to really deliver their message to customers all over the world.