Print marketing is still holding on at the top of the most effective marketing strategies. A 2015 survey conducted by the Content Marketing Institute showed that 57% of all B2B paid advertising in North America represents print and other offline marketing strategies. This is a very significant percentage, demonstrating once again that print is far from obsolete and ineffective.
Since print marketing is so effective, you must know how to plan and launch a campaign of this type. These steps are critical to the success of your campaign, and they should be followed carefully and closely, adapting them to your specific niche or business model. To enjoy maximum success, you should work in close collaboration with your printing company, welcoming their input and their recommendations, and making them a part of the team planning the campaign.
1. Determine Your Budget
In preparing your budget for a print marketing campaign, you need to take into account all kinds of expenses you will have to make. For example:
- Printing costs
- Costs of promotional materials which will be branded
- Cost of leasing outdoor advertising space
- Cost of setting up and manning a promotional stand in a commercial center
Your printing company can help you estimate these costs accurately from the initial phase of planning the marketing campaign, using their extensive expertise working on similar campaigns.
2. Select the Type of Printing Materials You Will Use
Not all print marketing means paper. Printing can be done on a variety of materials: plastic, metal, glass, textiles, etc. Your print marketing campaign should include a variety of promotional materials – such as ballpoint pens, caps, umbrellas, coffee mugs, etc.
If you worry that this type of marketing campaign will not yield a good ROI, at least by comparison to an online marketing campaign, then you should know that a study conducted by Advertising Specialties has shown that the average cost per impression for a promotional item is $0.002, compared to $0.0025 for an online marketing campaign.
Another option for your marketing campaign is large format printing – billboards, vehicle wraps, banners and roll-ups.
3. Integrate Online and Mobile Platforms into Your Print Campaign
Running a print campaign does not mean that you ignore the online world. The best and most successful campaigns are a clever integration of all these marketing platforms, increasing the overall reach of your marketing campaign, and the number of people exposed to your brand image and message.
You should also remember to include a call to action in your printed materials that takes people to your digital properties – website, social media accounts, landing page, or blog.
4. Identify the Ideal Moment to Launch Your Campaign
The moment when you start your campaign is important. Are you launching a new product? Do you want to run a customer loyalty campaign? Are you promoting your seasonal discounts?
The scope determines the moment when your campaign starts unfolding, either by teasers and hints, building up momentum to the actual launch, or by a massive launch on all channels and in all planned locations.
Once you have determined all of the above and you have double checked everything, your print marketing campaign can roll out.
Your campaign should be a company-wide focus; cross-promoting it on your website, social media and other channels of communication with your clients/prospects.
>> Are you looking for a reliable partner for your print needs? Get in touch with Impact Color today.
