Design and marketing tips for growing businesses

Message

We start with the Message. What do you want to say to your customers? Where are your customers in terms of location (physical and on the web), buying cycle, and other relevant demographics? We’ll help craft the message according to your audience.

Visual

It’s not just the words you use. Visual presentation has a tremendous impact on how messages are received – and perceived. Fonts, colors, imagery, and layout are our building blocks. We are experts in creating appropriate visuals to emphasize a relevant message.

Technical

In the end, the delivery of the message is accomplished by Technical means. Website, email, social networking, advertising, offset printing/mailing are some of the ways to deliver. The marketing industry has changed a lot in the last quarter century, and we’ve consistently evolved to adopt new ways of publishing. The industry is always expanding, and we’ve grown along with it.

In summary, all three parts must be present. Any two aspects leave something lacking. A pretty picture delivered without a strong message is unclear. A message that's delivered but doesn't look good is unattractive. A strong visual message without delivery is unseen. All three parts - the message, the visual and the technical must be present for successful marketing communications.

This is the Age of the Internet. As devices get smaller and more portable, people are receiving more of their information digitally. Why should you spend money on a printed advertisement, brochure or catalog when you have a website? Digital turnaround time is faster, it's cheaper, "greener" and the results are measurable.

Although these benefits of electronic publishing are certainly true, printed materials still make sense.

Print is touchable. Print drives traffic to your website.

Think about the ways you are inspired to visit a website. Something as simple as a business card or small promotional flyer on a bulletin board might encourage you to go online to find out more. Or you picked up a brochure or catalog, thumbed through the pages, maybe even saw something textural in it that caught your eye. You didn't smell a perfume ad on a website. It was on one of those fancy fold-outs in a magazine. Your mailbox is full of (okay, sometimes annoying) calls to action. But if marketers have done their job, then you should be receiving something relevant. There are some experiences that only a printed piece can deliver. You can take a printed piece with you, you don't have to log in or wait for it to load, and it never crashes.

Every printed piece you pick up these days has just enough information to make you want to know more, with a prominent URL or contact information. And more recently, a quick-response (QR) code for even faster access via your mobile device.

How do you know if your printed piece is successful? In addition to inquiry calls you may receive, you will usually notice a spike in your website traffic. Be ready for customers who come to your "virtual door" and make sure you have coordinated your campaign into a seamless message.

Print and web integration is essential. The point is: Understand your customer and incorporate the media they use. Print marketing efforts should complement — and drive — online initiatives. Different customers receive and respond to messages in different ways. Knowing your customer is essential to determining the best marketing vehicles required to inspire them to respond to your message.

Here's another bonus: Thanks to the online marketing revolution, offset printing has become increasingly more affordable.

A knowledgeable marketing strategist can help you sort through the costs and benefits to help you determine the best media to reach your audience.

See our portfolios: Brochures & Catalogs Ads & Direct Mail