Five Common Elements of Print Marketing

Regardless of the digital marketing trends that dominate business today, print marketing is still a viable form of brand promotion. Brochures, newspaper articles, magazine ads, and flyers can still get the word out about your products or services while connecting with your audience in a relevant way. Print marketing also requires every bit of creativity and attention to detail that web development or social media campaigns do.

Part of the creative process is integrating crucial elements that reinforce your message and connect with your audience. Items, such as eye-catching headlines, high-quality images, compelling content, a call to action (CTA), and contact information, engage the reader and improve your conversion rates. Let’s take a closer look at these five common elements of print marketing.

Element 1: Headline and Sub-headlines

A headline is often the first piece of content people read in print marketing, telling them what they can expect to read on the brochure, flyer, or newspaper ad. A catchy headline draws people into the rest of the content. Sub-headlines break up the content into digestible sections and seamlessly lead the reader from one thought to the next. When drafting headlines for your print material, follow these simple guidelines:

• Make sure your headline is specific.
• Tell readers something useful to maintain their interest.
• Omit nonessential words.
• Add primary and related keywords to your headings.
• Avoid cheesy or trendy language.

In addition, consider the five “Ws” and one “H”: who, what, when, where, why, and how. What are the primary questions addressed in the content? Focus on those elements in your headline. Are you profiling a person or a business? Are you discussing products and services or announcing an upcoming promotion or event?

Element 2: Photos and Images

When adding photos, images, or graphic design to print material, the key is balance. Not including images will make your brochure boring and disconnect you from your readers. Too many images will clutter your layout and distract the reader from your content. The mind cannot process lots of small pictures as easily as one strong image.

Use images when you need to communicate something important about your business. If you are showcasing products and services, you should have one or more shots of your products. Not every paragraph requires an image. Just because you have lots of great snapshots of your business, doesn’t mean you should use them all. Be selective and only use images that are going to reinforce your brand and message.

In addition, get creative with your images. While it is important to visually highlight your products or services, you may also want to show images of customers using your products or your staff interacting with clients. Finally, use captions when necessary or possible. Captions put images in context and can add weight to your message.

Element 3: Body

The body is the centerpiece of your layout. It contains all elements crucial to reinforcing your brand, promoting your products, and presenting your message. How well you structure the body will determine whether you reach your readers. Before you create the body, you need to determine the purpose of the print and plan what you want to say.

When writing print material, you follow many of the same rules you do on almost any other platform:

• Keep all sentences, paragraphs, and sections short.
• Know your audience and speak directly to them in the first and second person.
• Keep your content readability between seventh and tenth-grade levels.
• Provide useful information and eliminate needless thoughts or words.
• Incorporate bulleted lists, tables, images, and photos.

Your primary objective is to hold your reader’s interest by bouncing them quickly and smoothly from one concept to the next while maintaining a consistent theme and message. An organized body of content that is easy to read will help you reach your goal.

Element 4: CTA

A CTA is a marketing term referring to an image, button, or content that prompts your readers to perform a specific action. It typically includes a specific instruction that uses action terms, such as:

Contact	Call
Sign up	Visit
Register	Click
Follow	Learn more
Fill out	Speak with

The CTA is designed to convert a lead into a customer through further interaction with your company. An effective CTA looks something like this:

When you are ready to move forward with your personal injury claim, contact Peterson Law Firm at xxx-xxx-xxxx. Call today and get a free case review from one of our personal injury lawyers in Pensacola, Florida.

In this example, the CTA contains three action terms: move forward, contact, and call. All action terms move the reader toward a meaningful interaction with the law firm. Two of the action words give specific instructions (contact and call). As a bonus, the CTA also offers an incentive (free case review). Regardless of what type of print material you are creating, you should try to insert at least one CTA that prompts the reader toward the consideration or conversion stage of the marketing funnel.

Element 5: Contact Information

The final touch on any print material is contact information. Depending on the type of business you have, you should include all essential information, including:

• Company name
• Physical or mailing address
• Phone number or tracking number
• Email
• Website address (or relevant landing pages)

When it comes to adding URLs, make sure they are short and memorable. A long URL with numbers, letters, and symbols is impossible to remember. Instead, try a URL that includes your company name, your tagline, or a specific service you offer. Make it short and sweet. The same applies to your email address. If you have multiple locations or provide an online service, you may prefer to omit your physical address from the contact information.

Contact Lucid Today for Print Marketing Services

At Lucid, we provide a wide range of marketing tools to help you expand your market reach while targeting the customers you want. We deliver measured results that reflect your brand and help you reach your goals. To find out more about our print marketing services, call 850.760.0478 or fill out the quick contact form below, and we will be in touch.