Print Advertising Still Works in our Digital Age
- By Chelsea Mills
- •
- 21 Mar, 2014
Tips on what to do and what not to do when creating a print ad
Actually you might be surprised once you start researching it. A number of studies show people react differently to print media than they do to digital media. In the 2008 study published by the Journal of Research in Reading, shows that reading ads online isn’t as effective or rewarding as their printed counterpart.
Multimedia features of ads and physical manipulation of ads tend to distract the reader from the focus of what they are reading and could leave little room for imagination to come into play. The result is that readers do not fully absorb digital media in the way they absorb print media information.
Print advertising is fully controlled by the reader. He or she decides how long to stay on each page and when to move away. So to fully maximize your users experience here are a few things you should do and a few things you should not do when working on a print ad.
DO
- Make sure you are very clear about what you are selling. Use words or images to ensure you don’t leave people in the dark.
- Use simple, clear contact information, which is easy to remember.
- Make sure your logo is in the path of the reader’s eye, a reader’s eye moves in a Z pattern across the page.
- Work with someone with design experience when designing your ad. Not only is skill necessary to make the ad look right, but your ad must compete with the other ads favorably in the publication.
- Prepare your ad ahead of time, if you can, so you can put it away for a few days and then revisit the ad with a new perspective. This will allow you time for any revisions if needed.
- Confuse the reader and assume your design is funny or clever, ask for second opinions to see if other people understand.
- Clutter your ad with multiple images, text, font styles and an abundance of information.
- Forget to have a clear call to action so the reader knows what to do next.
- Allow your contact information to be obscured in anyway by a design element. An amazing design is useless if the readers do not know how you get your product or service.
- Ask your ad to do too much.
Around The Town with Chelsea
A t Bella Vita, exceeding the expectations of the residents is simply the beginning. Having a quality life in our later years is the least we all should expect. Bella Vita is committed to providing an environment that allows one to feel independent, with the assistance of its highly trained care group.
Today family businesses have a competitive edge that could hardly be anticipated. As millennials continue to take up over one third of the workforce, many of these individuals are looking for more out of a career than a paycheck. In this new arena, family businesses have an edge in building a sustainable footprint because of the personal connection between the family and the community they serve.
A textbook example of this is Peabody Insurance Agency, a company with a history of serving the community since 1919. In the last year Peabody Insurance has grown the team to include two new family hires, Grace and Brandon, and has completely remodeled its office.
“In order to thrive in today’s competitive environment, I believe it’s important for businesses to give the next generation a voice in how we should work and serve our customers,” explains Jim Peabody, partner of Peabody Insurance in Fenton. “Our team has developed a culture of collaboration, where insurance knowledge is fused with new ideas, processes and tools.”
Peabody Insurance is now one of the most capable independent agencies in the state, with the development of an interactive safety app, DocuSign, virtual meetings and a client portal. “Many of our features have the goal of saving our clients time and money. Customers have the ability to choose how they want to do business with us,” Jo Schofield, account executive, explains, “and our customers enjoy supporting local businesses because they know those dollars are going right back into their hometown.”
To see example of their work please click here . Contact us at Behind Your Design to help you design your next website.
Starting a new business? Looking to give your current logo a 'refresh'? It can be easy to just think 'I need a logo!' - what you are saying is that you want a graphic representation of your business to use on your marketing materials. What you need however is a memorable overall ' brand' that will attract customers to your business. Luckily, at Behind Your Design, we can help you with all your needs, even the ones you don't know yet.
How do I create a brand?
It's important to know your brand values and aspirations. Basically, your WHY? What made you start your business in the first place? What problem are you solving and what are your passions? Long term, where do you want to be in 2, 5, 10 years? The answers to those questions are the core of your brand. We want to give you the tools you need to reach your greatest potential.
Next, we'll work on the personality of your brand. What will your brand look like? Sound, feel, act like? Knowing your business' personality allows it to shine through everything we do. It also helps narrow down your target customer and decide how your business will interact with them. Appealing to a certain audience makes marketing efforts meaningful and effective.
Consistency is key. We work together to create an entire brand concept and easy guidelines to follow. Colors, fonts, patterns... Anything to make your look consistent will be part of your brand. Then, we use those elements across all platforms (website, social media, business cards, etc) to ensure your voice, mission and design flow fluidly and works together.
Once you've created this brand, it's time to go beyond that and uphold the reputation. Your customers have to truly believe in your brand, just like you do, and will, in turn, become loyal advocates of your business. Not only will they stay local to you but they'll also recommend you to others.
Your business is so much more than just a logo. We believe building a solid brand can become a company's greatest asset, so we cover every step:
- Web Design
- Graphic Design
- Email Marketing
- Facebook Marketing
- Mobile App Design
- Trade Show Booth Design
- Custom Photo Gifts
- Speaking Engagements
- 40 Hours A Week (Mon-Fri - 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM with working lunch)
- Paid Holidays
- Opportunity for 401k Retirement Matching
- Must be able to multi-task, delegate and prioritize jobs that come in
- Must be able to track time spent on projects
- Responsible for ordering from vendors
- Responsible for managing multiple tasks and keeping jobs moving forward by following up with clients and our designers
- Friendly pleasant personality
- Responsible to answer phones, greet customers, take messages and packages
- Team environment
- Time Management and Organizational Skills
- Matching expenses/orders with client billing
- Approximately 25% of the job will be coordinating photo booth jobs including contracts, graphics, staff, programming booths, posting photos, burning DVD’s and communicating with clients.
Technical skills needed, but not required to apply, we would train qualified applicants:
- HTML Email Blasts (Constant Contact, MailChimp)
- Website Building
- Basic Photoshop Skills
- Professional Email Skills
- Word, Excel
- Asana Task Management System
- Social Media Posting
- QuickBooks
Click Here to Apply
