MARKETING TOOLKIT HIGHLIGHT: EMAIL VS. PRINT

A wise old man once said…”motion is 2/3 of promotion”… When surveyed, several floral distributors stated running a “flyer” will increase customer awareness, and therefore sales by 20-25% for the items promoted on the flyer.

Normally, although not always, a discount is given as an incentive for customers to purchase the product on the flyer. Given that a discount is given, margins drop, and after you add the cost of the printed promotional material, chances are you haven’t made a dime.

There are several ways to publish and distribute a promotional brochure, either online or in a traditional printed piece. Both have advantages and disadvantages to consider.

There are three common distribution methods to get your brochure into the hands of your target audience. A digital brochure file takes exactly the same amount of work on your part to produce, regardless of whether you have it professionally printed and mailed, send it via email or post it as a downloadable PDF on your website.

Online Advantages

After your digital file has been proofed for quality, you might opt to post it on your website or offer it as an email attachment to peak your customers’ interest. Choosing this method means that your brochure is published instantly, without having to sign off on a printer's proof or wait up to a week to have the printed piece delivered. If money is a factor, you'll save printing costs, postage, labels and envelopes used to mail the brochure. A digital online brochure also can be easily updated if prices need to change; the products are oversold, or even if you find a mistake after the fact.

Posting a PDF onto your website or emailing it to your customers can eliminate some of the problems encountered when a printed promotional brochure leaves your hands.

Disadvantages of an Online Brochure

Your customer might not take the time to read an online or emailed brochure from start to finish, because he can only view it while sitting at his computer or looking at his phone. Also, not all customers are tech savvy, and may not be able to work with an online version. Remember to consider the size of the customer's screen when creating your file.

Printing Advantages

An important advantage of a printed brochure is the ability for the customer to keep a copy either for easy access at their phone, or to put on the cooler for customers to see when they are selecting fresh product. A printed brochure generally has a longer-lasting impact on your customers than an online version.

Disadvantages of a Printed Brochure

Aside from printing costs, there may be other disadvantages to printing your brochure. If you choose a cheap paper stock or an inexperienced printer, your images might come out misrepresenting the color, and your reputation for quality may be compromised. In addition, errors made are in print and cannot be changed in time, and will be costly.

To summarize, traditional print methods of creating and distributing promotional brochures are not all bad, but maybe it is time to consider an alternative to promote your products.