The Science of Marketing

Marketing Beyond the Computer

There are many benefits of marketing components that contribute to the full brand experience. With print marketing you can incorporate longer lasting impressions than you can online. Marketing has been under the watchful eye of science recently and these tips can help you improve your print marketing experience… with the science of the senses.

Sight

This is the most relied upon sense in any marketing message. Making a piece that is visually appealing while getting your message across is on the top of the list for creating any marketing piece, whether it be print or digital. Some standard features to appeal to the sense of sight for a memorable piece include:

  • Good company logo
  • High resolution photos of products and people
  • Lettering that stands out
  • Seasonal graphics

Make sure your company’s logo stands out and is relevant in your industry. Text needs to be easy to read and not on top of busy photos or artwork. Many of the most successful marketing pieces have followed the “less is more” mentality.

Touch

For print marketing, this is your biggest upside. When people can physically hold something, they feel more connected to it. Its importance is ranked higher and it can be available, in the future, for anyone to revisit or share without any hassle. Being able to offer current and potential customers a tangible piece of information about your company is a connection made that you cannot get online. Marketing is always about connecting with the customer and seeing them as an individual where advertising is sent out to the masses without any regard to the singular person. In marketing we can dial down our message and create printed pieces that speak to a specific type of customer. People appreciate the connection made between them and a business that offers them more than just a product or service, but also a connection.

Brochures, pamphlets, fliers, mailers, and promotional items not only offer a constant reminder that they can hold in their hands, and see in passing, but can connect the individual to your company. That type of marketing piece is highly effective and cannot be achieved with internet, television, or radio ads.

Smell

While some may believe that “smellovision” is just around the corner, reaching this sense via marketing is a bit more difficult than the others, though not impossible. Pulling in a greater client connection by utilizing as many sense as possible can be done a few ways:

  • Booths and sample stations
  • Open houses
  • Sponsor partnerships

Accompany your product with a piece of literature to enhance the experience. When handing out samples or setting up a booth, make sure the smell is enticing. Food and beverage or even candles are inviting. While speaking of your product or service you’ll create a nice memory and back up your connection with a printed reminder, such as a brochure or business card. All the senses here are what create the connection and memory associated with your message to that potential client.

Hosting open houses and making your brand material available with your sponsorships allows for constant reminders of your company along with the experience of the event. If you are sponsoring a luncheon, speech, event, etc. be sure to ask what type of marketing pieces you are allowed to include at place settings, in bags, or hand out as guests enter.

Sound

While on screen marketing may seem to corner the market here, your promotional items and specialty mailers can certainly have a sound element attached. However, if that is not in your budget, use the printed pieces as a gateway to your website where you can add the sound element to complete the experience. Include a sound byte when your website opens, a testimonial video, or product review video can play for viewers to get the full effect of what you offer.

The sense of hearing, though, is best experienced through one-on-one connections. Get out in your community and visit people in your market. Attend events and be the voice of your business. These are the perfect opportunities to hand out your printed materials and speak directly to potential customers. Once they know you, trust is built and the rest of your messages will only support that relationship, which leads to long lasting customers and word of mouth referrals.

Taste

The food and beverage industry has taken off with the ability to offer “new flavors” and dining experiences that had never been dreamed up before. Today, flashy ads, bold colors and bright letters catch a customer’s eye with the promise of something new and delicious. Branded treats, promotional items and menus are a great way to incorporate taste into your message. Capitalize on the marketing experience instead of just the message and let your marketing pieces compliment your business. Just like a puzzle, each piece connected to the next completes the puzzle and experience and shows off, to your market, everything you are about. Make it memorable.

In summary

Try to make your marketing message an experience that connects your business to your customers on a personal level. Try new packaging and print on new textures and materials. Add a bright color and make sure your logo a brand staple. Speak with your printer and see what options they have for you to offer memorable marketing pieces that will stand out in your potential customer’s mind.

Lone Star Quick Print has been a local printer in Houston, TX since 1978. LSQP is the number one source for printed marketing materials. For more information, contact us here or call 281-440-1935.