When speaking about print media or sometimes just advertising in general, a lot of people often immediately think of leaflets, pamphlets, brochures or flyers. Why, I hear you ask? Well simply because it’s considered to be the most common form of print-media advertising, or at least it used to be. I have a good recollection of the shear amount of leaflets that would come flooding in through my post box every morning, usually advertising lettings agencies, insurance quotes or the most usual of them all: take-away menus. In this way the average person has been influenced to grab and hold on to the stereotype that leaflets are just nonsensical pieces of paper that come in through your post box. And what does one do with something nonsensical? They discard it. Now you start to get the picture of the deterioration of the ‘useful’ image that print-media once had. It has been relegated from a valuable method of advertising to just something you throw away and usually don’t even bother looking at.

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Let me clarify one thing though: print media is NOT useless. It is actually one of the most cost-effective methods of advertising that exists. The fact that some people throw leaflets and flyers away does not mean that people don’t look at and read them. In fact it’s fair to say that most people will have a glance through a leaflet before throwing it away and that is the whole point. Leaflets and flyers make use of a slight time frame in the average person’s busy day to put across a message, and that could be whatever message a small to medium sized business is attempting to get across. Flyers for example, make fantastic use of the social aspect of advertising. I’m 100% sure that the average human being has experienced the often awkward circumstance of having someone on a busy street attempt to hand them a flyer. When this happens there are really only two outcomes: 1. You say “No, thank you” and keep walking, or 2. You take the flyer.

So what are some positive features around print-media advertising that will help you utilize the appropriate channels to reach your target demographic?

• It’s Tangible – When holding a leaflet or flyer, you get a sense that there’s been work done to make sure that a message is portrayed when you read it. It is different to internet ads which can often be perceived as the bane of peoples lives, as they are usually looking for money or are just simply scams.

• It’s Believable – Expanding on the point about scams, print-media gives an individual the sense of security in that what they are looking at or holding in their hands is actually advertising a product or service as opposed to trying to trick people. Let’s just say the likelihood of that a leaflet or flyer doing any damage is considerably low.

• It’s Good for Brands– If you are looking for a quick and easy form of advertising a small business or product, print media is the obvious solution. Branding is all about getting your name out there and print media is the most cost-effective solution.

• It’s Engaging – Along with the tangible aspect, people will be more focused on reading a print-ad than reading the average online ad. Online ads are usually seen with a pessimistic disdain whilst print ads can quickly and effectively portray your message.

People like to focus attention on those who don’t take the flyer but the whole point of flyers is focusing attention on those who DO take the flyers. All it really takes is putting across your business or proposition in as few words as possible and include and enticing image. This can take next to no time and will save you valuable resources as well as enable you to focus on other aspects of your business. The most enticing aspect of it all though, is how cheap it is! That is a staggeringly low price for a form of advertising that can generate revenue at a rate you wouldn’t believe. But more than revenue, flyers can successfully get your name or product out there for the high-street shopper or the busy errand-running mother of three, or the “I’m only interested in not spending money” university student… the list goes on.

So if you’re looking for an efficient, cost-effective and time saving method of generating social traffic around your name or even generating revenue, it’s safe to say that print-media is worth your time.

This article was written by Deborah Malissa. Deborah is a business woman who is a believer of print media advertising like cheap printing from Wales Print. She enjoys sharing her own views and experiences in the blogs and articles that she writes.