Times are changing. Technology is advancing. And some of the most traditional and long-beloved types of collateral in the marketing space can seem outdated and obsolete. On the flip side, there are some quality print pieces that will help elevate your brand and create positive and luxurious connotations.
For example, the loud, obnoxious and costly post-card is more often than not immediately tossed in the trash these days while the sleek, matte, heavy Restoration Hardware catalog is saved and used as home decor. While particular types of high-end print can help your business appear high-end and elite like the infamous home decor company, the former type can give off a cheap and outdated vibe that you absolutely do not desire. Many types of print collateral quickly become a point of contention and annoyance for the mere fact that paper has to be handled, filed, physically stored or discarded.
While investing in luxury print materials may not be the answer for every business, more and more virtual alternatives are becoming available that streamline some of the most outdated types of collateral and make it more accessible, and allow your business to appear savvier.
We are going to break down three ways your business can cut back on print collateral while still elevating your brand:
#1 Digital Business Cards: The Newest Trend Taking Businesses by Storm
Long gone are the days when anyone in their right mind wants to scroll through a 2-inch thick business card organizer to find a specific contact let alone have to store and organize all those cards. While business cards are still a necessary evil, modern technology has gifted the business card gift that just keeps giving – digital business cards.
Now, what exactly IS a digital business card?
First, let’s talk about traditional business cards. You’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. They are a quick and easy, usually aesthetically pleasing, way to quickly give and receive basic contact information such as phone numbers, emails, and websites. But with the large influx of social media accounts, digital assets, virtual showrooms, and the like – it can be an impossible task to cram everything into a standard 2×3.5 inch a piece of paper. THIS is where the digital business cards will blow their predecessor out of the water.
While digital business cards still serve to quickly give and receive information, they can do it more efficiently and have the ability to include a near-endless amount of ways to connect with you at the push of a button. For example, by merely tapping their phone against your digital card, your intended recipient will have the ability to view your contact info, social media accounts, payment apps, website, and even curated media files right in one place on their phone – easily saveable and accessible.
Here are some of our favorite companies serving up digital business card technology – Popl, Blinq, Linq.
#2 Digital Brochures: Reach Further, More Effectively
Whether you are a non-profit looking to spread the good word about the work you’re doing or a local spa hoping to share more information about just how much luxury potential clients can receive, having a piece of literature to “hand” someone has always been the quick and easy way to do it. However, with websites and social media making your paper trail even lighter, brochures and fact sheets can also be eliminated with the rise of effective and user-friendly digital brochures.
Where digital brochures really shine is in their ability to take what can be a daunting plethora of website content and condense it into an easily digestible and shareable format that focuses on a specific area of your business.
Using a digital brochure will eliminate the need to spend thousands of dollars printing and potentially high postage fees and allow you the ability to share the brochures on a much larger scale. Digital brochures also allow you to incorporate more media types and a major bonus – they allow for insight tracking.
Here are some of the hottest companies creating digital brochures – Foleon, Flipping Book, Flipsnack.
#3 Digital White Papers: Less Paper. More Impact.
White papers…even the term itself sounds extremely outdated. You may not even recognize the term. According to Investopedia, “A white paper, also written as a whitepaper, is an informational document usually issued by a company or non-profit organization to promote or highlight the features of a solution, product, or service that it offers or plans to offer.”
For example, a doctor’s office may have white papers describing various vaccines while a spa may have them on various types of massages they offer, describing each in great detail allowing a customer to review it and understand how it can provide a solution to whatever problem they are having.
By creating a library of digital white papers, you can create an interactive experience where a customer can answer questions leading them to a specific white paper that it recommends as a “solution”. As always, brands should remember they are not the hero in the consumer’s story. Rather they are a guide who is there to provide them with the tools they need to become their own hero. With interactive white papers, your business can serve and direct in this way.
Here are some businesses that specialize in digital white paper experiences – Visme, Outgrow, Foleon.
Are you interested in learning more about digitizing your business so that you can reach your audience more effectively? Contact us today to learn more about how we can serve you.
