In a world that’s becoming increasingly digital, the customer experience of print advertising still has a massive role to play.
User/customer experience has now become the main focus of improvement for any brand, which has meant that print has had to adapt quickly.
Here are my top 3 ways of using print to create a better customer experience.
What is 'Customer Experience' and why is it so important?
From landing onto your brand through to purchasing, your customers are taken through a journey/experience. It is the impression you leave on the customer at every point of the way.
Every person in the organisation has an affect on this experience. You marketing down to your sales team, so it is important to focus on every touchpoint you business has with a customer.
If I were to ask you about the last time you had a great experience with a brand, you’d be able to recall exactly what it was and how it made you feel, whether it was good or bad.
If you had a great experience, you may be willing to post about it online and recommend the brand to friends and purchase again. If on the other hand you had a negative experience, you’d do the opposite and leave bad reviews and avoid the business in the future.
Keeping customers happy and engaged not only makes them feel great, but it can also lead to other benefits to your business such as, increase in revenue, higher retention rate and brand loyalty.
In a research by PWC:
- 73% of consumers point to customer service as an important factor in their purchasing decision.
- 63% would share more information with a company that offers a great experience
- One in three would walk away from a brand they loved after just one bad experience
- 42% would pay more for a great experience
With the importance of providing excellent customer experience at an all-time high, what role does print marketing play in the equation?
How can Print enhance the Customer Experience?
1. Customisation
In an age where everyone is online, branding isn’t about businesses anymore. It’s moving on to people’s social media profiles – bloggers and Youtubers alike.
Gifting personalised merchandise such as notebooks and T-shirts to customers who are already advocates of your business, and/or potential ‘influencers’ who have a similar following as your target audience can kill two birds with one stone. Creating awareness of your brand and creates a positive experience.
2. Playing with textures
This is one one of my favourites. It’s one of the reasons print is a memorable form of advertising. The texture of paper/material used plays a huge role in a customer’s experience and their impression of your brand.
Choosing thicker paper is a great way to give your print a more premium feel but that’s not where it stops. Some print products such as business cards have a variety of textures and options to choose from these days – foil, embossed, UV, die cutting etc, the list goes on.
You will also be given the option to add lamination to your print. This adds an extra layer on top of your design that makes the paper glossy or smooth and matt.
Switching up the customisation of your print for marketing can aid in the customer experience, but like always don’t over do it. Make it relatable to your business.
3. Get creative
Print advertising has always been a creative way to showcase your business. As mentioned above, with the availability of different textures, materials and finishes, the possibilities are endless.
Successful print advertising can make you stop and take notice. That’s why print is a great way to engage with customers and get them to think and feel a certain way about your business.
Here are a few ideas for inspiration where people have maximised the use of print advertising for their business.
So, what does this all mean to building positive experiences?
Print plays an important role in customer experience. It can make a customer stop and think, make them feel valued and can even shape their buying journey.
