The holidays are a very powerful time to engage with your customers on a very powerful level. Done correctly, holiday print advertisements can build loyalty, encourage higher sales, and generate word of mouth.
The only problem?
Everyone else is doing it too.
In order to maximize the effectiveness of your holiday advertising campaigns—print or otherwise—you have to stand out from the crowd so you can catch and keep your target audience’s attention.
Think for a moment about the amount of holiday advertising you’re exposed to every year. It’s the same for your current and potential customer base. What made you take a second look? What made you actually keep a holiday advertisement?
Let’s take a look at a few powerful ways you can make your holiday printing more engaging this year:
To Engage, Make it Useful
A lot of small- and mid-size businesses send out company Christmas cards. You can probably already picture what they almost always tend to look like: it’s a picture of the company team, maybe one or two of them is wearing a Santa hat, and it says something along the lines of, “Merry Christmas from everyone at XYZ!”
It’s a nice thought, and it’s certainly better than nothing, but the reality is that these things tend to land in the wastebin pretty quickly. (You know you’ve done it.)
To avoid wastebin-land, consider how you can make your print advertising useful to the recipient. This will be easier for some industries than others, but with a little brainstorming you can usually think of something that will make your audience want to keep your print advertisement rather than chuck it.
Let’s look at a few examples you might consider:
- A holiday-themed checklist. For example, a travel agency might produce a pre-trip checklist for families to follow before leaving, or an automotive company could distribute a vehicle winterization checklist.
- A collection of recipes. Even if you’re not in the food industry, sharing a fantastic recipe for “Santa’s Favorite Cookies” or similar concepts can increase the likelihood that your print advertisement will be kept.
- A calendar for the new year. A tried and true classic. Why? Because it works. People keep calendars because they’re useful, and your print advertisement will be visible not just for the holidays, but optimally for an entire year.
Simple holiday cards are all well and good, and in some industries will perform quite well. However, as you can see, in many cases print advertisements that your recipients can actually put to good use are likely to be more effective and longer-lasting.
Embrace the Spirit of Giving
What’s more useful than a free giveaway, holiday discount, or other special once-a-year offer?
By embracing the spirit of giving and offering your customer base something truly valuable or unique, you can capture their attention using these kinds of offers.
Better yet, announce that you’re donating a portion of the proceeds to a local charity. It feels good to give back to your community and you’ll likely gain the attention of new segments of your target demographic. You don’t have to be pushy for charitable giving to be effective.
How to Get Help With Your Holiday Print Advertisements
If you’d like to have professional assistance in the production of print advertisements for the holidays or any time of year, our team at Preferred Document Solutions is here to help. We carry a wide range of printing solutions that will serve you year in, year out. Feel free to contact us today or request a free quote.
Have a wonderful holiday season!
