These days when one thinks of posters, what usually comes to mind are valuable collectibles from the time when the big studios used to convince audiences to watch their upcoming movies. As indicated by the cost of extremely rare posters from before 1940, being a vintage poster dealer or a movie poster collector seemed to be an expensive hobby! At first glance, posters appear to be an outdated marketing option in this digital marketing era. However, they still significantly serve as an impactful advertising tool if implemented in an appropriate manner. Posters have the ability to magnetize the customer base similar to how online advertising seems to do, if the poster is creative enough and showcased correctly. Posters are given a secondary preference and often tend to lose their revenue shares because of natty budgets.
Having said this, it still remains a frequent pick when one launches new products and seeks to create quick awareness among huge crowds. Let us verify if printing posters still holds value by analyzing the benefits and shortcomings of posters in contemporary marketing.
The eight benefits of outdoor as well as indoor posters include:
1. Rapid Impact and Cumulative Effect:
Posters displayed on highways, malls, train stations, airports, bus stands etc. are a great way to attract attention while people walk or commute. Since such hoardings repetitively remind the frequent visitors or commuters about your brand, in a way they create a cumulative effect of brand reinforcement among a larger audience. Thus they serve as rapid impact mass media in public places aiming to captivate greater audience awareness.
2. Brevity and Compactness:
Depending whether it is an indoor or outdoor poster, you are given a choice to choose the size by many online printing companies. For larger posters, distinctive colors with a sharp quality using hi-tech printing is a must and will ensure that they never look cheap. With digital printing there is no limit, thus allowing you to print your customized size or standard sizes especially with OnlinePrinters.com. Unless one targets to scream from rooftops, the posters could be compact, high contrast, crisp and clear. Simple concepts and ideas can be advertised aptly and effectively using brief yet striking messages.
3. Reasonable Cost:
Poster creation needs nothing more than a talented graphics designer and a quality printing service provider with affordable charges. The process between the inception of the concept and the finalization of the poster takes very little time implying that you can begin promotions at the earliest. Once your artwork is ready, you can publish it through a distributor or do it yourself to save further costs provided that you are aware of local laws about advertising spaces. Due to all these factors, poster-making serves as an inexpensive marketing tool as opposed to other advertising mediums.
4. Strategic Positioning:
A smart poster with a call-to-action content needs to be complemented with a strategic placement to draw viewers’ attention who could turn into potential customers. Placing them in high-traffic areas, nearby popular nightclubs’ lineup areas, shopping centers, bus and rail stations can serve as strategic locations. The call for action phrases on such highly visible locations prompt viewers to respond actively in the form of a phone call, text or email.
5. 24X7 Exposure Towards Audience:
The perfect blend of dimension, shade, and illumination create a center of attention for your target audience passing by the poster 24 hours a day. Innovation in poster-making technology including vinyl painting, backlighting, computerized lighting, 3-D effects, digital & LED technology boost the ability to capture viewers’ attention even during the night.
6. Moveable Messaging:
If you wish to increase revenue per sign, you can include multiple imagery or message descriptions to be displayed in succession. Moveable messaging provides an effective and economical way to endorse a promotion or offer of a particular brand. If you wish to, you can also create a seasonal poster, for e.g. like one for Christmas or Easter and use it for the next season.
7. Extended Creativity:
Modern imaging technology enables graphic designers to be creative in terms of high-definition and better quality display techniques as compared to other broadcast mediums. The usage of 3-D objects has provided creative flexibility that enables the creation of eye-catching, high-resolution and striking color combination posters.
8. Impressive Local Advertising in Metros/Crowded Towns:
Visual impact continues to linger in the minds of every passerby after taking a glance at a poster, no matter if the person is a prospect or not. None of the resources seem to be wasted as posters find a special advantage to local advertisers in crowded metros and towns as they reach the target masses at an efficient cost.
Without a second thought, the above benefits look alluring. But there are a few shortcomings that need to be considered before placing a poster-making order.
1. Breaching of Environmental Regulation:
Outdoor distributors may unknowingly breach the environmental guidelines by law in an effort to use a particular spot.
2. Limited Recall:
The impact of the message can be momentary due to limited exposure to the ads when on commute. This might result in short message retention and low recall.
3. Fragmented Ownership and Lack of Efficiency Measurement:
There are no dominant players in the poster advertising field as multiple local players seem to control its operation. Also the lack of a reliable method to quantify efficiency makes it a difficult medium to deal with.
4. Lack of Space Availability:
Big advertisers book prime spaces for the long term creating scarcity of advertising space. Also, building new spaces is costly and involves various environmental restrictions.
The benefits provided by poster advertisements make them stand out as an advertising strategy and you should add them to your overall marketing campaign. They are an effective and efficient way to kindle prospects’ minds with your business’s message. Just create a grand call-to-action substance via posters and the dividends are ought to follow!
