3 Reasons Why Consumers Are Trashing Your Print Media
Having spent several thousand dollars on print materials in an effort to get the word out about your restaurant’s newly redesigned layout and recently hired pastry chef, you are feeling extremely confident in your business acumen. Once consumers get a hold of your new print advertising, glossy coating and all, business will boom. At least that’s what you’re hoping will occur.
But you wait. And wait. Two weeks, three weeks. Slight, even noticeable increases in foot traffic, sure, but not even near the number you had initially set your expectations for. Now, you think that consumers just aren’t interested in your business, and that within a few weeks you’ll be filing for bankruptcy.
Just stop. It’s not you. And it’s definitely not your restaurant. I mean, you do have the best creme brulee in the county, bar none. And others can certainly attest to that.
Maybe, just maybe, your recent print media campaign wasn’t as brilliant as you thought it was. Here are a few possible reasons why:
1. It Failed to Grab Their Attention
We are frequently bombarded by advertisements on a day-to-day basis. From our TVs, to our computers and even our smart phones, advertising has become nearly as abundant as air. Which is why for companies with smaller marketing budgets, it has also become far more challenging to spread the word about their respective services.
Which is why companies must be increasingly more creative and inventive in the ways in which they attempt to sell themselves toward potential customers. Most good print advertisements within magazines are an excellent example of how creating striking or controversial ads are often extremely important in grabbing the attention of consumers.
So make your print materials sing, and make them grab consumers by the neck. Tell them something about your business that they’ll never believe they lived without knowing. Wow them.
2. It Wasn’t Relevant to Them
It’s always important to ensure that demographics that you are planning on targeting your media and advertising towards are potential consumers that will actually be interested in you. Needless to say, if you are a salon, your target market probably isn’t 16-year-old boys who play videogames. Unless your business has a hair product catered towards 16-year-old boys who play videogames.
One of the main reasons why I tend to gloss over ads, or simply dispose of ads altogether, is because they simply don’t apply to me.
Still, most successful companies provide services for a wide variety of age groups and genders. That’s why, depending on what age group and gender you are hoping to target, your marketing materials need to reflect that target with copy and images to match.
3. It Was Worthless
Most intelligent consumers are always seeking value in their purchases. Which doesn’t necessarily mean strictly monetarily, either. A delicious meal or an intellectually stimulating play are all ways in which businesses can display value towards consumers.
But there is no inherent value in simply inviting people to join you at your newly redesigned restaurant. Why should I?
That’s why it’s important for you to always be conscious and considerate of the needs of consumers. Without a value proposition, consumers with limited or no knowledge of your business have no reason to seek it out. They are probably content eating their perfectly mediocre creme brulee. Tell them how awesome your creme brulee is!
It’s weird, but the magical solution in creating marketing success with your print media is actually quite obvious. Simply put, all you need to do is market it to the right people, grab their attention and give them a reason to wander into your establishment.
What examples have you found that have been effective in convincing customers to engage with print media?