While deliberating over paper samples, marketers must take into consideration that most promotional material is simply thrown out, often without even being read. If a 2% response rate is standard… that means that a whopping 98% of consumers will simply throw away the promotional materials that you worked so hard on!
How can you stop them? How can you increase the chances that your piece will fall into the hands that influence? Catchy phrases, exciting promotions, and enticing designs are certainly major components in the consumer’s interest level…but what about how the piece feels in their hand?
Quality of paper on a marketing piece is similar to body language during a business meeting… a silent component that has major effects. It helps to create an image. Simply put, the higher quality the paper, the more notice the customer will take – and the more credibility that will give the company.
Think about how the marketing piece you are creating will be distributed. Will consumers need to pluck it out of a stack of mail? A firmer cardstock cut to a non-standard size will be the first thing that attracts the consumer’s attention (make sure your “non standard size” conforms to post guidelines if distributing through the mail or you will end up paying additional fees!). Will the promotional piece be handed out at a tradeshow? An interesting fold or die cut might grab the attendee’s attention.
Most peoples’ views of a company are subtly, or subconsciously, affected by the very weight of the paper. From the moment they hold a promotional piece in their hand, they begin to judge. Is this a company that I want to do business with? A higher end stock, even for someone who knows nothing about paper, makes the consumer feel that they are associating with a company or organization that is successful and worthy of their attention.
To make your media kit, direct mail package or promotional piece stand apart from the sea of similar items on boring stock try an exciting stock that makes your piece pop. Although a potential buyer will certainly not consciously analyze your paper selection, it will impact their overall perception of the company.
Similarly, there may be times when you don’t want to look too prestigious or high quality-oriented. Perhaps you are creating a flier for a giant “Price Slasher Liquidation” sale. In this case, you want your consumer to feel that they are getting a bargain price – and a textured, thick stock may not be of the utmost importance. Or perhaps you are promoting a charity and don’t want to go overboard with marketing materials. Match your paper selections to your campaign goals.
High end stock selections for packaging or promotional materials will help create a perception around the product that it is elite, high quality, and superior to others. In fact, magazine advertising space pricing can often be correlated to the quality of paper the magazine is printed on. A high end glossy magazine is key in the perceptions of the reader to both its content and advertisements. Use of the same stock throughout an ongoing campaign can lend a sense of continuity to the promotion, even as the design or offer changes.
However, one can’t get away with high quality stock alone! In the end you still have to deliver good product and solid service!
