Why print is the most effective way to inform and influence visitors

Printed brochures are a fantastic way to promote your business to visitors. Here’s why:

• Brochures are like your most effective salesperson. They are always there, influencing right at the point of decision – just when visitors are actively considering where to go, what to do, see and enjoy. Well-designed brochures sit in prominent display racks, and proudly present your product or service to visitors.
• High Conversion: Because visitor brochures are usually displayed within a relatively short distance of your product or service, they are more effective in promptly converting ‘lookers to bookers or buyers’ and to winning business generally.
• Brochures are non-aggressive, but powerful. In an age where consumers are over-saturated with emails, tweets, pop-ups and notifications, brochures are more personal. With brochures, the visitor has the option to choose yours and to read it now or read it later. When they do select it from a display stand, the very act of choosing means they are more likely to visit, engage or buy from you.
• Brochures allow you present just the right amount of information, attractively and creatively. You can tell your story in a well-designed brochure, precisely as you want to. You can provide the compelling reasons to visit or buy and you can end with a call to action. You can also include coupons, discounts or provide other incentives to prompt immediate purchase.
• Dependable, always available and easy read. Visitors are not always online. Even if they have a smart phone with them, brochures are easy to pick up and easy to read, at any time or anywhere. They are not dependent on digital connections. In a recent survey, 81% said they prefer to read print on paper, rather than online.
• Tangibility: A printed brochure makes your product or service more tangible to visitors. They are an ever-present physical reminder of your business.
• Shareability: Brochures are easy to pass around and to share with friends and family. And, when they are shared, it’s often a form of endorsement and can positively influence the actions of those it is shared with.
• Engagement: Because brochures and maps are made for sharing; concierges, front desk staff, and travel advisors use them to engage, inform and guide visitors. In a recent study by Visitor International (in the USA and Europe) hospitality professionals overwhelmingly favoured the use of print media to assist guests in their properties.
• Engaging more senses and heightening awareness: Brochures are tactile and engage far more senses than online. Print engages sight, touch, sound (turning the page), and even smell (fresh print). This means the impact of your message is heightened and it is also retained in the visitor’s memory for longer. It’s also why print is powerful in presenting and reinforcing your brand.
• Neuroscience says: Neuroscience studies support the view that reading on-screen tends to be faster and more superficial, while reading on paper is deeper and more considered. Digital readers are also more prone to on-line distractions, while brochure readers are more focused, absorb information better and have better recall. They are therefore better positioned to quickly make an informed decision to purchase.
• Brochures are extremely cost-effective, particularly relative to the business they deliver. Print and distribution costs are very competitive, and the price per brochure keeps going down as the brochure volume goes up.
• Combining print and digital marketing: brochures and digital media can easily complement each other. Brochures can help drive traffic to your website or social media pages. QR codes on your brochure enable visitors to link directly via mobile phone to the appropriate page on your website where you can present more information or incentives to visit or buy.

FACT: Having a well-designed brochure, professionally distributed and displayed, will ALWAYS give you an edge against competition that relies on electronic communications alone. The Members of Visitor International (The International Association of Visitor Information Providers) can help you place your brochures in front of visitors and guide visitors to you.