For every pundit that theorizes the end of print in the digital age, there is a custom screen print job that they couldn’t live without. When pressed, they might admit that they love their local newspaper, or that they wouldn’t buy their cereal if not for the eye-popping marketing that the printed box provides.
Dig a little deeper, and open your mind to the printed materials that make our world tick but exist just outside of our perception and you’ll find a whole world of marketing that is affordable, beautiful, and far-reaching. (If this sounds like you Contact US at Specialty Screen Printing).
- Floor Graphics
The psychology behind how we register what’s on the floor when we enter a room is how these graphics got their start. The floor graphic is surprisingly subliminal in practice, whether it’s a customer seeing floor graphics in their peripheral vision when checking their phone in line, or someone looking for something to read without having to scan the room and (gasp!) run the risk of making eye contact with a stranger. More recently, social distancing requires us to stay six feet (or more!) from one another. Creative businesses are incorporating stricter lines through the use of an informational decal on the ground, and those with printed indicators of where to stand are investing in the safety of themselves and their patrons. The floor decals that are both interesting to look at and informational are the ones that inspire customers to interact further with the printed materials while they explore your business.
Floor graphics are one of the best behind-the-scenes marketing tools because they go on the ground and always get a glance, even if the viewer doesn’t know it. Unfortunately, they suffer in durability only because they have to withstand being scuffed all day. Don’t cheap out on floor graphics, or else you’ll find yourself replacing them every three or four months. Good ones need only be replaced twice a year. (These recommendations for replacement schedules are optional of course. They will go on sticking to the floor, but they will not be as legible.)
- Table Tents
If you know, you know. When the conversation on a night out lapses, or if you’re looking for the drink specials, reach for the table tent. The table tent is a crucial piece of in-house marketing that also removes the sometimes awkward human element of the server upselling you. These are cheap, effective pieces that are so much a part of the hospitality industry that you’d likely notice if they weren’t there more than if they were. The better built they are, the more likely they are to be picked up and read.
The interactive table tent is the current choice for many businesses. This can take the form of a printed QR code that navigates the customer to somewhere with more information. While this can increase traffic to the digital presence of the business, studies show that most people find it rude to use their phone while having a special occasion meal. Even when they’re standing at a counter placing an order, regardless of what they’re ordering, customers like to stay within their phone, googling a website instead of scanning a code.
Instead, use the table tents to boost business with advertisements (either for your own business or other local business partners). I’m an advocate for table tents being used for fun at the table. Maybe include some trivia, multiple choice questions, or white-board material with a cheap-dry erase pen so customers can entertain themselves and have a memorable experience that keeps them coming back.
- Safety Labels and Signage
As the most serious printed product on this list, the safety label or sign is informational and also necessary in a wholly different way. The rules and regulations laid out by OSHA require that businesses declare the safety guidelines and instructions for the do’s and don’ts of workplace safety. Young businesses as well as the established manufacturers that create the products that populate our businesses and our homes are required to include these safety stickers.
Especially in the print industry, there is a cycle where the printers will create a durable and informative label on behalf of the business doing the labeling, and then receive materials required for the printing process (inks, solvents, adhesives, etc.) which in turn need OSHA labels like the ones just printed.
- Bumper stickers
This is screen printing at its finest. Bumper stickers have come a long way from the original design of the 1960’s. The reputation of the bumper sticker is polarizing, to say the least. Some people will never put one on their car, due in part to the hazard of cheaply-made bumper stickers leaving residue on your car. If you want to invest in a bumper sticker worthy of your customers, you’re going to want a quality-made vinyl sticker. If you want it to stick around for good, the overlaminate process guarantees a sticker that will survive all seasons.
If you’re printing a bumper sticker at home and using whatever kind of glue sounds right, then yes, you’re probably going to fuse your sticker right to the paint.
But even shelling out the money for a professionally screen printed bumper sticker is a cheap way to maximize the exposure of your business, and people love them, (even if some are still afraid to put them on their car). It’s like a business card that customers can display, one that will reach a thousand motorists a day.
So if you’re looking for a new printed material to invest in that isn’t your standard brochure or wall-mounted display, think outside the box with these four custom print jobs, and reach out to us at Specialty Screen Printing for one (or all) of the above!
