Marketing a brand or product can be a daunting task for the uninitiated. However, take a moment to think back to how the old guard used to handle it. Newspaper advertisements, billboards, phone books, radio—they always found a way to advertise even in an age where “digital” didn’t exist.
Yes, there are arguments those methods are dead. There are people who are screaming about the death of traditional media — but that simply isn’t true. Just think about your trip to work or the local supermarket. There are newspapers, advertisements on the sides of trucks and buses, billboards, flyers — even other traditional media such as posters and boards are still alive and well and we see it often.
The new age of advertising and marketing lies in a combination. With new virtual and augmented reality technologies emerging, the merger of traditional and digital media is more than just on the horizon. Soon we’ll be looking at billboards through our car windscreen and we’ll see a different advert than the car behind us. It’s an exciting technology, so here are ways to prepare yourself for the revolution.
Flyers.
Flyers were once a traditional-only affair. Design, print and distribute. However, flyers have recently taken on a new form. It’s now the name given to eye-catching and simple advertisements that can be distributed across social media, and not just in your city. Software like Adobe Spark’s flyer maker can assist in creating both digital and physical flyers.
Digital flyers require no ink, no production costs, and best of all, all the work is distributed online. This makes social media an extremely important component of any business’s marketing strategy. Twitter and Facebook are dominating social platforms, and advertising on these sites can increase your exposure ten-fold. By marketing your brand in both the physical and digital world, consumers can relate to your products and services no matter where they are.
Banners.
Vinyl banners are among the most popular traditional advertising method for small businesses. They are relatively cheap, last a long time, and well designed messages can really boost branding for a physical business.
Whether they are perfect for you depends the physical location since they aren’t that effective if hung in a poor place. However, if utilized properly they are one of the best long term, physical advertising methods.
Quick-Response Codes (QR Codes).
You’ve most likely seen the rise of square-shaped blocky patterns on billboards and flyers. These are quick-response codes and work similarly to barcodes. Any phone with a camera can download and install an app to scan these, and it will automatically open a web page that has been encoded into the series of blocks.
Businesses can create a QR code to be printed on traditional media, and consumers will be able to quickly scan it to load your company website instead of manually typing in a URL. QR codes are small and can be scaled to any size, and they fit neatly into any form of traditional advertisement. Flyers, newspapers, phone books, billboards, even stickers that are plastered over public toilets and phone boxes. The mysterious lone QR code that has no attached text could be enough to trigger curious passersby.
While the age of virtual and augmented reality has yet to come, companies would be wise to invest in software developers and engineers who specialise in creating new technology for your company. Investing in the VR and AR technology itself is also a good investment due to its emerging popularity, and the companies on the forefront will definitely have an advantage when the switch is flicked and digital billboards become a reality.
