Last updated on August 6th, 2024 at 01:46 pm
Advertising posters are a popular yet often under-utilized marketing tool. Although mostly used by small businesses, they can deliver powerful marketing results for companies of all sizes. If you haven’t made marketing posters part of your marketing materials, we’re here to share the five best benefits of posters for your business.
1. Size, design, and messaging flexibility.
When people think of marketing posters, they tend to think of the 24” x 36” standard-size movie poster. As one of the more flexible types of print marketing materials, marketing posters actually come in a wide range of shapes and sizes. At Printivity, we offer four different sizes:
- 18” x 24”
- 19” x 27”
- 24” x 36”
- 26” x 39”
These different sizes allow you to do a variety of things with marketing posters. For example, smaller posters can fit into areas with limited space, such as a bulletin board or on a kiosk. Large posters allow for more graphic design flexibility while creating more visual impact to capture attention.
When it comes to sign and poster design, the possibilities are virtually unlimited thanks to our digital resources. From huge headlines to smaller print that makes people come close to read it, from subtle earthy shades to outrageous neon colors, from classy, professional photos to cartoonish hand-drawn visuals, the design options are limited only by your imagination.
One of the biggest advantages of advertising posters is their effectiveness in communicating many different types of marketing messages. Building brand awareness, introducing your next product or service, announcing a big year-end sale or the opening of a new location, publicizing your support of a local charity or fundraising event. These are just a few of the many types of marketing messages that are perfectly suited for poster advertising.
2. Cost-effectiveness.
Compared to other print marketing strategies poster marketing delivers a high return on investment compared to video advertisements, printing newspaper, or magazine ads.
Depending on the size and design, posters can cost as little as a few dollars each to produce, especially if you buy them in large quantities. Meanwhile, print ads in magazines can cost hundreds or thousands of dollars.
Even large posters with high-quality graphics cost less than the average print ad. Plus, magazines and newspapers are full of other ads that compete with yours for so-called eyeball time. With posters, anyone walking by has the potential to see it. And, while poster distribution costs aren’t free, they are minimal.
3. High visibility.
Posters can go just about anywhere you are legally allowed to place them. They’re lightweight and easy to transport. Plus, they don’t take up much space and are simple to hang or install. You can improve response by customizing posters for the different areas you place them in. And they’re ideal for high foot-traffic areas where people can stop and read them as they pass by. All of which makes posters easy to be seen and read by large numbers of prospective customers.
4. Long-term exposure.
Two of the most important features of advertising posters are 24/7 accessibility and a long shelf life compared to other print marketing materials. For example, most newspaper readers recycle or discard the paper after one reading. With posters, your message is front and center for people will to see them as long as you leave them up. In the right locations, your posters can remain in front of viewers for days, weeks, months, or even years, depending on the timeliness of the message and the durability of the materials. If you use posters as a long-term marketing strategy, having them framed will help maintain their appearance for long periods of time.
Posters also offer frequent exposure to your intended audience. In 24-hour businesses, such as bus stations or all-night diners and coffee shops, your message will be seen around the clock. In high traffic areas, such as downtown business districts, shopping malls, banks, and rapid transit stops, people will see the message over and over again, increasing the chances they will convert into a customer.
5. Help build your brand.
One of the fundamental principles of effective marketing is making sure the different elements of your marketing program align with each other in terms of content, color, logo, and design. Advertising posters are very effective at creating symmetry with your other marketing tools from a visual and messaging standpoint.
For example, posters can reflect the look, feel, and messages on your website and other marketing collateral. If you’re doing a rebrand or launching a new website with different colors and a different design, posters are a great way to get the new visuals and key messaging in front of the public quickly and cheaply.
Larger than brochures and flyers yet smaller than billboards, posters that deliver a compelling message and eye-catching design create high levels of engagement. They can reach a wide audience, especially in high-traffic areas. And when designed to be consistent with the core elements of your marketing strategy, they have the power to build and enhance your brand in a meaningful way.
Poster Design Tips
To increase the effectiveness of posters in advertising your products, services, or brand, follow these poster marketing strategies:
- Make them easy to read from a distance. Use a large, attention-grabbing headline. Put the main message in a font about half the size of the headline. Make any fine print small and less prominent.
- Use one big visual. Whether you use a photo, illustration, or text, a dominant image discernable from a distance is essential.
- Use high-contrast elements. To capture attention at a glance, go bold with color and type options.
- Aim for multiple exposure. The more exposure people have to the poster, the better. Make postcard or letter-size versions to hand out. Create a blog or web version that can be sent on Facebook, or visited online.
- Exaggerate spacing between design elements. This will increase visual impact and readability from a distance.
- Have a strong call to action. Be sure to include your contact information so potential customers can reach your business.
Need some ideas, templates, and resources for poster design? Give us a call to learn more at 1-877-649.5463. We’ll be happy to help!