We get this question all the time. Is print dead? Is printing still a worthwhile investment? What sort of return on investment does it bring vs. digital marketing? Does a flyer tell your brand story better than, say, Facebook ads?

Well, the answer, of course, depends on your business. Every brand, industry and customer’s needs vary. But in this article, we’re going to take you through the facts about the current state of print (and where it’s going to go in the future).

In 2015, the internet marketing spend overtook print, only slightly, by 0.3%. Yet, the traditional vs. internet marketing debate continues. Traditional marketing (print ads, flyers, posters, booklets, banners, signage and books) still has its place. This, we know for sure.

There’s something special about the tangibility of traditional marketing – something that’s missing in most digital marketing activities. For example, an eBook doesn’t carry as much perceived value as a printed book.

Moving forward, they’re both going to be important. An integrated marketing strategy involves both traditional outlets and digital activities. 

The future of print is bright…. but strategic.

Print will continue to be hold its value in a physical customer environment. It’s a target-specific medium and in settings where there’s face-to-face company to brand engagement, like in a store or at an event, print will always be present.

And on those big-ticket sales, print will still be important. The trick is to strike a balance between digital and print to help persuade customers to buy from you. Cybersecurity is also an important point to mention. The idea of evolving print advertising to include features like augmented reality or other digital enhancements will become reality.

We’re going to see print become more vibrant, engaging and tactile – transforming into an immersive experience. It’ll become more cost-effective, too.

A resurgence of the physical.

We’re already starting to see people go back to the physical form, just in a more specific way. While the internet is wonderful, it’s distracting and noisy. Learning and digesting information with a physical means is an entirely different experience – one that we all seem to be yearning for again.

Print books, for example, won’t die. Ever.

Books have physical beauty. They have provenance. They’re nostalgic. And eBooks are not simply a better format. They’re an entirely different experience altogether – and one that can’t completely override the journey a reader takes with the physical form.

What do we suggest? Combine both printing and digital marketing activities into your communications strategy. Get the best of both worlds, so to speak. There will always be a place for print, but there’s no denying the power of the internet. So, how well are you making space for both traditional and digital marketing items?

We can help you with the traditional marketing part. Simply contact us on 08 6254 9999 to get started.

Digital advertising is all the rage right now, and for good reason. It’s boundless, affordable, and provides great targeting. It gives you the chance to connect with thousands of people around the world. But it’s effectiveness always comes back to your business and the industry you operate in. For example, for the retail industry, traditional advertising still prevails when used correctly. Finding an affordable printing company is step one in ensuring the success of your print advertising.

Think about the last time you walked past a shop and went inside, prompted by a sales sign. Maybe you saw a poster at a restaurant or on a street pole about an upcoming event. Marketing that’s tangible, like print, is a powerful way to connect with your prospects, particularly for retail businesses.

Maybe you’ve got people browsing your shop but aren’t quite ready to buy. Having a stand of brochures that they can take home and flick through when they’re focused is a feeling that can’t be emulated through a digital strategy like Facebook ads.

If it’s a large item, chances are it’s an emotional purchase. They need to take their time through the buying process. And if you have a physical reminder of your brand close by, this helps remain top of mind.

Bring your brand to life, tangibly…

If you’re wondering if print is dead in 2018, it’s a valid question. But ask yourself this: when was the last time you went into a shop that didn’t have any signs, displays or posters? All retail outlets do. It’s part of a buyer’s experience (and always will be).

Here are a few reasons why they work well for retail:

• Increased credibility: Scientists have proven that print ads make a better impression than digital ones. A print ad or display has more integrity behind it than an ad you see in a quick scroll through social media.

• Capture (and hold) their attention: People see ads all day every day, often in their own ‘personal space’, like Facebook. They’re more likely to focus on that advertising when looking at something physical.

• Encourage instant sales: Unlike directing people to a website to learn more about your brand, print ads and materials can be used to make immediate sales by capturing foot traffic.

• Reiterate your brand message: Use posters, brochures, banners, books and other collateral to reinforce your vision and how it can help your customers.

Your affordable printing Perth company,

To help get more customers through your doors.  

If you’re considering whether print is still a worthwhile investment for your retail business, think about your own buying habits. Even if you’re wandering around a shopping district, a poster or sign might draw you into a shop that you didn’t initially intend to enter.

Run regular specials? Marketing it through print can help showcase it in a visual manner. Then, back it up by reaffirming this message online, via your website, social media, and digital strategies. Communicate this special at every customer touchpoint, starting with print.

Best of all, we can create your print collateral affordably to promote brand awareness, seasonal specials, and increase sales.

Now, let’s get to the fun part: the design. Contact us on 08 6254 9999 and we can get you on track to retail success with one of our in-house designers. Our talented graphic design team can assist in creating designs that reflect the uniqueness of what you do, helping you achieve terrific results for you and your company.

Brochures, are they a smart investment? Worried they’ll just collect dust or end up in the bin? It’s good to be critical, as it’s important to be conscious about business decisions like this. However, whether you choose to work with brochures comes down to one thing: your customers.

This will help answer your question. Consider how your customers behave. Do they ask for physical resources to help in their decision-making? What’s your website like? Is it comprehensive, or do you find your customers still prefer to learn with physical brochures?

When looking at physical marketing materials, brochures should be at the top of the list. When used correctly, brochures are an exceptional tool for driving sales. Here are five ways you can generate marketing attention and sales from your brochures.

• Connect with your audience

Design your brochure with a clear audience in mind. If your brochure manages to connect with your audience, they’re more likely to hold onto it. Because a brochure is a physical item, they can then look at it in their own time. We’re all living busy lives, having a reminder of your brand in their home could be enough for them to choose you.

• Make it easy for them

Instead of having to search online for companies in your field, if your number’s staring at them, they’re more likely to call you. Making your contact details highly visible on your brochure makes life easy for them. It’s a simple but effective strategy. 

• Target people who don’t know you

Prospects don’t need to be searching for you to learn about your brand. Distributing a brochure does this for you. If it’s well-designed, it might just spark their attention and lead to a new customer.

• Inform & prompt action

Brochures are multi-purposeful. You can use most of the space to educate prospects about what you can do for them, then end with a sense of urgency – an action to take. Build the trust first, then guide them with what to do next. Offering incentives such as discounts or free gifts that are only valid for a short period of time further build that sense of urgency and drive action.

• Capture through engaging visuals

Unlike other marketing materials or digital strategies, you have a lot of space with a brochure. Utilise it by adding beautiful, emotive images to the design. This will help ‘sell’ your products or service. Don’t be afraid to humanise it and avoid using stock images if possible.

Partner with Perth’s high-quality brochure printing company.

Remember, it all comes back to your audience and what they need. Let this guide the process.

When it comes to something you’re physically handing to a customer, quality makes all the difference. Hence why it’s important to use a professional printer who can help you create high quality brochures that drive sales.

At Clockwork Print, we understand how to create brochures that build trust, establish you as an authority, grab attention, and look great. From something as seemingly simple as the paper quality through to how you design it, we’re here.

Got a sale coming up? Want to promote your products? Talk to us about how we can design and print your new brochures. Contact us on 08 6254 9999.

They’ll be so good you might not want to give them away.  

Whether it’s a small product launch or a large conference, events are an important part of marketing. And your printed collateral plays an important role in getting your message across. Search ‘printing Perth’ and you might feel overwhelmed with all your options. If you’ve got an event coming up, partner with one company for all your conceptual, design, and printing needs.

5 steps to making your next event a success.

Many small businesses don’t have the capacity to hire an event management team, but it’s okay. Follow this five-step approach, and you’ll cover your bases. It’s easy to get overwhelmed during the planning process, but do your best to relax and simplify things.

As you’re planning the next event, keep these tips in mind.

• Know your audience

The first and most important question to ask is who you’re targeting. Who will attend the event? How old are they? Do they already know about your brand? What are their pain points? How can your product or service match their needs? These are the types of questions you can only answer once you’re clear on your audience.

• Set your goals & budget

Great, now you know who to target, set some goals for the event. What do you want to achieve? Is it simply brand exposure, or do you want to convert a certain number of guests into clients? Also, create a budget, so you know how much you’ve got to work with.

• Plan your digital marketing

Cool, so you’ve got your audience, set goals and have got a desired budget. It’s time to connect with the people you want to invite. Because you know your audience well now, you’ll know where they ‘hang out’ and spend time. One example of a digital marketing channel is social media. If they’re on Facebook, create an event and promote it.

• Plan print marketing

Take your promotion to the next level and print invites and posters to get the word out. You might need separate marketing materials for attendees, sponsors, and vendors, depending on the event type. Make a list of the printed materials you’ll need for the event, too. Consider signs, banners, booklets, flyers, and extra business cards.

• Monitor & analyse marketing

Before the event, do some tests on what messages and channels are most effective. You might think it’s Facebook when your audience are really more engaged via email. Pay attention to where the highest engagement and conversions are. 

All your event printing needs.

Let us know when your event is and our designers will prepare your collateral. Ask us about all the products we offer, with such a huge range, we’ll definitely have something for you, whether it’s flyers, posters, pull-up banners, stickers, booklets, business cards, signs, or books. Whatever you need to visually tell your brand story, we can create it.

As the world of printing has evolved, we have too. Partner with Clockwork and you can expect to work with a group of designers who use the latest printing technology. We provide you with all the printing solutions you could need. Whether it’s for branding, professional documents or marketing materials — the services we provide have you covered at all angles. For more information, contact us 08 6254 9999.

How we can we best tell your story?

Every business relies on a network of suppliers and relationships. A printing company is usually one of the companies in this mix. Even if you primarily use digital when it comes to your marketing materials, there will be things that you need in physical form. If you’re searching for a Perth printing company, quality of work and affordability are two important factors.

You might be asking whether you still need a printer in today’s digital environment. Yes, because your prospects still engage with and sometimes even expect printed materials, such as business cards, as these are still navigated physically. This means that you need to be selective about the printing company you choose because quality affects the translation of the message.

Quality + Time + Price.

Some printing companies offer cheap prices, but the quality isn’t up to the mark. Others promise you a great price and the quality is fine, but you have to wait weeks to get it (maybe it’s being sent from overseas). A good printer should be able to offer all three: quality, fast turnaround time and an affordable price.

When determining if a printer offers these three metrics, check their history. What are their customers saying, and how long have they been in business? Are they keeping up with the latest trends in printing? What machines are they using to produce quality prints? Can you ask for samples of their work? These are all the types of questions you should ask.

Successful commercial printers of today invest in the latest technology and equipment. They’ll be able to provide you with design and marketing knowledge to best tell your brand’s story. It’s more than just sending a pre-made design and getting it printed. Your company of choice should double as your designers and conceptual artists.

If you’re weighing up a few printing companies, do these six things: 

• Visit their printing premises
• Check their past work. It might be high-quality, but not quite the style you’re looking for. It’s always good to check this.
• Research their history. How long have they been around for? Check reviews.
• Discuss green credentials & how they invest in environmentally-friendly practices.
• Talk about cost. Quality should be your number one focus, but good printing shouldn’t break the bank.

Cost-effective printing.

We work with dozens of businesses around Perth, both big and small. If you’re on the hunt for a high quality and reliable printer, you’re in the right place. We’ve been doing this since 1995 and have since earned our reputation as one of Perth’s leading printers.

From flyers, posters and banners for your next expo, to business cards, signs and banner walls for your office, we do it all. Whatever you need printed, we can organise every part of it – the conceptual design, the printing process and the future edits.  

There’s something beautiful about handing something tangible to your prospects – an item they can take with them, so you remain top of mind.

Some art never goes out of style.

Clockwork Print

Here at Clockwork Print, we can print almost anything your business desires. Lending a professional touch to your printed project, we can deliver on every part of the design and printing process.  We provide you with all the printing solutions you could need. Whether it’s for branding, professional documents or marketing materials — the services we provide have you covered from all angles. For more information, contact us on 08 6254 9999.

Think about how many ads you see every day. Literally, thousands, so if you’ve got a message to spread, the way you tell it needs to be engaging. If it’s a Facebook ad, the content and photo you use is everything. If it’s a poster or banner, the poster printing quality matters.

Capture the attention of the public (and future customers) with cleverly-designed posters. It takes more than just going onto one of those print-on-demand websites and getting posters created. Many factors play a part in the success of that poster to tell a story and stand out. 

First, know the intention of the poster. What is it you want it to achieve? Brand awareness and more phone calls? A specific action? Once you know the purpose of the poster, you can make sure the different components reflect this.

The graphics.

A picture tells a thousand words. While words are important, what is your photo saying, and how is it complementing the message? Beautiful, unique graphics usually draw in the attention first, then the words are read. So, don’t pick anything stock standard for your graphics. Make a visual impact with a cool photo or illustration. Don’t forget to include your logo to reaffirm the connection between the message and your brand.

The words.

Okay, now you’ve got their attention, hold it through the story you tell. How can you get that message across in the fewest words? Your graphics and content should work in harmony. If the visuals are strong, maybe a short, punchy tag line is all that’s needed. Go back to the motivation of creating the poster. What do you want them to do? To feel? To take away from it? This will help craft your message.

The design & placement.

Even if the graphics are captivating and the message is emotive, if it’s not in the right place, people won’t see it. Where do your targets hang out? As you’re getting the poster designed, consider the space where it’s going to be. Is it going to be seen from a distance? Great, then stronger colours might be better. In a mall? Then, being big in size and visually striking won’t be as important. People will see it walking past from a few metres away.

Tell your story with a beautiful poster.

Whether you want to have branded material in a meeting room, inspiring employees in the office or promoting a new product or service at a conference, posters are a great way to do this.

With Clockwork taking care of design and printing, you have a lot of choice – the way it’s printed, laminated, and mounted. We have standard sizes available, as well as customisation up to 1.2 x 2.4 metres. Ask us about all of our poster printing services, including: budget poster printing, promo poster printing, presentation poster printing, and outdoor poster printing. Let us know what you need it for, and our poster experts will help you decide on the best style.

Posters are a great storytelling medium. What tale do you want to tell?

Clockwork Print

Locally owned and operated in Perth since 1995 and acquired in 2013 by entrepreneurs Bruce and Wendy Hawley, Clockwork has gained a reputation as the digital printer to be trusted. Our team of over 20 people is totally dedicated to getting the job right first time, on time. What really makes us tick is our personal approach. By taking the time to understand you, your business and your individual requirements for each job, we are able to ensure that everything runs smoothly. For more information, contact us 08 6254 9999

Some people just have a special talent for ‘dressing’ their office walls. You know, you walk into their office and are immediately drawn to art, photos, hanging lights and plants. Would you like to take your clients on a journey, too? Kapa Tex Canvas Prints could be your thing.

Canvas vs photo frames.

#1: Relive your memories, every day.

Some memories are just too good to keep hidden in your photo library on your laptop, computer or camera. Bring them to life through a large canvas. These prints can be placed anywhere in your office- whether it’s your workspace, reception area or office corridor. It’s a great way to showcase your business’s sense of style, personality and the things that your business has achieved in a more creative way than just hanging photo frames.

#2: Stylish statements

Often, in main areas like the reception area you want a statement piece that encapsulates people as they walk in. Sometimes it’s a rug, a beautiful vase or a vintage table. But if you’re looking for an easy and affordable option, hang a large Kapa Tex canvas in the middle of the main wall for impact. The artwork sets a specific atmosphere. What do you want people to feel? This might help you decide whether to use a festive photo, a destination or an evocative piece of art.

#3: Affordable

Best of all, Kapa Tex canvas prints are affordable. You won’t have to spend hundreds of dollars to achieve that jaw-dropping WOW. Compare the price of a wall canvas to an expensive Persian rug, and you’ll see why more people are using canvas as a decoration tool. They’re great for all types of spaces, residential and commercial.

#4: Flexible

Another cool thing about Kapa Tex canvas prints is that they’re lightweight. You can easily move them around to different spots in the office, depending on what you’re feeling and the look you’re creating. Maybe you have a new photo you’d like to print, but you still like the old canvas. Great! Move one to the corridor in minutes.

#5: Endless choice

There are no limits to the kind of photos that can be printed on a Kapa Tex canvas either. For the organisation’s team photo, you might prefer a big canvas that can sit in the main common area. But for those recent event photos that you just can’t choose between, why not get a few smaller canvas prints to put around the office. It’ll be like you’re reliving that business conference all over again.

Let’s organise your canvas prints.

Have you got an excellent shot of your employees? Turn it from a digital image to a beautiful piece of art for your office. Contact us and let us know what border, frame and finish you’re after. Your options include white border canvas, a photo wrap, reflected border, coloured border, message or novelty border, stretched mounting, and liquid laminating. Following industry-leading print processes, our Kapa Tex canvas designers can make it as big as 1.5 metres wide and any length.

Let that memory live on forever, in canvas form in your office.

 With so much of marketing being online now, there’s great power in meeting your prospects face-to-face. Conferences, expos and trade shows are wonderful ways to do this. But it’s not as simple as booking a stand and hoping people come up to talk to you. Make sure you’re prepared. Starting with your expo and trade show displays, then follow the rest of these tips. 

2. ‘Design’ the space 

Once you’ve got the display sorted, you can plan how to use the space around it. Use bright colours, reiterate your message on things like stationery, branded T-shirts and brochures. Inject as much of your brand’s personality into the space as possible. You want your booth to scream ‘approachable’. This means smiling faces handing out reading materials such as flyers or ushering people in to watch a video demo. 

3. Be proactive 

Why not assign booth hosts? Not to annoy people, of course, but to make the experience more proactive, rather than reactive. They don’t even need to be the same people who stand at the booths. Ask the expo organiser whether you can have a couple of hosts who walk around the event or stand at the entrance welcoming people over.

4. Run a contest 

Nothing drums up attention like a good old fashioned competition. Who doesn’t like to win something? Plan contests, prize draws and special promotions to attract people to your stand. Turn it into a lead generation strategy by collecting the business cards of everyone who enters or fills out a form. You’ll learn more about the people who are interested in your offering, which is extremely valuable for future marketing. 

5. Food, food, food! 

And for those people who were too shy to come over and join a friendly competition, offer snacks. Make sure they reflect your company’s culture and vibe. It could be as simple as a branded bottled water or a ‘party bag’ with a business card and special on it. Your company will be one they remember, especially when they compare it to the papers and brochures. 

Personalise your expo and trade show stand. 

Let’s start with your displays and work forwards from there. We work with many brands to help tell their story in a trade show setting. 

Clockwork Print  

Locally owned and operated in Perth since 1995 and acquired in 2013 by entrepreneurs Bruce and Wendy Hawley, Clockwork has gained a reputation as the digital printer to be trusted. Our team of over 20 people is totally dedicated to getting the job right first time, on time. What really makes us tick is our personal approach. By taking the time to understand you, your business and your individual requirements for each job, we are able to ensure that everything runs smoothly. For more information, contact us 08 6254 9999