When it comes to print and web design, both go hand in hand for local businesses who are trying to utilize both mediums to grow their company.

These complementary tools, when used in tandem, create a cohesive and robust marketing strategy that is crucial for local businesses to maximize where they can. It not only helps build strong brand recognition, but it also helps in reaching a diverse customer base.

With that being said, this guide will look at why print and web design go so well together and how to implement them successfully into your local business this year.

Print and Web Design – Building Brand identity

By having a unified brand design, it ensures your business looks consistent across any and all platforms that you place yourself on as a business.

Customers need to see the same color scheme, typography, logo, and brand voice to recognize your local business sooner. It takes several interactions with your brand for it to be remembered, and with a competitive landscape online and offline, being remembered can prove difficult. 

With that in mind, you want to make use of all types of traditional media, whether it’s business cards, die-cut printing, flyers, or brochures.

The more you can do to build your brand’s identity, the more it fosters trust and professionalism within your leads and customers who eventually convert into paying ones. It’s also vital for attracting new customers within the local market, specifically.

Reaching a Diverse Audience

Different customers will prefer different ways of discovering a business. While a lot of people love the internet, not everyone does or even has a digital footprint. Print materials are often effective in reaching people who aren’t online and prefer tangible information in general.

They may be more reliant on community boards or direct mail for marketing and advertising from businesses. Web design captures the digital-first audience and includes searching for services on smartphones, as well as using social media. It also helps for looking up directions and hours online.

Driving Traffic Between Platforms

Print materials are great for driving potential customers to your digital platforms. When you create such materials, look at including your website URL, your email address, or a QR code. These are all great physical ways of getting your offline customers online.

At the same time, your website can help to reinforce the value of physical interaction with the use of maps to your store. It can also be useful for highlighting any in-store promotions on offer and encouraging visitors to stop by by offering in-store discounts.

When you’re integrating both print and web design, as a local business, it helps to create a seamless customer journey. From initial awareness to final purchase, it’s all helpful for maximizing reach and impact.

Top Tips with Print and Web Design for Your Local Business

Now that you know the importance of print and web design, what are some useful tips worth knowing for utilizing both in your own business?

Focus on Mobile-First Development

Design for the smallest screen first, as the majority of local searches often occur on mobile. Make sure all of the buttons on the site are ‘thumb-friendly,’ and that navigation is intuitive for one-handed use. It’s the little details that make a big difference when a customer is navigating online.

Prioritize Performance

Many users will abandon pages that often take longer than three seconds to load. Compressing images and using modern formats like WebP is crucial for keeping your users engaged. Audit your site speed regularly with tools like Google PageSpeed Insights, too.

Accessibility as a Standard

Following WCAG guidelines by ensuring high color contrast is important for those with access needs. Providing descriptive alt text for all images and making the site fully navigable by keyboard is essential.

Conversion-Focused Layouts

Your homepage should answer three questions in seconds:

• Who are you?
• What do you offer?
• What should the visitor do next?

Keeping a visible call-to-action above the fold on your mobile is a great way of connecting with users instantly and establishing that relationship.

Where your homepage isn’t answering those questions effectively, it’s worth adapting your layout to ensure it answers them.

Local SEO Integration

It’s useful to create location-specific landing pages, especially where you serve multiple areas. Try to include the name, address, and phone number consistently in the footer.

Using local business schema markup will also be useful to help search engines understand your location and to accurately display it on the search results of those who would find it relevant and locally to them.

Incorporate Visual Hierarchy

Visual hierarchy is important when it comes to print. Using large, bold headlines helps to grab the recipient’s attention within seconds. It can be helpful to guide the reader’s eye through a logical flow rather than making it feel disjointed.

From headline to sub-header to body text, using these grid systems for the balance of visual hierarchy makes a real difference to whether or not the reader engages with the literature.

Quality Over Quantity

Finally, try to embrace white space where you can. That way, you’re allowing your design to breathe, and it also prevents information overload. If you’ve got too much taking up the space of the brochure or leaflet, then it can often feel incredibly overwhelming for the reader.

Make sure you’re being generous in the quality of your literature, too. From die cut printing quality to the care you put into your business brochures. A premium feel in materials used and printing quality can make a real difference when it comes to being thrown in the trash or kept to read later.

Effective imagery

It’s good to use original and high-resolution images when it comes to advertising your local business. When reflecting local landmarks or your actual team within these visuals, it can further foster that connection between you and your customers or prospective leads.

 

Image Source

 

Effective Imagery: Use original, high-resolution photos that reflect local landmarks or your actual team to foster a community connection.

Typography

It’s useful to stick to a maximum of two or three fonts. Using too many fonts, it can be visually overwhelming for the reader, so stay consistent with the same font and limit it where possible.

Making use of print and web design in tandem can make a real difference for local businesses this year.

What additional thoughts would you add?

Feature Image from Unsplash