Think of the last poster you saw on the street. Did it have a QR code? A website URL? If not, it probably summed up its whole purpose in “Garage Sale Here.” Even small businesses are recognizing that it’s not enough to just use a print medium anymore. Nor does it make sense to rely on digital alone.

With customers getting more and more of their information online before they purchase, it’s unlikely that one business card or one flyer will get them to commit to a sale. They’re looking for the kind of in-depth information that can only come from your website, customer reviews and good old-fashioned Google searches. There’s no way you can get that kind of detail onto any print form, save a book. Not even pamphlets and brochures cut it.

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However, that doesn’t mean you should ditch the print. Instead, come up with print campaigns that are designed to enhance your web content and drive local traffic to your site. Here are some examples of what you can do:

Use QR Codes on Flyers

Flyers aren’t the best place for displaying lengthy URLs. Your potential customers are likely to forget to hit up your website the next time they can check their smartphones. Web addresses are hard to physically type in, so a customer walking by may stop to notice your flyer, but they’re not likely to type in your address as they continue down the street. QR codes, which are easy to scan, can instead bring customers right to your site while they’ve stopped to look. It’s a fairly instantaneous process, so it’s the perfect way to get customers from the street to your site.

Add Context to Business Cards

Business cards should always, always contain a web address in addition to the employee’s email. Even though that may seem obvious, don’t forget that you still have to think about strategic placement. You can feature it more prominently by using the backside, but you risk someone not actually turning over the card. You can put it on the front, where it will definitely be seen, but might not stick out in the customer’s mind. Chat with your printing service to see what they recommend.

Brochures

Brochures offer you the best chance to go from giving information on paper to giving it online. Think of a brochure as your splash page. It should have the basic information a customer will need to decide if she is even interested in your products or services. Don’t try to make a hard sell on a brochure, instead, focus on delivering information that will help customers make a purchasing decision. Younger generations especially don’t respond to the same hard sell tactics that were once popular. Talk about what makes your product special; not about what makes your brand or your company special.

In a digital age, print has a new function. It’s the main driving force behind getting people onto your website, so they can get the depth of information they need to make a purchasing decision.