Make Your Print Worth Keeping

If we are honest, most printed materials are still stuck in the old mindset:

“Here is our logo. Here are our services. Please care.”

Online marketing has largely moved on from that. The pattern there is to create value first, ask for something second: helpful article → useful checklist → then a call to action. Print has not really learned that lesson yet. Which is why so much of it goes straight from mailbox or reception desk to recycling.

For Alberta businesses who are already investing in print, that is a lot of wasted opportunity. 

If your printed piece disappeared tomorrow, would anyone’s life be harder?
If the answer is no, it was never going to earn its keep.

The solution is simple, but not always easy: stop thinking of print as a small billboard and start treating it as a small tool.

Here are two practical ways to do that without turning every project into a novel.

Idea 1: Turn Everyday Print Into Tools People Use

People keep what they use. They throw away what just talks about you. So, the question behind any printed piece should be: “What would make this too useful to throw out?”

Here are a couple examples.

NCR books: from paperwork to process

Most custom NCR books are pure admin: company logo on top, form fields, three copies, done. Useful for you, but forgettable for everyone else. With a tiny bit of thought, the exact same book can become a quiet process tool for your team and a signal of professionalism for your clients.

For example:

• Add a small checklist at the bottom:
  “Quick finish check: □ explained work done □ confirmed price □ agreed next step”
• Include a short reminder on the back copy for the customer:
  “Keep this copy for your records. If you have questions, call us with this job number.”
• Build in one or two prompts that reduce mistakes:
  “Site contact name: _______” or “Access notes for next visit: _______”

None of that is very difficult, it just nudges better behaviour. Internally, it trains your team to be more consistent on every job. Externally, it feels like you have your act together. The NCR book becomes more than paperwork. It becomes a repeatable way of doing business.

We’ve had customers come in with someone else’s book, and asked us to recreate it because they liked it better! That kind of value will return dividends in the future.

Notepads: from branded scrap to desk real estate

Most branded notepads are logo, phone number, with lots of blank space. Better than nothing, but still very easy to replace. You can turn the same notepad into something people actually reach for by adding a slim strip of value:

• A micro checklist that fits your world
  “3 things to check before booking a service call”
• A reference line
  “Record filter size / model number here so you have it next time you call”
• A small “when to call us” guide
  “Call if you notice: unusual noise, higher bills, repeated breakdowns”

Now it is not just a place to write. It is a tiny decision aid. If you took your logo off it, it would still be useful. That is the goal.

Idea 2: Make Print a Simple Decision Guide, Not a Shout

A lot of brochures, flyers and mailouts still follow the same pattern: “We do X. Here is a list of services. Here is a special offer. Call now.”

The problem is that most people are not sitting around wanting a list of what you do. They are trying to make a decision or solve a problem. If your print can help them think more clearly, they will give it more attention and keep it longer. The sales message can sit quietly inside that.

Brochures: from “about us” to “how to choose”

Instead of filling a brochure with your entire history and every service, build it around one simple job: “Help someone choose the right option, so you become an advisor they come to.” That can look like:

• A short list:
  “5 questions to ask any provider before you sign a contract”
• A simple comparison table:
  “Cheapest option / What we do / Premium extras you may not need”
• A one-page flow:
  “If this is your situation → consider this.
  If that is your situation → consider that.”

You can still talk about your services. You just do it through the lens of helping them make a better decision.

Mailouts: from noise to fridge material

Most mailouts die in under ten seconds. To survive that, they need to earn their place on a bench, board or fridge. So instead of leading with “SALE” or “LIMITED TIME”, lead with something like:

• A seasonal checklist
  “7 quick checks to see if your [system / building / equipment] is ready for winter”
• A simple worksheet
  “Write these three numbers down before you call anyone about [problem]”
• A visual guide
  “What normal looks like vs what to watch for”

Your offer, website and phone number can live at the bottom. The main real estate is given to something the recipient can use, even if they never call you. Again, test it with the same question: “If we removed our logo from this mailout, would anyone still keep it?” If yes, you are on the right track. 

Where Strand 360 Fits In

We are not short of ways to put ink on paper. That is not the hard part. Pretty much anything you want printed we can get done. Where we can add the most value for clients is in the conversation before the artwork:

• Who is going to receive this?
• What problem are they in when they see it?
• What would make this piece too useful to throw away?

From there, we can turn NCR books, notepads, brochures, calendars and mailouts into physical tools that quietly build trust in the background, instead of one more advert people ignore. You do not have to arrive with a clever concept. You just have to be willing to ask a better question than “How many do we need?”

A good starting point is to ask this question: “If our print is going to sit on someone’s desk, fridge, dashboard or counter, how can it earn the right to stay there?”

Answer that, and the design decisions get a lot easier.