Rack cards are a great marketing tool for almost any business, but like all printed marketing materials they work best when they are well designed and written.
Rack cards are a tremendous marketing tool for almost any business, but like all printed marketing materials, they work best when they are well-designed and written. Rack cards are similar to brochures and flyers, but smaller, usually 3.5” to 4” wide and 8.5” to 9” tall. You will often see them displayed on racks or carousels in airport or hotel lobbies. Often the inclination is to fill the small space with as much information as possible, but in this case, less is often more. A good design that incorporates the following four factors will make for a much more effective rack card.
Something Eye Catching
The greatest challenge for rack cards is getting someone to pick it up and look at it, especially when it is displayed near dozens of other rack cards competing for the same attention. So, something about your card has to be eye-catching: the color scheme, the text or the high-quality images. The most likely option for drawing someone in is a high-resolution image, but catchy slogans and captions will be what keeps them reading. Another consideration for rack cards is that often only the upper third of the card is visible in the display, so your logo or name should be towards the top.
An Incentive to Visit
Rack cards often include coupons because that is a great way to entice people to frequent your business. Coupons encourage people to pick up and hold on to the rack cards, and they can be an excellent way to monitor how useful your cards are (by how many people bring them back in). You could also include the proven benefits of your product(s) or the current promotions you are running.
Tell People What To Do
This is less about being bossy, and more about giving people direction, usually in the form of a call-to-action. Once your rack card has gotten people interested in your product, business, or issue, you need to direct them what to do next with that interest. In a prominent location on the card, tell people to come by the store, log on to the website, invest in the research, or do something else concrete.
Your Information
Your company name, address, website, and contact information should be somewhere on the card so that people can contact or visit your business. Don’t assume that your potential customers will have a smartphone or a QR code scanner – write out the information for them on the card. You should also make sure that the card is identifiable from both sides, in case someone puts it in the rack backward.
Let Time Printers Handle Your Marketing Needs
Whether you know already how your rack cards should look or you want further advice, Time Printers is here to help. We service all of Baltimore, Hunt Valley, and Towson. Our team of professionals can tackle all of your questions. Give us a call at 410-566-3005 and be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, and LinkedIn for tips and to see what we have been working on and what we can do for you.