This may seem like an obvious concept but there’s actually much more to it than ‘kiosks do more things’. Leaflets have been an integral part of marketing campaigns for years and it is only now that they are being phased out in favour of more modern alternatives. In this article, we investigate why it’s the right time for businesses to stop printing leaflets and embrace the future with kiosks.
Weatherproof
Is there an image more upsetting to a marketing employee than a leaflet slowing turning to mulch in a puddle? Perhaps there is but the point remains valid; leaflets have never been able to stand up to the elements and this is a problem for a number of reasons: leaflet stands can’t be located outside and they take up space inside information booths. They also create incredible amounts of litter and if someone does pick one up they will have to shelter it from the elements until they are under enough cover to digest its content.
Kiosks can be made to be waterproof and they are generally very durable – in brief, they can stand up to almost anything if they are built to do so.
Attention Grabbing
Leaflets have been folded in virtually every combination to try and attract the attention of passers-by but is that really enough? Is a brightly coloured leaflet enough to compete with a touchscreen kiosk with printing and transaction capabilities? The simple answer is no.
Kiosks can not only provide information, they can also be as large and attention grabbing as you need them to be. Let’s face it, when you see a kiosk offering information on any subject, you press the screen at the very least and from there the seeds of engagement are sown in that simple touch; a leaflet just can’t do this.
Storage
There is a finite amount of information you can fit on a leaflet. Unless you make the content so small it can hardly be read, you will be bound to (usually) two sides of A4 paper – roughly 1,000 words- not accounting for pictures. Can you reduce all the information you want to put across to a customer or passer-by into 1,000 words?
Enter the kiosk: an information point with virtually limitless capacity to store information, images and videos. The superiority is clear as far as storage goes as the kiosk wins hands down.
Multiple Options
The leaflet claws a little back here as they are very flexible documents that can be printed in all shapes, sizes and even languages. However, they lose out by not being able to talk or show videos which may be crucial in some instances.
Kiosks can be programmed to offer the same information in multiple languages without the need to print multiple copies or condense information and our own multilingual kiosks have proved to be huge success across the country. They can also display videos and speak to users should they be hard of hearing, partially sighted or have issues with overcoming language barriers.
Overall Cost
Leaflets may seem like the cheaper option but this theory is now being debunked because usually glossy prints that the majority of businesses opt for are far more expensive than their basic counterparts. In the long run, the single payment outlay for a kiosk actually makes far more sense than repeatedly paying to have leaflets printed.
Consider this, the kiosk will cost a finite amount and maintenance options are available whereas leaflets will cost you to design, refine, print, distribute and this process will repeat forever and a day.
In this modern era kiosks are the only way to go as far as information delivery is concerned. Leaflets will be around for some time to come but don’t expect to see them for too long in an age where people pay for coffee with their watches and read newspapers on tablet computers – it’s no longer practical nor financially viable.