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Summer Tourism
Consolidated Press

Use brochures, posters, guides and maps to promote your region’s summer fun

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When the sun comes out, people start looking to keep busy, feel refreshed, see something new, and get onto the open road.

Whether you own a business or work for a city, a parks department, a farmers’ market, or a nonprofit, summer is the time for printing projects aimed at the public—posters, brochures, calendars, maps, menus, guides, event collateral, direct mail, and more.

Posters reach more people.

Posters are an underrated source of advertising, and they are excellent at bringing people back to the spot they saw the poster in the first place. For example, if you are advertising a new farmer’s market or opening one for the season, plaster the area with posters. 

An event like a farmers market draws mostly local people—people who tend to live, work, and play in the same places day after day. So it’s easy to ask them to return to a place they are already hanging out for something fun and ongoing like a farmer’s market, monthly flea market, or summer concert series. All they have to remember is the time or date. 

The same principles work for one-time events like summer festivals, retail events, civic volunteer opportunities, and more. Be sure to print the website, hashtag or a QR code on the poster for an even stronger memory aid. A simple and clear call-to-action (CTA) like “Post a selfie with this poster” will go a long way toward engaging people and bringing them back to the very place they are standing —with friends.

Read this comprehensive guide to creating posters that bring a buzz to your event.

Brochures are marketing’s best bet.

Everybody likes to pick up free stuff! Brochures are better than free—they represent possibility, excitement, travel, fun, relief from boredom, and future purchases and services that make life better.

Consider these compelling statistics when planning your summer advertising campaigns:

  • 7 out of 10 tourists, as well as visitors, tend to pick up brochures
  • 95% of visitors that obtain brochures become aware of a business
  • 80% of people consider visiting the business they saw in brochures

Keep in mind that brochures can truly reflect your brand’s aesthetic or personality. They don’t have to be the glossy three-fold six-panel classics we know from brochure stands in visitor centers across America. You can produce maps, calendars, posters, sales flyers, menus, and destination collateral, all in brochure form.

We can help you stand out with:

  • Strong brand identity through color matching and design
  • A variety of paper choices for your budget and brand
  • Professional folding and printing so your brochure is easy to read
  • Fun and functional stickers and seals
  • Addressing, sorting, storage, and direct mailing (if you want to go that route!)

Get on the map.

A March 2023 survey and report from The Vacationer revealed the potential for an enormous uptick in travel—especially domestic travel—this summer.

As summarized in Travel Agent Central this month:

Eighty-five percent of Americans plan to travel this summer. Nearly half of them are planning to travel more this summer compared to last, and those who intend to travel this summer represent a 5% increase over 2022. Ninety percent of American adults aged 30 to 44 intend to travel this summer, as do 88% of 45- to 60-year-olds and 87% of adults under 30. Forty-three percent of women said they intend to travel more, while  40 percent of men said they will.

Sixty-two percent of respondents said their travels will be domestic only. Seventeen percent said their travels would be domestic and international, while 6 percent said they would only be traveling internationally. Nearly four in five travelers plan to take a road trip this summer, most traveling between 100 and 500 miles. 

Now is the time to get your community on a map. There are so many ways and reasons to do this!

  • Regional and state visitor associations can create road trip maps of cities and tourist destinations. 
  • Cities and towns can publish a map of shopping and dining hubs, pointing visitors to all the places to play and spend money while passing through. Locals love these maps too, when they are updated regularly. 
  • Hotels and convention centers can publish maps of nearby nightlife, dining, and daytime activities. 
  • Tourist bureaus can offer maps of day trips within a radius of your city or region. 
  • Business hubs and neighborhood associations can promote dining and shopping with hyper-local maps, capitalizing on “coop-ertition” to bring more people to the location by displaying or handing out the map at each business in the area.
  • Local Arts and Entertainment can distribute information on upcoming show schedules, venues, special events, or concerts. 

Organizations often have state or local funds to produce maps promoting their area. Local businesses can offset these costs by advertising or paying for a prominent location on the map. Be sure to create a connected website for the latest updates, specials, and events.

Invite summer fun—and spending!—with print products like maps, brochures, direct mail, guides and posters. Visitors and locals alike will be happy to jump in.

With our efficient presses and professional staff, we can help you steward your resources while creating important print products that benefit everyone. Let us help you—reach out today.

Consolidated Press

Local Publications Center Community

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The local magazines, brochures or maps are still a vital and booming communications resource for small cities, townships, neighborhoods, and villages. Produced by local experts, and mailed to residents, these local and regional publications are regarded as trustworthy and filled with relevant information. 

Relevant Content for Readers community magazine

Community magazines, usually mailed to residents quarterly, provide timely articles on local issues, schedules of community events, information about recreational activities and clubs in local parks, and guides to community development. Local magazines targeted to local audiences impart a sense of community, and build a sense of comradery in neighborhoods.

For example, many community magazines publish information regarding the hours and contact information for the township or municipal offices. They share waste management schedules, including special recycling events and yard waste pick-up days. Parks and recreation departments publish trail maps, summer camp options, and farmers’ market schedules. Community events such as outdoor concerts, fireworks for the Fourth of July, and even car shows all appear in the local magazine.  

A similar community publication that neighbors enjoy is a calendar. Filled with photos of local flora and fauna, children enjoying nearby playgrounds, and other familiar images, plus holiday events, and information regarding, for example, school start dates or library book sales, community calendars are useful and stay accessible in households. 

Print Options for Advertisers 

Community publications are a boon to local businesses. Advertising dollars are well spent on space in a local publication. Because of the way these periodicals can build community, seeing an ad for a local business can feel like getting a recommendation from a trusted friend. These print publications help lead readers to an advertiser online as well; print ads that include QR codes and links to websites provide readers with more information. 

calendarWhether mailed to residents or distributed at a neighborhood business, locally produced calendars provide another cost-effective option for advertisers. Because a print calendar stays on-hand as a relevant reference in households, an ad is guaranteed to be seen. While an ad on Facebook may have a bigger reach, it does not necessarily hit the right target and demographic the way an advertisement in a local publication does. 

Print ads in magazines and on calendars have longevity. These publications have a life beyond the mailbox, often showing up in dentist and doctor offices, neighborhood grocery stores, coffee shops, and pharmacies. When someone picks up a magazine while waiting or just hanging out, they engage with the content and advertising differently than they do on social media.  

Professional Looking and Timely 

The nature of a community magazine demands a printer who knows how to print, bind, and mail in specific quantities and on schedule. Quality graphics, clear fonts, and the right paper are key to eye-catching content and ads. Events and shopping guides need to reach customers by mail well before they are going to happen so people can plan and budget, both time and money. Consolidated Press offers in-house mailing services, helping publishers navigate and negotiate the best mail rates for their magazine or calendar.