5 Reasons to Incorporate Print Into Your Marketing Campaign
As marketing experts increasingly turn their focus toward digital advertising platforms, it can be easy to forget that printed media still delivers a significant ROI for building brand awareness and driving sales. With lower costs and improvements in digital print quality, the ability to personalize printed communication brings a wealth of opportunities to marketers.“Businesses continually face the challenge of growing revenue, improving operational efficiency, and advancing business performance to a higher level. There is a significant opportunity untapped by many companies to help meet these goals by more effectively unlocking the power of print,” said Jo Ann Froelich, Head of Sales at McNeil Printing.
By personalizing postcards, catalogs, coupons, and other direct mail, a company can easily drive customers to their online store or website and vice versa. More and more companies are taking advantage of a variety of both digital and print media to maximize their customer reach. A press release from Pitney & Bowes explains that “The majority of small businesses, 76 percent, agree their ideal marketing mix includes a combination of physical and digital communications.” (1)
We’ve put together just five reasons we believe print is an essential part of an effective marketing campaign.
As a way to nurture and develop relationships with potential and current clients, print and digital are best when used together in creative ways. Imagine sending your customer a direct mail piece and then sending an email telling them to check their mailbox for a surprise. By building interest online and sending something unique and tangible through the mail, you can build customer loyalty and boost brand recognition.1. Printed material is more memorable.
“When creating a marketing campaign, most entrepreneurs spend a great deal of time figuring out what that campaign will look like—but rarely ask themselves how that campaign will be experienced,” says Vladimir Gendelman, founder of Printwand.
He continues, “When people experience something for the first time, they use all the senses available to them to create a memory. This is why we often associate the holidays with our sense of smell or have a stronger emotional connection to a movie when the soundtrack sets the tone. The more senses your audience can use to create a memory of your brand, the more your audience will feel engaged.” (2)
By incorporating the tactile experience of physically interacting with a printed piece, your brand message will last longer in the minds of your customers.
2. Print ads stand out among the noise of digital ads.
Studies show that people have developed “ad blindness” while searching online. They have trained their eyes to avoid looking at online ads while reading on the internet or using social media.
Amy Hansen with MPA Media says, “Readers of print media are more immersed in the content and tend to be more receptive to the publication's print ads. In today's world of email overload, a well-designed print ad can easily stand out, grab attention and cut through the overwhelming amount of online clutter we are exposed to on a daily basis.” (3)
3. Print is perceived as a more credible source of information.
According to PrintintheMix.com, 56% of consumers trust print marketing more than any other advertising method. (4) You may have noticed that financial service providers are still heavily using printed materials for their marketing. The marketers in this industry understand that using printed material implies that the information is coming from a credible source.
“There is a common belief among consumers that if someone took the time to design it and print it that it must be valuable information.” Las Vegas Color Graphics states that, “7 out of 10 Americans report that they find direct mail advertising more personal than online ads. This personalization is what makes this method the most effective. Anyone can send an email blast and use software to create an online ad but consumers value the fact that the company went to the added expense of printing out and mailing the marketing material.” (5)
4. Print reaches customers where they live.
Many people spend the majority of their work day staring at a lit screen and they enjoy unplugging when they get home. Printed materials provide the opportunity to influence your customers when they are most receptive to your message.
Vladimir Gendelman stated in 2014, “Compared with how often and how quickly you check your email, consider the daily ritual of going to the mailbox and checking your postal mail. You set aside a few moments to take the time to look at every piece of mail before going back to whatever it was you were doing before. That means your print materials are likely to receive extra attention—especially if they look unique.” (6)
5. Print media can be used for personalization.
The possibilities with personalized printed promotional material can be really exciting for marketers. Printed media can be used to boost online interaction by driving customers to a personalized subdomain of a website, suggesting a hashtag for use on social media, or simply incorporating QR codes to drive consumers online.
Historically, one of the biggest problems with print has been the inability to track the data and measure the effectiveness of a campaign. With personalized print, it becomes much easier to target your ideal client and measure what actions are taken as a consequence.
Speaking specifically of printed magazine ads, Dr. Michal Galin says, “When it comes to joining a social network or the use of a QR code, print magazine ads are moving consumers into a digital universe where longer term relationships can be developed and tracked. The result is deeper connections with brands, and a greater likelihood to buy.” (7)
Kelly Caldwell, an editor at Imagination, says, “It’s no longer a question of print vs. digital, but how best to provide content in a manner that creates demonstrable value for both the audience and the brand. And for a growing number of marketers, the answer is print.” (8)
For more ideas on incorporating print into your marketing campaign, visit our blog, tour our factory, sign up for our monthly newsletter, or contact us today at 801.221.2555. We would be happy to help you discover the possibilities with print.
SOURCES:
(1) Pitney Bowes Survey: 76 Percent of Small Businesses Believe Ideal Marketing Mix Includes both Physical and Digital Communications, May 2011(2) How to Get Customers to Remember Your Brand, Vladimir Gendelman, March 2013
(3) The Value of Print in Your Media Mix, Amy Hansen, MPA Media Marketing Services Coordinator, September 2010
(4) Study: Direct Mail Matters In Connected World, Print in the Mix, July 2013
(5) Lucky 13 Print Marketing Statistics to Impress your Boss, Las Vegas Color Graphics, November 2014
(6) Print's Not Dead: Print Marketing Will Thrive in 2014 and Beyond, Vladimir Gendelman, January 2014
(7) Magazine Ads Continue to Engage and Motivate Consumers, Michal Galin, April 2014
(8) Pub Power: Why So Many Are Rediscovering the Power of Print, Kelly Caldwell, November 2015
