Contrary to popular belief, print marketing isn’t dead. To even say it’s dying is a stretch. Digital media is the younger, spry rookie versus this aging grizzled veteran, but print isn’t set to retire anytime soon.
Hit the Mark Every Time
Print
defeats digital media hands-down in efficiently reaching your target audience.
Take Terrapin's numerous Dave's Marketplace print projects. We have created
diverse print campaigns for this RI grocery staple, as well as numerous other clients looking to obtain the benefits of print marketing.
The print
advantage is that Dave's customers are in-store for Dave's products. These
materials catch customers' eyes to direct them toward more of what they
want. On the other hand, how many ads of little or no interest intrude on your
downtime YouTube or Facebook sessions? Your cursor has probably worn a
pixelated path to the "Skip Ad" option.
Well-targeted
print marketing doesn't encounter this problem, like make-up ads in a fashion
magazine or discount subscription inserts in a willingly-delivered publication.
Your customers will see your print materials and either pick them up or pass
them by.
Leaving No Customer Behind
Let's face it; not everyone has a
computer. There's
no substantial financial investment or "figuring out this gadget" with
print. Customers don't need a smartphone, tablet or any means other than their
eyes to absorb your campaign message.
You have
customers who still get their news from the morning paper and only buy products
in person or over the phone. They are set in their ways and aren’t likely to
take the leap into digital. Print is
universal because:
- It communicates to your valuable digital hold-out customer base
- It reaches across the aisle to the tech-savvy
- Anyone who wants print can get it
Print Provides Tangibility & Choice
A
physical item and a sense of customer control are print marketing pluses. For maximum effect, marketing
needs a personal tone. Add to relatable content the simple act of holding a
printed brochure or viewing a sales event poster and you create this sense of
connection.
Customers
are also at the wheel with print, while they are at the mercy of digital
campaigns. You can read a product catalog at your own pace or flip past an
irrelevant item to the next page. There are no uninvited ads or pop-ups standing
between the customer and their content.
Building Your Brand
Many of
the longest-standing companies still leading their industries today didn't
establish their brands with the aid of the web or even television. They
relied on consistent printed visuals.
As unique
as your content may be from campaign-to-campaign, all of your marketing efforts should be built upon the same foundation of
unchanging fonts, colors and tone you have staked to your brand. Print is ideal for solidifying these unique
components as your own while incorporating them into your digital marketing product.
One-Two Punch of Web & Print
Don't
interpret all of this print praise as a knock on web; best practice is to
combine the two for an optimal campaign. You need to reach the Sunday paper devotees as
much as the email newsletter and social media crowds. The key is calculating
an effective distribution of your print efforts along with your website, video and
other web-based options.
