TheMarketingblog

Why print can be the secret weapon in your marketing arsenal

You’ve spent a while now focusing on building an online presence, right? Don’t worry, that’s certainly not the wrong thing to do.

In fact, it’s spot on. Everyone’s doing it, and everyone else expects it. However, if there’s one thing in the world of advertising that’s certainly suffered as a result of the digital transformation, it’s print.

Not that it’s print’s fault in any way, shape or form. Print has been quietly going about its usual business, and not actually become any less effective. It’s just… well… more expensive, in general, than digital…

Or is it? If you think about it, it’s actually the form of advertising that’s least effective that is the most expensive, isn’t it?

We’ll answer that one ourselves – yes. Here are several ways to return some classic, print marketing quality to your campaigns in the next few months.

Complement digital campaigns with print

Admittedly, so far in this article, we’ve depicted a kind of “print vs digital” battle. This simply doesn’t have to be the case. As there’s no doubt that they’re both pretty good at what they do, why not use them together?

In fact, the main problem with digital marketing is that it’s so instantly forgettable (i.e., ‘scrollable’). However, when complemented by a high-impact print campaign, you can actually use the more emotionally-engaging, physical touch-points of print to guide readers to the intangible sphere of digital.

A simple way to start combining the two is actually by embodying a time-tested advertising technique – the coupon. If you send out a bunch of mailers, with coupons that can only be redeemed on a new, purpose-built landing page, you can easily see the direct results of your campaign’s effectiveness.

New ways to be different

As digital media has become ubiquitous, there is a strange new power and aura surrounding print. For instance, whereas, in years gone by, a secretary may have immediately thrown out any mailers that arrived at an office, it’s now emails that can be discarded with just a click or swipe.

This is your opportunity to make an impression. By going against the trend of digital, and placing a professionally-printed book or brochure in the hands of your audience, you’re actually presenting them with something that’s harder to quickly get rid of.

One way in which the digital world has made print marketing easier, however, is with the availability of high-quality print technology  that make in-house printing easier than it’s ever been before.

Some things never change

Finally, there are still areas of the market where digital will always struggle to take over, while print remains a possibility. Older people, in general, from baby boomers backwards, will always be more receptive to print than digital, while businesses that come into contact with their customers will also benefit from making better use of print.

At the end of the day, this touches on exactly why print can still be the secret weapon in your marketing arsenal – it allows your customers to feel, not just see, that little bit of your brand.

It may only be for a moment – but, in marketing, such moments can make all the difference.

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