Why Print Media Should Be Part of Your Marketing Strategy
Online marketing tactics like social ads, SEO, and PPC dominate the marketing conversation, and with good reason. These approaches allow meticulously targeted, optimised, and cost-efficient campaigns. However, amid the constant buzz about digital, marketers in 2024 can’t afford to overlook old-school print media entirely.
Though it may seem counterintuitive, incorporating print elements into the marketing mix remains critically important. Print offers unique advantages that digital has yet to replicate. Tactile print ads, direct mailers, and catalogues engage audiences on a deeper, more memorable level. Moreover, print provides a channel to reach demographics loyal to newspapers, magazines, and printed materials.
Rather than an antiquated afterthought, print deserves serious consideration as part of a comprehensive strategy. The savviest marketers will realise that digital doesn’t render print obsolete. A marketing approach blending both channels will reap the benefits of each and maximise impact. In 2024, the most effective marketing game plan will tap into print’s enduring power to drive awareness and sales. Here’s why print is still essential and the benefits it offers.
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The Importance of Not Neglecting Printed Materials
Print Reaches Audiences That Digital May Miss
While digital marketing provides excellent targeting options, specific demographics still regularly engage with print media. This includes older generations who grew up with print and may need to be more tech-savvy. For these audiences, local newspapers and magazines remain a daily habit. They appreciate the familiarity and convenience of their print subscriptions and faithfully read each issue. Though they may also use the internet, their preference for print persists. Local print publications can also effectively reach regional audiences. Overlooking print could mean missing out on these valuable demographics within your more comprehensive audience.
Leveraging Print to Communicate Brand Values
When done thoughtfully, print marketing provides excellent opportunities to reinforce a brand's values and identity. Sustainably-conscious companies can use eco-friendly printing practices like vegetable-based inks and recycled paper, for example. Similarly, brands focused on the community can print locally using small printers to support local businesses or donate printed goods like notebooks to schools and charities to give back. Any core value, from inclusiveness to philanthropy to quality, can be reinforced through careful printing choices. This helps brands ensure print marketing feels aligned with identity.
Print Advertising Can Feel More Tangible and Memorable
People engage more deeply with print, which feels more tangible and real than digital materials. Print ads can seem of higher quality and can be displayed for ongoing exposure. The physical presence of print makes it more likely people will remember ads and the information you include in your marketing materials. Many studies reveal higher response rates and conversion to sales from direct mail versus digital ads. The tangible feel of direct mail gives it an advantage over email. Direct solid mail campaigns will likely continue being effective for lead generation in 2024.
Print Establishes Credibility and Prestige for Brands
A polished print ad in a premium publication or high-quality direct mailer conveys quality and prestige. The very presence of a brand in a magazine like Vogue or GQ lends an air of exclusivity. Glossy multi-page ads in these high-end magazines, which boast affluent readerships, feel aspirational and influential. Brands can leverage these positive perceptions simply by being featured in the right publications. Digital can’t easily replicate the authority and trust inspired by a full-page ad in a legacy print brand. Online ads generally appear fleetingly between content rather than showcased prominently amid esteemed editorials, while centuries-old print institutions have an irreplaceable pedigree.
Print Targets Regional Audiences Effectively
While digital has a global reach, print excels at targeting local markets. Ads in city magazines or regional business journals enable businesses to promote themselves in specific geographic areas. Local event programmes, discounts available to residents or community print pieces also provide hyper-local marketing opportunities. Print gives businesses the flexibility to plan location-based marketing efficiently. Localised print campaigns build brand recognition and affinity market by market and can help make your reputation with your immediate surrounding customers.
The Value Print Media Offers Businesses
Print ads allow for more creativity than digital ads. Character limits or small screens don't constrain print, so marketers can flex their creative muscles with expansive, visually stunning advertisements that are not always possible in digital. This creativity and extra space to include messaging help print ads break through the clutter.
Additionally, print enables businesses to have better control over their messaging and avoids the issue of ad blockers, which are becoming increasingly common in the online space. By balancing print and digital media, brands can reduce reliance on platforms like Facebook or Google and establish more direct communication channels with their audience.
Customers also keep and refer back to print materials longer than digital content. The tangible nature of print makes customers more likely to hold on to catalogues, brochures or pamphlets for ongoing reference. Brands can benefit from this continuing exposure and the longer shelf life of printed marketing materials.
Lastly, printed business cards feel more professional and help establish business connections. Most people appreciate the formality and customisation of printed cards; they add credibility, help build relationships, and provide connections with something tangible to take away from interaction in a way that a follow on social media can’t achieve. In a world where digital is a priority, retaining print in your marketing strategy can help to differentiate you from the competition.
When carried out carefully, print marketing can reinforce a brand's core values and identity through details like eco-friendly paper or local printing partners. While the marketing mix will feature advanced digital tactics, marketers should remember the power of print and use it to drive awareness, engagement, and sales. A blend of innovative digital marketing and time-tested print will offer the ideal strategy for success in 2024 and the future. The personal touch and enduring impact of print media still matter, even in an increasingly high-tech marketing landscape.
Print Media Marketing FAQs
What are the benefits of using print media for marketing?
Some key benefits of print media are: it allows more creative freedom with layouts/visuals, messages can be more detailed & nuanced, print ads drive more focused attention, print builds trust & credibility, ads can be kept & shared, and print still reaches specific demographics.
How is print media still relevant in the digital age?
Though digital content consumption has risen, many people still regularly read print publications. Print also allows disconnecting from screen overload. The tangibility of print makes it feel more “real” versus ephemeral digital.
What types of businesses should use print media?
Print is still relevant for specific industries like finance, healthcare, real estate, and higher education. However, any industry can benefit from integrating print into campaigns.
Where should businesses advertise in print?
Options range from national newspapers & magazines to local/regional publications. Also, industry trade publications, city magazines, college newspapers, and speciality publications.
How do print and digital marketing work together?
A coordinated strategy with print and digital working together provides the best results. Print drives awareness, while digital offers depth, interactivity and conversion opportunities.
How do you measure the results of print advertising?
Industry-standard metrics include ad recall scores, coupon redemption rates and website traffic lift. Brand lift surveys also provide insight. Sales reps can also track store traffic changes.
How much does print advertising cost?
Wide range based on factors like circulation size, placement, colour, and more. It can be very affordable, especially for local publications. Consult sales reps to explore options.
How can print marketing be more sustainable?
Choose paper sourced sustainably. Encourage recycling programs. Use vegetable/low-VOC inks. Optimise layouts to reduce paper needs—Prioritise longevity for keepsake quality.
