There’s no question that we live in the digital age. Each day, more and more things are transitioning to online—even the most traditional forms of print like newspapers and magazines. Email and social media platforms are becoming the primary means of communication in both personal lives and the business world. With all these moves to digital communication, it’s easy to assume that print will soon become a thing of the past.
Although many people think that print is dead and will soon be eradicated as a means of communication, it is still alive and well. Companies large and small continue to use print catalogs, brochures, sales letters, and other print marketing collateral. Here are the reasons why print is not dead and why you should use print marketing for your business.
Print Marketing is Often Preferred
When considering whether to use digital or print marketing, it’s important to understand how consumers think. A survey performed by the CMO Council found that 70 percent of American consumers think print advertising is more personal than online communications. Another study found that 56 percent of consumers consider print the most trustworthy marketing channel. It’s easy to assume that these numbers come from older generations, but, surprisingly, 69 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds say that they prefer print communications over digital. These statistics show that despite being in the digital age, many consumers still prefer print over digital marketing. However, because there are also consumers who prefer digital communications, it’s best to use a mix of both print and digital to reach both types of consumers.
Print Advertising Can Be More Effective
80 to 90 percent of direct mail gets opened, while email marketing has an open rate of only 20 to 30 percent, and the response rate of printed direct marketing is 37 percent higher than that of email marketing. Even though consumers are accustomed to interacting with technology in just about every area of their lives, they still are more likely to engage with print marketing than digital marketing. It’s much easier for someone to skip over and delete an email without opening it than to throw out a physical piece of mail without first looking at it.
Additionally, people do not interact with print and digital media the same way. When looking at a website, consumers are more likely to just quickly scan the page. With print, however, consumers are more likely to read the marketing material from front to back or skim the page in the correct order. Print also allows consumers to easily return to a point for reference later without searching through thousands of emails or their browser history. Because people can interact with print in a more natural way, it can often times be more effective than digital marketing.
Print Can Be More Consistent
When you send out marketing collateral via digital platforms, your message can come across differently depending on a number of factors, including screen size, desktop versus mobile applications, browser, display and color settings, etc. With print marketing, your message will look the same for each person who receives it. Print gives you more control to convey the same message with the same look in each situation. For the highest level of consistency over your print collateral, use a professional printer to make sure the colors and graphics will be high quality and true to your design, and only print from high-resolution files.
Print and Digital Can Support One Another
While print marketing can be more effective and is preferred by some consumers, the most effective marketing plan uses both print and digital marketing together. Your print collateral should reference your website, and you can send print mailings to follow up with visitors to your website or social media followers. Having your brand show up across multiple platforms will achieve a much greater effect than choosing just one. The goal of any marketing plan is to make potential consumers aware of your brand so that they will choose to buy your goods or services, and they will remember your brand much better if they have seen it on different platforms. So, don’t let the digital age convince you that print is dead; instead, use it to supplement your online presence and vice versa.
Digital and Print Marketing for Your Small Business
Don’t believe the myth that print is dead! If you want to increase awareness of your small business and increase your sales, you need a marketing plan that takes advantage of the benefits offered by both digital and print marketing. Combining digital and print into a seamless marketing plan can seem a bit daunting, but don’t let it intimidate you—the right marketing team will be able to help you create and follow a marketing plan that utilizes the print and digital platforms that will best benefit your brand.
Here at Smarketing, we can help you reach your marketing goals. We will work with you to create a custom marketing plan that includes both digital and print marketing to boost your brand awareness and drive sales. To start improving your marketing strategies with our knowledgeable and experienced team, reach out to us today at 865-963-0642 or on our website.