In a completely digitised world, many businesses have focused their marketing efforts solely online or through the means of digital media. Both B2B and B2C consumers no longer receive a flurry of leaflets, flyers, booklets or other print pieces in the mail. Instead businesses rely on their target audience to engage with e-mail marketing, promoted content, video advertising, social media, display banner and search marketing campaigns. In a world heavily dominated by online marketing and digital consumption, does print marketing still have a role to play in marketing and communications? What benefits can print materials like direct mail pieces, physical newsletters, magazine and newspaper advertising, business cards and product packaging offer? We explore why print marketing needs to remain a key component of any marketing strategy.
1. Print Marketing is more likely to reach the intended recipient
Your target audience is likely to be flooded with several different e-mails a day and so it is very easy for an e-mail marketing campaign that you have worked so hard to get completely missed by the intended recipient. Search marketing is relying heavily on your target audience to actively search for your product or service. With display advertising and social media marketing, you have to hope they notice your ads among the array of other compelling content on these websites. With a print piece, you are much more likely to reach the intended recipient. You don’t have to try to predict their search activity or hope that they notice your content on social media or other media websites. Sending a piece via direct mail means you don’t have to worry about your message being caught by spam filters or junk folders. All you need is the person’s address and that’s a detail that is very easy to obtain.
2. Less competition
Many people in your target audience may not receive any mail most days and so doing so is almost a novelty for them. If you mail a print piece directly to your intended recipient, they will most certainly receive it and there is a very high chance they will open it. A print advertisement can also be a “breath of fresh air” for consumers tired of overpowering digital advertising. You will find that very few of your competitors are sending print pieces via direct mail or taking our print advertisements. So many businesses are solely focusing their efforts on digital advertising therefore a strong print opportunity could offer great competitive advantage. Therefore you won’t have to worry so much about standing out amongst the crowd and your print piece getting lost in the mix of other competitor messages.
3. More tangible, engaging print marketing
A print piece or advertisement is a physical thing which may stick around in homes, offices, cars for months or years. It gives consumers something to hold onto or ponder over time and time again. Online advertising in comparison can disappear in an instant and you know what they say – “out of sight, out of mind!” A print piece offers ongoing value. It can be kept for days, months and even years and so there will be plenty of opportunities time and time again for the recipient to engage with the piece and your business. According to a study conducted by Canadian neuromarketing firm TrueImpact, when asked to cite the brand of an advertisement they had just seen, recall was 70% higher among participants who were exposed to a direct mail piece (75%) than a digital ad (44%).
4. Brand credibility
Print ads are an excellent means of solidifying your brand identity. The web tends to be full of spam ads, click bait and annoying pop-ups. So frequent are these kind of placements that a lot of people are actually afraid to click on online advertisement placements. A print ad on the other hand doesn’t come with that kind of danger. With print, your brand advertisement won’t be just one feature among a bunch of spam-like, irrelevant digital content. It gives your brand more credibility and instils a sense of legitimacy among your target audience. Besides, using more than one way to market your business solidifies your brand and establishes brand recognition. The more you allow your brand to be seen, the more recognisable it becomes. While many businesses have completely concentrated their advertising efforts on online and digital mediums due to its cost effectiveness, ease of tracking and convenience, print still maintains a strong stance as a necessary component of a marketing and communications strategy. Relying on online media alone could result in missing out on directly engaging a crucial segment of your target audience. Finding the right balance in your use of advertising media is essential to reaching your sales targets. In fact, print advertising may very well be where your strongest opportunity for competitive advantage lies.
Contact MVP Print today to get a head start on your Print Marketing campaign and let us show you how effect print collateral can be.
