These days the marketing landscape seems dominated by digital channels. And there is a good reason behind that — mobile usage has never been higher, and many companies are increasingly adopting a mobile-first approach to both their products and their marketing content.
However, far from relegating old-school marketing techniques such as printed materials to the dustbin of history, savvy marketers are realising the potential for harnessing their power in tandem with their digital output in order to maximise reach, engagement, and sales. And printed materials can be found that are of higher quality and greater affordability than ever before.
Here’s why print still matters.
Enduring Appeal
Marketers – overlook print at your peril! Concentrating purely on the digital aspects of a campaign means overlooking a large portion of your potential demographic. The appeal of print is still significant, especially with seniors, who often feel more engaged when they can pick up a postcard or leaflet and read from it.
Items through the post have greater impact in the era of email and social media – when was the last time you got anything other than an electricity bill in the mail? Print also means that recipients are more likely to read the entirety of the copy, rather than scrolling as they do on the screens of their smartphones or computers. Studies show that millennials still read messages on printed materials, and the power of clear, succinct and engaging copy is one that will never go away, regardless of marketing delivery channels.
Tangibility
Clients and customers often respond more to objects than they do to pixelated messages on their smartphones and tablets, even as we reach 2025. It’s important to remember that the quality of your printing, on high quality paper or card and with bold vibrant colours is extremely important.
A good quality business card, flyer or leaflet feels better in the hand than a flimsy, poorly printed one. And what does this say about your company? If a customer or potential customer perceives your brochure as professional and tangible, it reflects positively on your brand and helps to drive business.
It’s also easy to carry this material around to you, meaning you can spread your brand’s message wherever you are – and potential customers will remember you.
The Power of Words
Words are the backbone of any marketing campaign. We mentioned that many people will read all the copy on an item through the mail – this makes your choice of words a crucially important part of your campaign strategy.
Make sure your writers are on their game, as they are ultimately selling your product or service to potential customers, and need to be precise, succinct, yet engaging. Look at things from your customers’ perspective — what do they want, and need from your company? What problems are you their best option for solving? Copy matters — make sure your messages are on point.
Customer engagement
As consumers we are bombarded constantly with messages from companies and brands vying for business in an increasingly competitive global marketplace. And most of these messages come from our smartphones and tablets we carry with us everywhere we go. But the average time spent viewing digital content is in the seconds — more of an annoyance than an effective piece of marketing content.
Printed materials, however, fosters customer engagement more effectively, with the customer not only more inclined to take the message on board but also more likely to engage with the brand and take a step forward on the customer journey. Also, if a customer hasn’t got the time to read a digital message it is likely discarded to the trash can, whereas a brochure or flyer will more likely to remain on the desk or in the bag, to be picked up and more carefully perused later.
Printed marketing may be old school, but it has a timeless appeal to various demographics, and is able to change with the times – strategies may change but some delivery methods won’t. In using these techniques in conjunction with your digital messages you will widen the reach of your campaign, and heighten customer engagement, leaving you with more successful outcomes to your marketing campaigns.