Printed Media used to be the only Marketing that existed and during the years with the Internet appearing and Social Media it seemed to have disappeared. So many companies are asking themselves if printed media is still necessary.
THE ANSWER IS YES – IT STILL IS NECESSARY!
Obviously, many printed media aspects are old fashioned and no needed anymore as they have perfectly been dispatched by the digital era. With more companies taking their marketing efforts online, the old has become new again! So Printed Media has some sort of became a trend again in these days but with many differences. Nowadays we have information that Marketers before the internet didn’t have and we have additional material to add to make it more interesting. With this in mind, designing and sharing a great printed marketing piece should be high on your list of strategic marketing initiatives.
Printed Media is Tangible
Publications, brochures, flyers, business cards and other types of printed materials are physical items. These items cause a sense of high quality and “forces” the client most of the times to keep it as they feel guilty throwing it away. Like this we achieve that this media is at their homes/ offices for months or even years after they finally decide to archive it. While digital media is normally seen once and doesn’t have the same impact.
Print is Credible
When you have something in your hands or can touch it it feels real and makes it more credible, like the feeling you get when you see The New York Times or your favourite magazine on the rack, there is something to be said about the feeling of legitimacy that comes from print. You are able to put the printed piece down and comeback at any time to resume your reading.
Establishes Your Brand
To give an excellent impression and establish your brand you need printed publications as they allow to bring to life the aesthetic qualities of colours, fonts, textures and images. Branded materials will give a professional image and let´s people recognize your well-presented company.
Targeted Marketing
Often you can reach a niche market or the exact audience you wish in a printed media such as a magazine, a publication in a newspaper or flyers that are distributed where you know that your audience will be. So herewith you are able to strategically insert your brand in the right place.
Engagement Of Customers
Statistics still show that customers spend more time reading a magazine than scrolling through your website. In average a website is skimmed in as little as 15 seconds meanwhile a magazine is read during 43 minutes. So with a hard copy in your customers hand you can actually get a high engagement.
So, the conclusion is to create a correct balance of digital marketing and printed Media. Where the digital marketing can´t represent you should come back to the original printed publications. Also, you can use your printed publications to let your clients know more about you in real time on the internet including QR Codes or icons of the social media they can find you on.