It’s obvious how important the digital age is to business. But the focus is so strongly on digital that it can be easy to forget how vital print still is. If you don’t agree, just think about the amount of print you see around. Print is everywhere. Most of us get some through our letterbox every day, which the experts say a good portion of people actually read. Print exists! Therefore it is a definite means of marketing that can, and should, live alongside your digital output.
Interestingly, research shows that people have substantial memory for things they touch. So a well-designed, pleasingly-textured business card, leaflet or brochure is something every business should have. It’s a means of creating a good user experience that connects people with your offer. Tangible pieces of marketing are incredibly versatile too. You can leave them with clients; have them in your meeting rooms for delegates to pick up; hand them out at events; use them to break the ice and give you something to talk about, particularly if it’s an unusual design, cut or feel.
Print is supposedly a trustworthy media, lending credibility to your organisation; it is often retained for later use or reference, kept in case it’s needed. For this reason, print marketing should not be your up-to-the-minute news; it should be less time-sensitive, with useful information that remains current for potential customers. Apparently humans read print slowly with focus. Plus print is great for reaching a specific or local audience. From an ad in a niche magazine to a leaflet from a local shop, everyone who reads that particular industry publication or takes a leaflet is likely to be interested.
And, not the least point or even lastly, since the pros for print are not exhausted here: it is so simple to integrate print with your digital marketing that you would be missing a trick if you didn’t do it. Whatever print media you produce, everyone expects to see a URL on there; and this could be to any page you want people to look at. Good print can, without doubt, reinforce and enhance your digital offer, and is most certainly not dead.
