Don’t Count Print Advertising Out!
With so much commercial focus moving to the digital realm these days, many businesses have put print lowest on their list of priorities. The maxim of “print is dead” hangs over a lot of industries struggling with pulling in advertising dollars and customers, from publishing houses to journalism.
But print isn’t dead, and believing it means rejecting a truly effective advertising tactic. Printed media, done in the right way, can enhance online campaigns, because while it might not have industry dominance anymore, it’s still an incredibly valuable resource. It can be an important part of expansive campaigns that reach and affect the widest number of people, and there are many, many advantages to complimenting an online presence with a physical one.
Print being dead is a popular idea today because a lot of people don’t know everything print can be. Print advertising doesn’t just mean newspapers or magazine placements anymore. Today, it’s all about taking the brand off-line in creative ways. It can be ads, yes, but it can also be business cards, pens, t-shirts, even flyers – it can be whatever you want! Just by being off-screen, you’re maximizing the ways people will see your logo, slogan, or message.
Adding a print dynamic can lend a lot more perceived credibility to your brand, because people still inherently trust physical media. A print component working with a digital campaign adds more legitimacy, and because of what print basically is, physical ads and messages will linger in the consumer space. Think about the magazines you’ve read while sitting in a waiting room when considering just how long print ads can stick around.
The message put out into the world can then make its way to people’s pockets, wallets, and mailboxes. You want your audience to think about your brand even after they’ve put down their phone or closed their email for the day. Putting the message on something they can take with them, like a pen, takes it to more and more places, extending your reach far beyond a screen.
It also has the capability of being incredibly targeted. With some research, a company can choose the publication or medium that best matches the target. Naturally, one thinks about magazines with niche interests like Cat Aficionado when it comes to targeted print media, but different items and print approaches can allow you to adapt and appeal to more demographics. An online approach, while having the widest reach, can often look like a shotgun blast – spraying a message out, while not always hitting the target directly. Physical products can hone everything about the message to a niche. Knowing whom you’re appealing to makes it easier to resonate with a specific segment of your audience, and let them take that message after they’ve moved on.
With print advertising prices constantly falling and the high return on investment, there’s no reason that online should be the only advertising medium used. Pairing print products with an online campaign can maximize your response rate and ensure that you not just get the message in front of your target audience, but that they will more likely pay attention to it.
