Are you relying solely on digital marketing to grow awareness and sales? Learn why print advertising goes the extra mile in generating and converting leads.
“Print Marketing is dead.”
“Print advertising died with the dinosaurs”
“If you aren't investing 100-percent of your marketing plan in digital marketing, you'll never stand out.”
Does any of this sound familiar to you? The epic rise of the online marketplace has led to misconstrued assumptions about marketing campaigns. Most people would have you believe that print advertising is a lost cause—that it doesn't convert and anyone who uses it is wasting their money.
We're here to convince you otherwise. We're here to show you why print media advertising might be more effective now than when everyone and their mother were investing in it.
Let's find out all the reasons you need to invest in print marketing.
1. Ties in Perfectly With Your Digital Marketing
When people hear the term “print marketing,” they often automatically write it off because they think it has no place in a digital marketing plan. Those people are woefully misinformed.
This isn't a tiny text ad in a newspaper that we're talking about, here. We're talking about a full-blown ad. A segment of a page (or the entire page) that shows nothing but your brand. Since when did that become a bad thing?
While many brands are either committing entirely to online marketing or offline marketing, your brand can break the mold with a hybrid infusion.
Don't believe that print advertising can help strengthen your digital marketing? Think again. Here are just a few of the ways that your print ads could lead readers to your online brand:
- Implement QR codes on your print advertising that directs readers to your website, product promotions, or social media accounts
- Place your digital contact information on the ad, such as your social media handles, blog web address, or YouTube channel
- Direct readers to a landing page for a free product in exchange for their email address (thus helping you grow your email marketing campaigns)
2. Less Crowded Ad Space
This will shock you, but many sources confirm that the average person sees thousands of advertisements each day. Most of those, as you may assume, are online while they're scrolling through Instagram, trying to click the "skip ad" button on a YouTube advertisement, and so forth.
Because of the density of these advertisements, customers have learned to just tune them out.
If you only prioritize digital ads for your brand, you're literally trying to stand out from thousands of other online ads that your target buyers have seen that day. That's like trying to get Taylor Swift's attention while you're standing in the crowd at her concert... it won't work.
Meanwhile, print advertising offers a far less crowded advertising space. The brands that create print advertisements are given more of a customer's time.
This can also make it easier for you to ensure you're reaching your target market. For example, let's say that you have a company that creates golf shirts for men. By paying for a print ad in a golf magazine, you can see an incredible return from their following.
Of course, you also want to do your due diligence on the magazines and newspapers you pay for an advertisement with. Make sure they have a strong enough following to ensure a successful campaign.
3. Builds Brand Recognition
If customers are seeing thousands of digital advertisements a day, do you think they can remember many of them? Probably not.
Meanwhile, a full-page print advertisement in the local paper that's showing off workout equipment? Now that is far more memorable! Subscribers of the newspaper will remember your brand and even pique their interest in doing more research on it.
The more that your brand stands out to them through print ads, the more ingrained your logo will be in their brain. The next time that they're in need of your products/services, you'll be at the forefront of their mind. That means higher sales conversions and the start of brand loyalty.
4. Establishes Trust
Whether they'll admit it or not, most online users are skeptical when it comes to clicking on too many digital advertisements. The more clicks they have to make, the less comfortable they become.
Companies with a presence in print advertisements seem more reputable and trustworthy in their eyes. They're seen as physical brands, not just ones that lurk online.
Don't get us wrong, digital ads are a very important piece of the puzzle. However, if you put all your time and resources into them, you're missing out on a huge opportunity to establish trust with the client right from the get-go.
5. Variety of Options
For those of you that think print advertising doesn't offer diversity, think again! There are many different ways that you can implement strong print marketing campaign options such as:
- Newspaper ads
- Posters
- Company brochures
- Magazine ads
- Promotional flyers
- Banners at conferences
- Signs at fundraisers and nonprofit events
The list goes on and on. The more outlets that a customer comes into contact with your brand, the more brand recall they'll build with it. Print advertising makes customers feel like they were introduced to your brand in person, rather than through the vast world of the internet.
Invest in Print Advertising for Your Brand
It’s important to note that if you're spending all of your marketing budgets on print advertising, then you've missed our point. The strongest marketing plans capitalize on both online and offline (print) strategies.
Make sure that you think about your target market. Where do they go for information? What outlets do they trust for exposure to new businesses? Which method of advertising comes across as "trustworthy" in your niche?
Asking yourself these questions is the first step toward a strong advertising strategy, and the answers may just lead you to invest a little more in print than you have been before.
Ready to get started on your marketing plan?
Contact us about our 2022 Matching Marketing Fund Program, a 1:1 match opportunity where you can double the impact of your media spend.
