Print marketing used to be king. That was until digital marketing came along. Digital marketing proved to be faster, cheaper and greener. This resulted in many companies switching brochures for websites, flyers for emails and billboards for PPC ads. For many companies, it seemed clear: print marketing was dead.
Except it’s not. Print marketing may not be as popular as it once was, however many companies are still using it. In fact, print marketing seems to be making a resurgence. Why are companies still continuing to use print? This post explains…
The internet is becoming increasingly crowded
Standing out online is becoming increasingly harder as the internet gets more crowded. Many of us have learnt to tune out adverts through constant exposure to them – it takes a truly innovative ad to grab us, and this requires a lot more work to produce. Meanwhile, many of us have growing inboxes full of email subscriptions, making it harder for emails to get through. As for websites, a growing number of sites is making it increasingly harder to top the rankings of search engines. All in all, successful digital marketing requires a lot more strategy to stand out – and this requires a lot more time and money.
People are getting less physical mail
The world of print advertising is contrastingly becoming a less crowded market. Compared to 20 years ago, many of us get a lot less physical mail through our door. This makes it easier to stand out with a flyer, a brochure or even a simple newsletter. Yes, some of us still automatically throw such mail in the trash without looking at it (which is why digital marketing is still important). However, a lot of us still take notice of what’s coming through our letterboxes.
Print provides an easier way to exchange information in person
Just met a potential client in person? Or perhaps you’d like to present a group of people with some written information? Telling someone to visit a website or asking for someone’s email address so that you can send them an email typically isn’t very convenient. Handing out a business card or flyer meanwhile takes a second. If you often meet potential clients in person or host events, it could make sense to invest in business card printing or flyer production to convert more leads.
Print can be combined with digital marketing
Print doesn’t have to be a separate entity from digital marketing. In fact, many forms of print advertising can be used to direct people to your digital marketing. This includes printing email addresses on business cards or a website address on a poster. You can also QR codes to help direct people quickly to web pages without having to manually type the address into their phones.
Print is getting more eco-friendly
A big argument against print marketing over the last few decades has been its carbon footprint. But a lot of print marketing actually isn’t very damaging at all to the environment. The bulk of flyers, business cards, posters and brochures nowadays are manufactured using recycled materials or card/paper from sustainable forests. In fact, you could argue that the energy used to power websites and apps sometimes has a far greater impact on the environment.
Not everyone is glued to digital devices
You can’t reach all potential clients online. There are some older consumers that still seldom use the internet and print is therefore more effective at getting through to them. There are also younger people who don’t use social media and aren’t glued to their phones when walking to places. These types of people may still be converted by a flyer or a billboard as opposed to an online ad.
Featured image by cottonbro studio from Pexels
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