5 Reasons Your Business Needs Print Marketing in the Digital Age
By Erika MacLeod, Managing Editor
As a business owner navigating a world consumed by digital media, you may think that print media is a marketing strategy of the past. However, in reality, there are endless opportunities to attract, engage, and delight your target audience through print marketing and direct mail.
But what is print marketing? And how can you use it to effectively reach your dream clients, generate new leads and sales, and see incredible ROI?
For starters, print marketing is a strategy that uses physically printed media to advertise your services, reach local customers, and attract more business. Print media can include things like magazines, newsletters, and brochures, and it’s an important marketing tool to consider alongside your digital media strategy.
At Tulip Media Group, we specialize in creating, designing, and marketing print media, so let’s take a closer look at 5 reasons your business needs print marketing in the digital age and how to begin implementing these strategies to benefit your business today.
#1 – Increases Your Brand Visibility
You probably already know that it’s important to have a clear brand identity that sets you apart from your competitors, but you may not realize that print marketing actually increases your brand visibility to your target audience. Of course, digital media can accomplish this as well, but the problem is that you’re competing with hundreds, if not thousands, of other businesses for visibility within the digital space.
In contrast, when you utilize print marketing, you’re able to communicate your brand message directly and more easily to your customers by creating personalized and targeted advertisements that they can physically interact with rather than simply scroll past.
Remember, it only takes a few seconds for a customer to form a first impression of your business, meaning an effective print marketing campaign must not only translate your brand identity and mission but also stick in clients’ minds, which ultimately increases your brand visibility.
#2 – Builds Credibility, Trustworthiness, and Authenticity
Some of the most important metrics these days, which are also some of the most difficult to measure, pertain to having a brand-client relationship that builds credibility, trustworthiness, and authenticity. Although often overlooked, fostering these areas is critical when creating an effective print marketing campaign.
For example, a Stackla Survey found that 86% of consumers say authenticity is a key factor when determining which brand to support, and a research project conducted by INMA states that 82% of consumers trust print ads compared to social media ads sitting at a mere 43%.
Print marketing is so effective at building credibility, trustworthiness, and authenticity because it eliminates any privacy concerns that people often experience with digital marketing while also providing something tangible for the person to engage with. Plus, additional studies have shown that customers not only trust print advertisements more but are more likely to remember the content and support the business as a result
#3 – Increases Engagement Time
You’ve probably heard that with digital marketing, you need to capture a client’s attention immediately or risk losing their interest and, therefore, their business. However, you probably didn’t know that print marketing can increase this engagement time by approximately 300%.
This statistic is based on an article published by FinancesOnline which states that a typical visitor on a digital news site will stick around for less than five minutes, whereas print readers usually spend 20 minutes or more with their publication in hand. So, is it becoming more apparent why implementing a robust print marketing strategy is just as important as having a strong digital media presence?
By integrating a strategic print marketing plan, you can significantly increase how long customers will engage with your materials, which of course, bolsters your opportunity to convert them into loyal, lifelong clients.
#4 – Generates Local Interest
When working with a digital media strategy, targeting local audiences to garner more business can be challenging since the content is accessible to all. On the other hand, with print marketing, you decide where the advertisements end up—in other words, you deliver it directly into the hands of your target audience.
When you’re able to bring your products, services, and offerings directly to your prospective clients, it helps generate local interest, which, as we know, is a significant part of many businesses’ success, particularly small businesses.
Plus, buying local has recently grown significantly in popularity, with 68% of consumers in Canada primarily shopping local as a way to strengthen the local economy. By having a print marketing strategy in your tool kit, you can be one of the businesses capturing and benefiting from part of this consumer economy.
#5 – Improves Conversion and Customer Retention Rates
When you combine all these points, it becomes clear how print marketing helps improve your conversion and customer retention rates. By increasing your brand visibility and developing a strong brand-client relationship built on credibility, trust, and authenticity, you’re more likely to increase your conversion rates and retain happy customers who will return time and time again.
Along with this, your print marketing will garner longer engagement times versus digital marketing, which not only helps people remember your products and offerings more precisely but will also incite them to try your products for themselves. Not to mention, print marketing allows you to home in on your target audience or niche to generate local interest, whereas digital media can, more often than not, end up becoming consumable content for the masses.
Ultimately, when prospective clients can hold your print media in their hands, they get the opportunity to learn more about your brand and see how your service fulfills a need they currently have, seamlessly transforming them from a stranger into a serious supporter.
Key Takeaways
Print marketing is far from dead—in fact, it’s currently one of the most underrated ways to reach your target audience and generate more sales. We’re not saying you should scrap your digital marketing strategies; rather, you should consider integrating tools from both print and digital marketing to give your brand the best chance at success.
Now that you’ve learned all about print marketing and how it can help your business thrive, you’re probably wondering: how do I find a results-driven print marketing company that can assist me with building a newsletter or magazine tailored to my target audience? Well, at Tulip Media Group, we have print marketing solutions for all sizes of companies across all types of industries, and we will help you every step of the way—from inception to creation to marketing and beyond.
So, if you’re ready to take your business up a notch by utilizing our proven print marketing strategies, reach out to our team of experts today and let’s help you achieve the growth, visibility, and ROI you’ve been waiting for!