Though it’s true that we live in a world where our physical reality is intrinsically intertwined with virtual or digital realities, it would be wrong to say that print is dead. In fact, print is most certainly not dead, and we’re here to (respectfully) challenge those who say it is.

Long before the internet became a widespread phenomenon and digital marketing strategies crept into every business, there was print. And the power of a robust print marketing campaign cannot be underestimated. Not only has print media endured for ages but it’s long been associated with credibility and authority, something businesses are often looking to cultivate. So today, we’re diving into the role of print in the digital age and proving (once and for all) why print media needs to be a part of your next marketing campaign.

Evolution of Print Media

For those of you who potentially want to question the enduring power of print, we would first like to briefly point back to when print media first appeared. Without devolving into a full-on history lesson, one of the earliest discovered instances of print advertising comes from a papyrus fragment in Egypt dated around 3000 BCE. (To save you from doing the math on that, that was 5,023 years ago.)

Of course, as the world has evolved, so too has print media, particularly in response to digital technology. The digital age indeed has disrupted print marketing in some ways, but on the other hand, it’s also led print marketing to become more creative to stay relevant. What do we mean by creative? Well, look at our print marketing program, for example. Our custom print campaigns allow you to get your content into the hands of the right readers without them needing to look up your company online or on social media. In other words, a custom magazine or newsletter that someone can physically hold breaks down the barrier immediately, allowing them to familiarize themselves with your business more quickly, and helping to transform them from a cold lead to a hot lead.

Here’s the thing: we’re not saying that digital technology is going to completely replace print media or vice versa. However, we are saying that no matter what happens, print will continue to be a relevant mode of advertising alongside digital strategies. Another advantage of print media over digital marketing is that print is permanent (consider the first advertisement from 3000 BCE) while digital is more transient. Online stories disappear or can be deleted, whereas printed stories can endure beyond our lifetimes, exemplifying their pervasive quality and continued relevance in today’s digital age.

So, since print media is not going anywhere anytime soon, how can print media work synergistically with your digital marketing efforts for maximum impact? This is a great question that our clients often come to us with, and in these cases, we remind them that it depends on their organizational goals. If you think about it, the audience you reach with your digital marketing efforts is probably going to be different than those you engage with your print media (although there may be some overlap). Therefore, implementing both a digital and print media strategy within your business is only multiplying the opportunities to increase your client acquisition rates and, ultimately, revenue.

Let’s look at a tangible example: Blomidon Nurseries is one of our Client-Partners who came to us looking to outperform other local garden centers and increase their sales. Though their personalized strategy included several elements, three key aspects were email marketing, blog creation, and print marketing. They knew that the people they would reach through email would be one client segment, while blog creation and print marketing would be other client segments. To be more specific, clients on their email list would have already engaged with the business in some way (to get added to the email list in the first place), whereas people coming across their blogs had more potential to be completely new customers. Finally, those receiving their print marketing materials were going to be community members who may or may not have heard of or visited the nursery yet.

So by implementing a successful, cross-channel marketing campaign that spans both digital and print realms, you can engage a wider customer base, increase brand awareness, and drive sales. And the results speak for themselves. Since working with our team at Tulip Media Group, Blomidon Nurseries has seen a 44.5% increase in organic traffic as well as an increase in their email open rate to an average of 15%. Here’s what Brogan O’Brien of Blomidon Nurseries had to say about our services:  

“[Tulip Media is a] very talented team of personable people, willing to get to know your business and help you in developing a strategy, creating content, and planning your executions. You really don’t feel like a client. Instead, they act as if they’re a team member within your organization. Very impressed with their marketing/business philosophy and methods. I’d recommend anyone who is finding it challenging to get their digital, email, or print marketing off the ground—or even to find a starting point—to at least have a chat with them. You’re unlikely to be disappointed!”

Though the world has rapidly adopted digital landscapes, we know there will always be a place for print media within your organization. As far as we see it, print media will continue to evolve to offer customers opportunities to connect with your company in ways that digital marketing simply can’t (like, for example, allowing clients to engage through touch and feel). Furthermore, print media is more of an “intimate” medium, and by that, we mean it holds the power to connect with customers on an emotional level and cannot be fully duplicated online. However, it’s also true that, over time, we expect to continue seeing an integrated approach between print and digital strategies. For example, any time you scan a QR code in a magazine, you’re engaging in a company’s cross-channel marketing campaign without really realizing it. Therefore, we anticipate a continued trend of integrating print and digital media strategies to create more engaging, interactive, and personalized customer experiences.

Ultimately, print media has been slowly evolving over the past 5000+ years, and it will only continue to grow and adapt alongside digital marketing in the coming years. Implementing a robust print media campaign will not only help you unlock a wider audience but it will also allow your customers to engage with it in ways that are not possible for digital campaigns. However, as mentioned, we expect to see a continued trend of intertwining the two mediums to create campaigns that truly wow your audience. So now all there’s left to consider is: Did we convince you that print media is not dead? 

To learn more about our print and digital marketing programs or to inquire about creating your own custom marketing strategy, contact our experts today at www.tulipmediagroup.com.