We live in an increasingly digital age. The way people consume information, interact with businesses and friends and spend their leisure time has increasingly moved online. That means print media is dead, right? You couldn’t be more wrong!
Print marketing still has an important place and many benefits that you simply can’t get from its intangible online equivalent.
Here are some of the key benefits of print marketing, the importance of digital marketing, and some tips to help you find the balance between print and digital in your own marketing plan:
The key benefits and strengths of print marketing
Tangible and lasting
When you are sharing physical materials such as magazines, business cards, and brochures they can be kept and referred back to. This gives your brand prolonged exposure and permanence in your prospective customer’s home/office
Targeted distribution
print allows for highly targeted local marketing, reaching audiences in specific geographic areas. You aren’t taking a scattergun approach to your market strategy (which is expensive and doesn’t work!).
Enhanced credibility
Well-designed print materials can enhance your brand’s credibility and convey a sense of quality and trustworthiness. Brands with print materials are perceived as more established and more reputable.
Leveraging the power of digital marketing
There are as many benefits of digital marketing as there are of print marketing. These include:
Wide reach and engagement
Digital platforms can reach a broad audience quickly and engage them through interactive content. This is great for brand recognition and exposure.
Measurable results
Digital campaigns provide detailed analytics that help you understand what’s working and where improvements are needed. If you’re a type A personality who loves statistics, this is a key benefit.
Cost-effective
Digital marketing often has a lower cost of entry compared to print, making it accessible for businesses of all sizes.
Combining print and digital for maximum impact
We’ve established that both print and digital marketing have their benefits. But it is when the two are combined that the magic really happens! Print and digital marketing shouldn’t be seen as a ‘one or the other’ approach but instead as a pick’n’mix to find the balance best suited to your business.
Work to establish how both can complement each other in your marketing mix. An integrated approach that leverages the strengths of both can provide a more holistic and impactful strategy.
How to integrate print and digital media for a seamless marketing campaign
Integrating print and digital media is the best way to approach modern marketing. You could consider:
Cross-promotional campaigns
Use print materials to drive traffic to your digital platforms. For example, include QR codes on flyers that lead to your website or social media pages.
Ensure consistent branding
Ensure that your brand’s visual identity and messaging are consistent across both print and digital channels. This reinforces brand recognition and trust.
Sequential marketing
Start with a print piece that introduces a campaign, followed by digital content that deepens engagement and drives conversion.
Every business is different. And to establish the balance between print and digital media that will work best for your business, you will need to analyse your audience, understanding their demographic and how they prefer to consume information. You should then experiment with different combinations of print and digital campaigns to see what resonates most with your audience. Don’t be afraid to make changes if the original combination you choose doesn’t work for you.
How much have you allocated to your marketing budget? Use this figure wisely, and work out which tools work best for you based on the channels that provide the best return on investment (ROI) for your business.
Case studies: Successful print-digital integration
To illustrate the effectiveness of combining print and digital, let’s look at a few examples of businesses that have successfully integrated these channels.
Example 1: A UK-based retail chain used print catalogues to showcase new product lines, while QR codes linked to online tutorials and purchase options. This seamless integration resulted in higher engagement and sales.
Example 2: A B2B company sent out high-quality print brochures to key decision-makers, which directed them to a personalised online portal. The campaign achieved a high conversion rate by combining the authority of print with the convenience of digital.
