The print industry has been around since the 15th century when the printing press was first invented. This makes it practically ancient when put alongside newer media, particularly digital media. Indeed, there are those who believe that print has become an ineffective and irrelevant advertising and marketing medium simply due to it being old.
It’s easy to believe this sentiment, especially since even the most distinguished newspapers all over the world now have online counterparts. But used wisely, printed materials such as flyers and posters can actually give you reasonable returns on your investment.
Here are just a few reasons why you should get in touch with a reliable printing company and start harnessing the power of print for your campaigns.
Print Is More Accessible and Less Invasive
When you visit a website—any website—what do you notice first? Is it the content or is it the in-your-face banners and pop-up ads? It’s likely the latter, unless you paid a subscription fee. The same goes for a large number of apps, ranging from productivity software to video games. If you don’t purchase the premium version, you’re going to get bombarded by ads.
Obviously, there are still ads on certain printed materials such as newspapers and magazines. However, the audience won’t be forced to look at the ads before they can access the content they want. When they view the ads, it will be completely voluntary. This can result in more conversions and a genuine appreciation of your message.
Print Doesn’t Inundate You with Spam
With print advertisements and other marketing materials, there is little to no risk of privacy and security issues. People can just look at the ads and decide for themselves whether to buy the product or avail the service being marketed to them.
This level of autonomy and control is much more desirable than getting multiple text messages or emails that they don’t want. If the customer wants to subscribe to an email newsletter or receive updates through SMS, they can easily volunteer their information through other channels.
Print Has Fewer Distractions
As earlier mentioned, the internet bombards consumers with hundreds of ads every day. The wealth of content available can also prove to be more distracting than helpful.
Meanwhile, printed materials can hold a reader’s attention for much longer. They can focus on the content that’s in front of them because there are fewer elements that can divert their attention. For example, a restaurant can hand out flyers with attractive photos of their food offerings and an enclosed discount coupon. When a customer gets hold of the flyer, the restaurant can be sure that their marketing effort isn’t competing with those of other restaurants. This will give the customer more time to really absorb the content.
Print Has Form Factor
Have you ever received a greeting card through email? It’s pretty, sure, but it somehow doesn’t have the same impact as a printed one. Even if the e-greeting has a lot of gimmicks, like animated characters or an embedded song, it’s still more memorable and special to receive a physical card. This form factor sets apart printed media from digital materials.
The sensorial experience of being able to touch something can trigger a stronger connection. What’s more, if a carefully designed printed material captures a customer’s attention, they can even keep it for years! Think of movie posters or even creative newspaper ads of popular TV shows. With a longer shelf life, printed materials can deliver value to a brand long after it’s been released.
Print Is Credible and Distinguished
There is plenty of dubious content that can be found online, including false news, unverified reports, and even fake promos. If the consumer isn’t as tech-savvy, they can easily fall victim to this type of content. Social media companies are working double-time to weed this out and punish the purveyors but progress is understandably slow.
With print media, this isn’t so much of an issue. For one, advertising in a newspaper or producing flyers costs money. Thus, scammers tend to shy away from this medium to avoid spending. Printed materials also undergo a lot of revisions and editing so you can be more sure of the veracity of what you see in print.
This isn’t to say that online content isn’t proofread. However, since social media and the internet are all about out-scooping the competition, there will inevitably be errors or even incomplete information.
Print also feels somehow more distinguished, perhaps because of its age and history. Even now, the expression “make the paper(s)” is said about someone who is popular or important. This factor gives printed material more credibility in the eyes of the general public.
You should keep in mind, however, that print isn’t “superior” to digital or marketing and advertising mediums. Rather, it’s a communications platform that you can use strategically to achieve the results you want. In fact, it might be wiser to combine print with digital to create a multi-channel campaign that can reach more people more effectively!
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