The idea of living in a digital age is no stranger to us. With the rise of social networking sites, we can simply confirm that online communication has become ubiquitous, making it rather easy for some people to assume it’s the only way to get messages across. Now if you’re running a business, chances are you have years of experience in running online ads or creating keyword-targeted content. That’s great, and yes, they do warrant a space in your marketing arsenal. However, you cannot count out digital marketing’s predecessor – print marketing.
Using print for marketing can actually help you hit more marketing goals.
- Print engages people in ways digital can’t. The fact that people can hold the print makes it communicate further on many levels.
- Print is proactive. It’s not dependent on technology, and there’s no need to wait for consumers to search.
- Print beefs up Internet marketing. Materials in print can reinforce your online brand & urge prospects to check out your website.
- Print travels fast – and lasts. If not kept for later reference, print materials often get passed on to others.
While it may seem dated, there are, in fact, ways to employ print marketing to benefit your business and further your professional efforts.
Embrace home-court advantage
Local businesses have been getting a lot of support from the community these days. So your best bet is to go out there and do some major networking. There’s plenty of ways to go about this, but among the best ones is through print marketing – give out post cards, hang posters, or hand out flyers. If you want to go big, you can drop off some of your materials to other local businesses that would benefit from your products and services, or attend a local event, put up a booth, and give away informational packets. Some consumers still prefer physical stores to online ones, and through print marketing, reaching a whole new demographic is never unworkable.
Give back to your customers
Apart from your impeccable products and services, it also wouldn’t hurt to send old and new customers a little something from time to time. Nothing fancy; just enough to let them know that you’re aware of them and their unwavering loyalty. Be extra careful, though, when showing this gesture of appreciation, as you don’t want to spam and shoo them away. Balance this method right upfront by putting your creative batteries to work through personalized cards, letters, or even flyers. And this is not to mean that you just draw something on a special paper and put their name on it; send them something for a birthday or any other special occasion or holiday. Not only will this prove your willingness to give your customers a little extra attention, it will also keep you and your business at the forefront of their minds. What happens next? They recommend you to others. And that, right there, is how digital media is nothing like the letters we get in the mail.
Expand your reach
There shouldn’t even be a divide between print buffs and digital enthusiasts in the first place. Instead of drawing that line, why not just use both? Yes, majority of your digital options don’t come with price tags, while print marketing, in general, do. Then again, they both have their unique benefits. And though this partly hinges on the specific type of your business, you’ve also got to consider the market: professionals who don’t have time to surf the web but make time to read the paper, and younger folks who practically live on the Internet. You don’t want to keep anyone out now, do you?
Print marketing may not be the craze in modern marketing, but it sure has its origins to back up its effectiveness and efficiency. Despite the Internet’s explosive growth, remember to use print marketing when and where you can, and perhaps, band it together with your existing digital marketing efforts, and maybe then you’ll see brand new results.
Photo Credit: Flickr/orangefred3
