In marketing terms, print media refers to anything that you print out to promote your company. Common examples include banners, posters, billboards, flyers, business cards, and direct mail. It’s basically everything that used to be extremely popular a few decades ago before the digital marketing revolution took over.
Since then, every business has relied on a strong digital strategy to boost its marketing success, but print media is in the middle of a massive comeback. While nobody will ever believe that it can replace digital marketing, there are some substantial reasons that it’s well worth an investment these days.
Reaches your intended audience in a prime location
Businesses have realised that banner printing – and other forms of print media – do one very interesting thing: they reach an intended audience exactly where you want them to be. A strategic banner a hundred yards away from a shop will be seen by everyone passing by, and that’s all they need to turn around and walk into the store.
In a world that relies on cookies and trying to push people from one digital platform to the next, print media offers a more simplistic solution for a lot of small businesses. Those that rely on foot traffic are starting to realise that nothing beats a good banner or sign.
Print media feels more trustworthy
The ironic thing about digital marketing is that it started out as a way to build trust with consumers. The presence of a website still does this, but other forms of digital marketing aren’t always met with the same appeal. Consumers have reached the point where they actually distrust a lot of online adverts or marketing emails. It is genuinely very easy for a scammer to create phoney adverts or to send phishing emails to consumers, so people are more cautious.
On the other hand, it’s hard to really comea cross a fake print advert. If someone has a billboard or banner up, you know they’ve legitimately paid for it. This type of authenticity builds trust with the business, and so companies are now looking to include more print media in their marketing campaigns.
Direct mail offers less competition
Of all the print media forms, direct mail has been on the most tumultuous journey. There was a point, many years ago, when consumers would receive so much spam in their physical mailboxes. It made direct mail worthless, and this coincided with the rise of digital marketing. Now, consumers receive hundreds of emails in their digital inboxes, while they don’t get much physical mail.
It has created a situation where businesses realise that sending targeted direct mail is a smart choice due to the lack of competition. A consumer will receive less physical mail, so when they do get something from your business, they are far more likely to pick it up, open it, and read what’s inside.
To reiterate the main point from earlier: print media’s resurgence will not see it take over digital marketing altogether. Instead, it’s likely to birth this hybrid approach where businesses invest equally in the two mediums after seeing just how effective print media still is.
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