Why Your Business Needs To Include Print Marketing In This Digital Marketing Age

Recent trends have shown a preference for digital marketing trends and tools as businesses attempt to change in tandem with their consumers’ preferences. With over 500 million users online in India, it is becoming quite easy to understand the gravitation to online marketing. While print marketing is still used in some capacity today, its role is quickly diminishing. Today, businesses are spending an increased percentage of their marketing budget on creating and analyzing their online marketing content. This leaves many wondering the place of print marketing today. If a business is looking to maximize its marketing strategy, then print marketing should be an essential part of their marketing mix.

Capitalize On The Longer Attention Span

This can partly be attributed to the fact that our brains focus longer when reading on paper whilst reading on screens is linked to non-linear reading such as page skimming. With longer attention spans and better focus, consumers can take more note of your business’ product or service. In marketing, one of the goals is to get consumers to notice your product. If they do, then the chances of translating this to a sale are improved. In fact, Nielsen estimates that 65 percent of readers take some form of action after viewing a newspaper ad and in 2016, 87 percent of circulation revenue stemmed from print media according to research by PWC.

The Trust In Print Media Remains Steadfast

Consumers may be flocking to digital media but they still trust print. Multiple studies including one conducted by Two Sides in 2017 continue to reveal the consumers’ unwaning confidence in print media. In 2018, Fedex further highlighted the increased preference for print by both small business owners and consumers. Approximately 90 percent of consumers agreed that there is still a need for it.

It is also likely to influence their purchases. About 85 percent are more likely to shop with small businesses who had their own printed materials such as flyers or banners. This particularly resonates with the more than 51 million small and medium-sized businesses in India and those across the world. There is still some validity to the inclusion of the web in business, however. With a mix of both print and digital, these business owners can reap the benefits of both in all functions across their entities. Tasks such as the ordering of print materials and shipping supplies can easily be done online and at any time. Making decisions such as securing postage stamps through Online Stamp reduces the time pressure and can save you money.

Reduce The Competition

With more companies moving towards digital marketing platforms and social media, including print media as a part of your strategy helps you formulate a unique marketing approach. With only 1 in 3 businesses using print media in 2017, your competition in the marketing department is drastically reduced. Customers will appreciate a different approach and as a bonus, your target market reach expands by including print media in your mix. A proportion of the senior population and those that are technology averse will appreciate print marketing and as a business, these equate to more potential customers.

While the place of print in the marketing world continues to be important, one must maintain the right balance. For local businesses, it is really important to properly target the potential customers. This can be done by using software like Maptive, where you can create a custom heat map to give you a better insight into the locations of your customers as well as the locations which have the highest potential. The power of print marketing will only work when used alongside other platforms such as social media. Combining the personalization that digital marketing offers with influence and credibility of print can create a winning mix for your business on the marketing front.