It’s commonly believed that print media is dead—that it no longer has the reach and effectiveness B2C brands need to market effectively. This simply isn’t true. Yes, the popularity of physical newspapers, magazines and mail have declined with the rise of the internet, but traditional forms of print media can still be incredibly useful places to advertise your products and services, especially when integrated alongside digital media.
Statistics show that print media hasn’t completely lost its luster. For example, mailers generate 10 to 30 times greater response rates than email. And print media has a higher brand recall rate, at 77% compared to digital media which has a brand recall rate of 36%.
Although, your marketing shouldn’t be entirely print—or entirely digital. Each medium has strengths, and they’re best used in tandem to support and enhance each other.
As the internet and digital media grow, marketers continue to innovate and new digital media trends evolve, such as:
User Generated Content
User generated content (UGC) is any content (videos, reviews, blogs, photos, etc.) created by a customer that is posted to social media or another online platform. This user-made content is especially effective in influencing audiences because it is seen as unbiased and trustworthy. In fact, consumers are 83% more likely to trust their peers’ content than content created by brands themselves.
UGC isn’t just a way to build trust and credibility with your audience; it can create a sense of community among users as they discuss your brand and bond over their experiences.
Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing has quickly become a mainstream form of digital marketing alongside the rise of social media. In 2022, influencer marketing was the most popular and most effective marketing trend.
There are many benefits to influencer marketing:
- High ROI
- Potential cost savings (especially when using influencer with under 100k followers)
- Establish social proof and build awareness
- Establish long-term relationships
- Content shared in a human, authentic way
With all of these benefits, influencer marketing allows you to optimize your campaign budget and achieve impressive ROIs.
Another up-and-coming trend is micro-influencer marketing. Micro-influencers are social media users with a relatively small yet engaged following. These smaller influencers can be seen as even more trustworthy than larger social media accounts, and therefore lead to better engagement rates—which is the goal for brands participating in influencer marketing.
Interactive Content
Interactive content, such as infographics, online calculators, polls, ebooks, contests and more, are tools with high engagement rates that make the buyer’s journey more interesting and collect more information about your leads.
There are many benefits to interactive content, including:
- Higher engagement rates
- Opportunity to learn more about your customers
- Greater brand loyalty
Interactive content is a chance for your brand to be creative. These types of media catch attention and pull the user in to spend time interacting with it.
Integrating Digital and Print Media
Now how do we combine these great, up-and-coming digital strategies with traditional print media?
Make sure your printed marketing efforts refer readers to your website and/or social media profiles. You can only say so much in a mailer or print ad, but once a lead is on your website, they can access all of your information and engage with content specific to their interests.
Data supports that consumers respond well to mixed marketing efforts: 66% of direct mail is opened, and 56% of consumers who respond to direct mail proceed to visit that company’s website or physical store.
QR codes are a great example of how to combine print and digital marketing. Printing QR codes on your print marketing material—this can be anything from brochures to sell sheets to posters—is a quick and easy way to link offline and online strategies. This is especially true if you can equip your QR codes with personalized tracking links. With this data, you can pinpoint exactly what print media is bringing the most visitors to your site.
Marketing Strategies Should Be Custom to Your Needs
Print media isn’t dead. It has many advantages, and so does digital media. Both have their place in your marketing campaigns.
Your campaigns need to be customized to your company; the strategies outlined above are just a starting point. The dedicated team at ColinKurtis Advertising can help.
Contact Mitch Robinson at Mitch@colinkurtis.com or call 815-965-6657 EXT. 1 to learn more.
Blog post from:
Debra Tucker
Vice President, Creative Director
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