As technology continues to evolve and develop, it inevitably changes the way we live, the way we work, and the way we do business. When it comes to marketing, the technological changes that have occurred over the last decade have changed everything. Online marketing has opened doors and created opportunities to market customers in new and exciting ways.
But, in the age of digital and social media, is print marketing dead?
We think not, and here’s why ….
- Millennials (probably) aren’t your only target audience. Believe it or not, there are actually people around who prefer a more “old fashioned” marketing approach and (gasp!) others who are not even online. Be sure to know your audience and use a mix of digital and traditional marketing approaches to ensure you reach the largest percentage of your target audience as possible.
- Believe it or not, direct mail is still used and rather heavily. According to a recent Pitney Bowes survey, 76% of small businesses say their ideal marketing strategy includes both print and digital marketing.
- As opposed to digital marketing where there are millions of companies competing for an audience, there is less competition with print advertising. And, according to a US Postal Service survey, people actually look at direct mail!
- There are opportunities to combine digital and print marketing: QR Codes, Near Field Communication (NFC) and other technologies allow you to include in your print marketing ways to connect your customers directly to your website or other online marketing efforts.
- Remember that print marketing often includes things other than just paper products … print marketing also includes advertising and promotional items like mugs, pencils, pens, water bottles, umbrellas, magnets, t-shirts and more.
So, don’t toss out the idea of including print media into your marketing mix! Rather, think of ways to use it to enhance your other marketing efforts and to reach what might be otherwise a neglected audience.
