In any relationship, having multiple points of communication can make connections stronger. Say you’re working with someone and then meeting them for happy hour later—you form a stronger bond since you’re seeing them outside of the office too. It works the same way in marketing—when you use multiple channels to engage your prospects, you can build better relationships.
Reach your prospects with a billboard on their way to work, a magazine ad when they relax on the weekends, and a sign that they pass as they run errands in the evening. Conventional marketing wisdom holds that people need to see a message at least nine times before they act on it, and using a multi-touch campaign is a surefire way to rack up those moments!
Related: Multi-Touch Campaigns
Print Advertising: Customer-Friendly, Cost-Effective
One important part of any print strategy is knowing your audience and where they’re getting their information. Our world has become increasingly fragmented, with so many media options that it can be difficult to reach your audience with just a couple of channels. If you stick to one or two, you’re likely to miss prospects who aren’t using them. When you implement a multi-channel print campaign, you’re increasing the chances of getting noticed by everyone in your target audience.
Going multi-channel is also more cost-effective than one-off advertising. If you are engaging a team to create a direct mail piece, print ad, billboard, POS signage, or other print piece, you’re already investing in producing that ad. It makes sense to leverage that photography and content in other print vehicles too. You can also repurpose these ads for digital advertising through online content offers, social posts, free videos, and interactive apps to provide real value to your prospects and maximize your overall spend. This is the power of combining print!
Related: 14 Direct Mail Ideas Your Boss Will Love
Plus, People Like Print!
Although marketers often sing the praises of digital advertising, print is still a force to be reckoned with. For one, people trust most print advertising more than digital ads. A full 82% of consumers trust print ads when making a purchasing decision, versus 61% for search ads (and far less for other digital ads). Whether this is due to the longevity of print or the fact that people feel bombarded by digital ads, it’s certainly a feather in print’s cap. Surprisingly, younger people also find print easier to read than digital content. Ninety-two percent of the 18-23-year-old set say that print is easier to read than digital content—and one study found that print ads demand 21% less cognitive effort to process. Finally, when measuring sales, research revealed that 80% of consumers actually act on printed mail ads (45% act from digital ads). Want to see for yourself? Watch how well your direct mail performs by using personalized URLs. Direct mail is surprisingly effective. Its response rate is 37% higher than email response rates.
Related: PURLs of Wisdom
Print + Digital = Love
Print certainly works well on its own. But the even better news is that print works well with digital too. When you combine the two, watch out: effectiveness for online campaigns jumps up by 400%! It helps to think of your overall strategy as reaching prospects where and when they need to see the message - the format is irrelevant. So you might run ads on Facebook, which your prospect will see while shopping at the mall, and you can reinforce the message with signage outside your storefront. You could also reach that same person with a magazine ad later in the day. Like an ongoing conversation, the messaging starts to layer nicely!
Related: Ironmark’s Digital Marketing Services
To make direct connections between print and online advertising, you can use a QR code in your direct mail or print ad to send the viewer right to a webpage. Thirty percent of people who notice a print ad will ultimately also go to the webpage. This number is up to 27% in 2020 from 12% in 2009, with intent to purchase increasing to 22% (7% in 2009). You can also use your social media icons in all messaging to remind viewers to look there. On the flip side, you can post print ads online on your site and through your social media posts.
Print is a workhorse no matter what you pair it with. Take a holistic approach to your marketing and consider the touchpoints along the way. As you and your customer take this journey together, you’ll be communicating on many levels, and that kind of relationship is priceless.
Related: Ironmark’s Mailing Services
We’re a company that got our start with printing, so print is our wheelhouse. Contact us today to see how you can create a print campaign whose combined impact is a whole lot stronger than the sum of its parts.
