Why you should promote your online business in print

Social media platforms and email marketing are cost-effective tools to reach a lot of people. Search engine optimisation and pay per click advertising helps people find you when they’re looking for your products and services. People can even buy from you without leaving their favourite social media platform. However, concerns about ‘fake’ news, privacy and the sheer volume of digital content create some digital marketing challenges. 

 

As an alternative, direct mail leaflets delivered through the door are opened by up to nine out of 10 people. However, just two out of 10 open marketing emails. There’s just something engaging about printed content. There are also some other very good reasons to complement your online marketing with print. 

 

Touch and feel – our digital devices are with us for so much of the time that we take them for granted. It’s difficult to do anything really captivating digitally when you have someone’s attention for just a second. However, people are attracted to well-designed brochures, leaflets and magazines. Simply touching them and turning pages helps to make your message memorable. 

 

Trust – print marketing was a trusted marketing tool before digital channels were available and many people still trust it today. They are likely to spend more time reading printed content which they find authentic and reliable. 

 

Retention – digital content is fast moving. If you miss something in your feed, you’re unlikely to search for it. However, printed content is often kept and re-read even if it doesn’t generate and immediate response. 

 

Cost – you can reach a large audience with digital advertising but they might not be the right people. While it can cost relatively little, your marketing content will have a lot of competition and there are plenty of distractions. Sometimes setting a realistic budget and sticking to it is difficult. Even with effective online attribution tracking you won’t know how influential each step in the online journey has been. 

 

In contrast, you know exactly what you’re getting for your print marketing budget. With careful planning, you can track increased enquiries or landing page visits according to the timing of your print delivery. You can use offer codes and QR codes to provide a direct link to your printed marketing. 

 

Access – your business might be digital, but people aren’t. You can appeal to them in the most relevant ways using printed content. Although you might expect older generations to prefer print advertising there’s a growing preference for print amongst younger people too. 

 

Convenience – we’re all busy so it’s good to take a break and browse some interesting information sometimes. A recent study found that over half of us find printed content easier to understand and remember compared to digital. This is especially important if the benefits of your products or services need some explanation. 

 

Creativity – you have more scope for creativity in print. You can choose interesting sizes and styles and how it’s delivered, to suit your audience. You can even add scents if you wish. Everyone enjoys seeing something new, so you can really let your imagination work for you. 

 

Readability – perhaps the most significant advantage of printed advertising is that people are more likely to read it. Digital content is more likely to be scanned and forgotten so you’ll need a lot more regular posts and advertisements.