Blogging is a powerful way to boost brand awareness, establish authority, and attract sales, but if you really want to give your business a boost, consider adding print marketing into the equation. Recently, Forbes commentator John Hall suggested that print is enjoying a major renaissance, with technology such as augmented related allowing customers to enhance their print experience with unlockable digital content. One example is Rolex, which invites catalogue viewers to enhance their experience by placing their tablet or phone over the printed material and trying on different watches virtually. Another is Madame Tussauds in London which asks booklet readers to scan pages to bring famous figures to life, or to unlock video materials of how some of the statues in the museum were made. These campaigns show that print and digital are far from enemies; in fact they make fabulous best friends.
People Still Read Print
Dire warnings about the death of print abound, yet research indicates that print hasn’t died; it simply has had to find new ways of presentation. As noted by John Hall, newsletters are enjoying a big comeback in marketing campaigns because they cut to the chase and deliver pertinent, industry-backed, expert knowledge on key events and developments. Research shows that around 90% of American adults read print, and that 35% of this material prompts readers to take action (e.g. by purchasing the product or service being advertised). It isn’t just older generations that enjoy print. A study by Quad/Graphics on millennial purchasing habits found that 82% of people in this generation read direct mail from retail brands, and over 50% enjoy viewing catalogues. There is indeed something comfortable about sitting comfortably and flicking through a catalogue, easily finding or marking pages or items you are interested in.
Print Sends a Powerful Message
Depending on the sector you are in, printing material can establish your commitment, stability, and leadership. Blogging is one way to entice readers with top expert or experience-based content and beautiful images, but if you can print these on quality, glossy, recycled paper, it adds appeal to the information you are publishing. Blogging and other forms of social media get messages through quickly and efficiently, but sometimes (especially if you work in a luxury industry like real estate, haute horlogerie, or high fashion), presenting items in a glossy format can pique customers enough to land a sale. In this sense, print can also save your customers time. Rather than having to visit boutiques or wade through pages of online products, they can find and mark what they are looking for on a catalogue and cut straight to the chase. Print can also save time for business who wish to avoid long waits at the post office come mailing time. As stated by OnlineStamp.net, stamps can be printed in-office and simply dropped into the nearest post box.
Print Delivers an Interesting ROI
Research by Print is Big has found that spending around $167 on printed mail can result in a return of over $2,000. Other studies show that readers actually spend more time on a printed rather than a digital page. Print appeals to the senses of touch, smell, and sight. Therefore, when you include print in strategy, make sure that what you send or publish completely aligns with your brand image and ethos.
If you are a blogger who uses your content as part of a marketing strategy for your products or services, consider adding print into the equation. Print is enjoying a comeback, though those in the know say it never went away. By offering expert advice or information, showing your products off in a beautifully designed catalogue, or publishing the latest news in your sector. You can spoil your readers while marking your business as an industry leader
