Spirus writes:
Digital marketing obviously has all sort of advantages, but print is still a very valid medium.
It might be easy to share digital messaging online, but sometimes having something you can see and feel and share in person can be even more powerful.
A beautifully produced, expertly printed brochure, leaflet, flyer or direct mail piece will say a lot about your company and its brand. The quality will speak for itself, from the material you have chosen to print on to the sorts of finish you select, like embossing, matt laminate or spot UV varnish.
Having a physical item on your desk, or in your bag, is often a more immediate reminder of a business as well; you don’t stumble across digital brochures quite so easily as you do a nice brochure. You can show friends without getting your laptop out, or you can add value with a guide, checklist or even kids’ activity sheet. Print gets people talking – and if they’re talking about your brand, that’s exactly what you want.
Statistics suggest that up to 65% of customers* will keep a piece of direct mail if it is particularly interesting in some way; and there is strong evidence to show that the online side of a marketing campaign will have a much better return on investment if there is also a print element.
We recently printed a beautifully designed Valentines card for one client, to send out to prospective customers as a B2B marketing campaign. The satisfaction of delivering real cards is much greater, somehow, than creating a digital version, and to have that red envelope landing on desks amongst the usual white and brown will, in a business context, deliver fantastic stand out and make that client be remembered.
With printing techniques these days, print does not have to be slow, nor does it have to be uniform. Personalised print, short print runs and special effects (ever wondered about scented inks?!) are all perfectly feasible, and are not always as expensive as you might think.
So next time you are wondering how to communicate with your customers, don’t dismiss the idea of print. Just make sure you speak to someone who knows a lot about it.**
*“From letterbox to inbox: Building Customer Relationships” – dma.org.uk
**in case that wasn’t quite obvious enough – we know lots about it.
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