Sure, digital marketing is a current and important way to keep your brand relevant, but is print marketing being forgotten?
It may seem old school, but print media isn’t dead. Think of Apple’s ‘Shot on iPhone’ campaign (yes, billboards considered are print media), which won Cannes Lions‘ top prize in 2015.
Companies that ditch print media in favor of an all-digital approach are missing out on the best of both worlds.
Read on to find out how to use both digital and print marketing to get the most out of advertising for your company.
Digital and Print Media Strategies Explained
# Digital Marketing
Digital marketing is all of your marketing that happens online. These strategies include SEO, social media marketing, pay-per-click, email marketing, online public relations, and the list goes on.
Some of the benefits of digital marketing include its flexibility, its ability to reach a large audience, and its measurable results.
# Print Marketing
Print marketing is all of your marketing that uses physical printed media. This includes newspapers, magazines, billboards, posters, direct mail, etc.
The benefits of print marketing include the loyalty of readers of print publications, targeting kinesthetic learners, the freedom of choosing your own space for your advertisements, etc.
Why Use Both?
We’ve established that digital and print marketing work, but why use both instead of choosing just one?
According to the 2015 Content Marketing Institute’s annual report, the three most popular paid advertising methods were Search Engine Marketing (66%), Print/Offline Promotion (57%), and Online Banner Ads (55%).
This statistic alone shows us the importance of using both digital and print methods of marketing.
How to Use Digital and Print Together
Here are a few easy ways to combine your marketing methods.
# QR Codes
QR codes (or quick response codes) are bar codes that contain information about the attached item and are scannable with a smart phone. By using QR codes, the consumer is viewing a print media advertisement which then leads them to a digital one.
Sound confusing? Commercial printing companies will know how to help you on this one.
# Custom URL’s
The same idea goes for custom URL’s, except instead of scanning a bar code, the consumer is viewing a print advertisement, and then manually typing in your company’s unique URL.
# Social Media
Using your company’s social media traction and following to jump start a print advertising campaign is a great way to combine marketing strategies.
Use Print to Encourage Digital Visits
Instead of just using print marketing to offer a promotion or another passive method of advertising, encourage consumers to visit your digital pages, accounts, and profiles within your print campaigns.
Variable Printing
Variable printing is a form of printing in which images, graphics, and text can be seamlessly changed from one print to the next without causing a lag in the printing process. This is a great method to use jointly with social media campaigns.
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