So the debate rumbles on:
Do I promote my business online with Google Adwords, Social media and email marketing?
Or, do I use the tried and tested method of marketing – print?
The answer is fairly simple really – you do whatever works for your business and gives you additional revenue and greater ROI.
So that’s that debate resolved – right? Unfortunately not because too many businesses seem to be going with the “latest trends” to market their business and are forgetting about a medium that has been a success for over 2000 years. Print can add value to your business and aid those other marketing media.
In today’s fast-paced world we all want information at our finger tips, hence the rise electronic gadgetry and smart phones for web browsing. Every time we browse the internet we are bombarded with advertising. Our email inboxes are overflowing with information and adverts – oh yes, and spam!
I don’t know about you, but I generally ignore most online advertising and almost all advertising emails that arrive in my inbox are deleted before I even open them!
But if I receive a printed item through my letter box (even if I know it is an advert for something I don’t want) I at least look at it and read the headline. If it takes me 10 seconds to get to the recycle bin to throw it away, that is 10 seconds longer than the equivalent email.
Print has the power to influence
With modern digital printing methods, personalised unique messages promoting the same product or service are easily achieved with the right data and they actually work. But personalisation is not just adding a name and address. If I am selling cars and know that Customer A has shown an interest in Model Y in dark blue then I want to send him the latest brochure showing Model Y in dark blue – not last year’s Model Y in white!
So, what can be personalised?
The answer to that one is simple – EVERYTHING on the printed page!
If I am Customer A and I received a generic email about my Model Y from Dealership 1 and a nicely printed brochure personalised to me with photos of “My Model Y in Dark Blue” from Dealership 2, which one am I more likely to call first?
Social media marketing, email marketing and online advertising have their place and, indeed, cross platform marketing must be considered by marketing managers. But the power of print should never be underestimated and must be utilised!
But don’t just take our word for it – here are the facts:
1. A massive 80% of households read or scan the advertising mail they receive.
2. 39% of customers tried a business for the first time because of direct mail advertising, while 70% of customers renewed a business relationship because of a direct mail promotion.
3. A study showed that direct mail advertising gives businesses a remarkable 13 to 1 return on their investment (“ROI”) and printed catalogues have been shown to provide a 7 to 1 ROI.
4. 60% of consumers surveyed make purchases via printed catalogues at least four times each year.
5. 67% of online searches are driven by offline messages, with 39% ultimately making a purchase. Shoppers who receive a direct mail piece directing them to an online site spend on average 13% more than those who do not receive the printed piece. Printed catalogues associated with online sites have been shown to boost online spending by 28%.
Print can build your brand and influence decision makers. Try to be creative with it and don’t ignore the power of printing.
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Sources
1. United States Postal Service - Household Diary Study
2. Direct Marketing Association (DMA) / Pitney Bowes Direct Mail Survey
3. DMA, The Power of Direct Marketing, 2008-09
4. Art Technology Group, Cross-Channel Commerce: The Consumer View (2010)
5. Prospect Offline Channel Influence on Online Search Behaviour Study
http://www.print4london.com/print-vs-online-marketing
Tell us what you think?
Print Tip of the Day
When creating a direct mail piece, personalize a couple of areas on the printed piece and watch your response rate rise
Hash Tags of the Day
#directmailraleigh #telepathicgraphics
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