Should Businesses Include Print in Their Marketing Mix?

The question we hear from customers often is “Should traditional printed marketing still hold a significant place in your marketing mix?”. The answer is almost always… Yes. Incorporating print alongside all other tactics creates a more holistic, engaging, and ultimately more effective marketing strategy. Let’s explore why printed marketing remains relevant, its unique advantages, and how businesses can strategically integrate it to optimize their marketing mix.

The Continued Relevance of Printed Marketing

Contrary to predictions of its demise, printed marketing materials like brochures, postcards, direct mail, and business cards continue to thrive. A key reason is their ability to engage multiple senses. While digital messages compete for fleeting online attention, print offers tactile experiences that stimulate emotional connections and lasting impressions. Additionally, a printed piece will never phish your account or steal your personal information.

Research indicates that physical interactions with marketing materials can significantly improve recall and brand perception. For instance, a neuroscience study by Canada Post revealed that physical mail requires 21% less cognitive effort to process than digital media, leading to increased recall and motivation to act. This underscores the power of print as a physical reinforcement of brand messaging

Unique Advantages of Printed Marketing

• Experience and Longevity
  Printed materials offer physical experiences. A beautifully designed brochure or postcard can be physically held, making it feel more personal, trustworthy, and memorable. Unlike emails or social media ads that quickly vanish into digital obscurity, printed pieces often linger, becoming reminders or prompts to take action later.
• Reduced Competition
  As more businesses shift to purely digital methods, printed marketing actually encounters less competition in the physical mailbox or at trade shows. This reduction in clutter provides an opportunity to stand out more effectively. Customers encountering fewer printed ads may actually devote greater attention and engagement to the ones they receive.
• Enhanced Credibility
  Print lends legitimacy and professionalism to your brand. High-quality print materials often suggest stability and commitment, characteristics customers associate with credibility and trustworthiness. Particularly in industries like finance, real estate, luxury retail, or healthcare, printed materials can significantly bolster brand image and trust.
• Targeted Impact
  Print marketing, especially direct mail, excels at hyper-targeted campaigns. By strategically selecting mailing lists based on demographics, buying habits, or geographic locations, businesses can send tailored messages directly to prospects most likely to convert. This personalized approach often yields higher response rates and ROI compared to broader digital campaigns. Also, with the restrictions put on digital advertising in certain industries – banking, gun items, etc., direct mail can target almost any demographic.

Integrating Printed Marketing with Digital Strategies

Rather than viewing print as a competitor to digital marketing, businesses should leverage it as a complementary tool. Integration creates a cohesive, omni-channel experience, maximizing impact.

• Cross-channel Campaigns
  Effectively combining print and digital strategies amplifies the strengths of both. For instance, direct mail can drive recipients online via QR codes or personalized URLs (PURLs) to landing pages, capturing engagement data and facilitating immediate digital follow-ups.
• Enhanced Personalization
  Digital printing technologies allow highly personalized messages within print campaigns. Personalized direct mail can address customers by name, reference previous purchases, or promote offers specifically relevant to their interests, significantly increasing the likelihood of engagement.
• Print-to-Digital Conversion
  Print can initiate digital interactions through clear calls-to-action (CTAs). Encourage readers to visit your website, follow social media profiles, or sign up for email newsletters, thus bridging offline and online engagement. Tracking these conversions using unique URLs or special discount codes allows precise measurement of campaign effectiveness.

Case Studies and Print Marketing Success Stories

Real-world examples reinforce the value of print in contemporary marketing strategies:

• Retail Sector: An outdoor gear company used personalized postcards with tailored discount codes, achieving a response rate nearly double their typical email campaigns.
• Real Estate Industry: Property developers frequently rely on high-quality brochures and mailers to attract potential buyers, emphasizing the luxury and exclusivity of their offerings. Printed materials, paired with digital tours and follow-up emails, significantly increase lead conversions.
• Healthcare: A local healthcare provider combined digital ads with printed appointment reminder cards. Patients reported increased satisfaction, and the clinic saw fewer missed appointments and increased patient retention.

When to Choose Printed Marketing

Printed marketing is particularly valuable when your goals involve creating a lasting impression, building credibility, or reaching a targeted audience directly. It’s also exceptionally beneficial in industries where trust, luxury, or personal engagement play crucial roles.

However, print marketing requires thoughtful planning. Costs for printing and mailing are sometimes higher than digital, so ensuring targeted campaigns and precise messaging becomes essential for maximizing returns.

Businesses today shouldn’t view printed marketing as outdated or unnecessary. Instead, they should consider it a strategic component of their overall marketing mix, essential for a truly integrated marketing approach. Print offers a unique capacity to engage customers deeply and personally, bolster brand credibility, and drive targeted actions effectively.

When thoughtfully integrated with all other marketing strategies, print marketing enhances overall marketing effectiveness, creating an impactful, memorable brand experience. Ultimately, including printed marketing in your strategy is not a step backward, it’s a strategic choice for meaningful, multi-dimensional customer engagement. Reach out to us today and we can show you how we can enhance your company with our products and services.

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