Is Print Marketing and Advertising Really Dying?

Image Courtesy of https://cazacuriososelblog.blogspot.com/ Anyone who thinks print ads are dead, has not been paying attention. Print advertising is virtually everywhere, without it, many would be out of business by now. We can still find print advertising in all sorts of specialized magazines, newspapers and other publications, but in an era where everything is available online and most people are not buying printed publications, are print ads really getting the attention of potential clients? The answer is yes, if you know how to do it. Print advertising is still relevant because most companies find it more effective to combine digital and print marketing campaigns. To achieve the success you want, you need to know your target audience and what works for them. Print advertising is being used nowadays in a very different way than what we were used to in the past; it has evolved from paper to other mediums.

From Paper to Screen: Social Media and Print Advertising

Every form of business that wishes to join this era, owns at least one social media account. But, ironically, you still usually need print outlets (like the always popular flyers) to let people know about them. Business cards, marketing postcards and magazine ads are ideal to show potential customers and clients where and how to find you on social media. In the past a print ad with whimsical copy or a good punch line was enough to get a prospect interested in a product or a brand, consumers today are more demanding and educated than that and that's when print and screen go hand-in-hand. The goal now is to get people to visit a site, follow a brand or get a reward to encourage a purchase based on what they see in print ads. Procter & Gamble found the combination successful, leveraging print ads to promote a mobile savings program with the Samsung Wallet App. In 2011 a B2C publisher found that using print advertising traffic went up 50% in six months.

Using Technology to Help Print Ads

With the use a few simple tools, printing ads can contribute to your digital campaigns. QR codes and NFC technology are a proof of it, by adding them to your printed ads, you can complement both worlds and make people aware of your web presence. QR codes can be placed in your ad, so potential customers can get to know further information about your products or services, get to a purchase page, access a discount and more! Even though NFC technology is not available everywhere, this system will slowly replace QR codes with its microchips that send a signal to your device, scanning codes will become obsolete in time.

Print Ads that Go Beyond Paper

Most people have an idea of what a print ad most be and where it should be placed, but marketing experts know that different print materials grab the public's, beyond paper. You can custom order any promotional material, such as key change buttons, custom printed mugs, use company T-shirts, pens and many more; for print advertising. These types of objects are very common for giveaways, press launches and contests, but they're also print ads that don't require paper. There are many reasons to keep using print ads, but you don't have to pay a fortune with the newspaper- there are ways to innovate in this field using some of the above to drive users to the web or get more walk ins. Do you prefer print or digital ads? Which ones get your attention the most? Let us know in the comment section below!