Did you know nearly 80% of consumers act on direct printed mail advertisements compared to 45% on electronic advertisements? If you’ve ever wanted to include print in your marketing campaigns, now could be the perfect time to pull the trigger.
Print marketing continues to be a valuable component of modern marketing campaigns, offering several advantages compared to digital competitors. But you can go one step further and combine print and digital to yield even better results. Find out how in this blog.
Print Marketing and The Buyer’s Journey
The buyer’s journey is a marketing framework used to represent all the stages a customer goes through during their purchasing process. It consists of three main stages — awareness, consideration and decision — and helps businesses like yours tailor your marketing materials to support customers throughout their journey.
You can effectively use print marketing at each stage of the buyer's journey to engage and influence potential customers. It can help build brand trust, position your business as a thought leader and guide customers to make a purchase.
Here’s an overview of the stages:
Awareness Stage
During the awareness stage, the prospect identifies they’re facing a challenge but might not be aware of a solution.
In this stage, they’re searching information and educational content to understand their challenges and explore possible ways to address them, becoming aware of your brand and offerings as they research.
Consideration Stage
Now, potential customers actively evaluate various solutions. They’ll research and compare different products or services, seeking information that helps them make an informed decision.
They may also consider factors such as features, pricing and reviews as they narrow down their options and move closer to purchasing (this is where you begin to subtly drop in your products and solutions).
Decision Stage
In the decision stage, prospects have determined their problem, explored available solutions — including yours — and are now ready to purchase.
At this point, they’re looking to choose the best-fit solution, so it’s crucial for you to reinforce your offerings and instil confidence that yours are the best choice.
The Usefulness of Print Marketing
From building credibility and brand awareness to increasing profits, print marketing provides a strategic way for you to elevate your marketing efforts.
Tangible Presence
Print materials, such as brochures, flyers and catalogues, provide a physical presence that can be held, touched and displayed. The tangibility of these materials can create a lasting impression and help build brand trust. Plus, the better the quality, the more people will remember you.
Memorability
Physical materials are often more memorable than digital content. In fact, print ads require 21% less cognitive effort to process, which makes them much more likely to be remembered.
Print marketing can also create an emotional response in readers, igniting the senses through touch and visually appealing designs. This resonates with potential customers, allowing them to easily recall your brand at a later stage in the buyer’s journey.
By combining print and digital ads, online campaigns become 400% more effective.
Credibility and Trust
Well-designed print materials convey a sense of professionalism and credibility, so they’re perceived as more trustworthy.
Building trust in your brand is essential, particularly in the early stages of the customer journey, so a well-designed piece of print can set you aside from competitors and create a lasting impression.
Less Cluttered Environment
Consumers are continuously bombarded with online content and advertisements right now.
Print marketing can be a breath of fresh air, helping your business stand out in a less saturated environment. This heightens the chance of your business being noticed and gives your audience breathing room to fully digest your content.
Accessibility
Not everyone has equal access to digital devices or the internet. Print materials can bridge this gap and reach audiences who can’t be reached through digital channels so you aren’t missing out on an audience that resonates more with print.
Integrating Print and Digital Media for Maximum Results
Marrying print and digital marketing can create a powerful, multi-channel marketing strategy that maximises impact and engagement.
Although print can be a strong contender in its own right, combining print and digital media can create an immersive experience for potential customers, helping further improve brand recognition and memorability.
Here are a few ways you can use digital media to supplement your print marketing campaigns:
QR Codes
QR codes, which can be accessed using a smartphone, can be a useful complementary tool for use with print marketing. They link directly to relevant landing pages, websites or digital content, which allows recipients to access additional information easily.
Personalised URLs (PURLs)
Consider creating personalised URLs for each recipient in your print campaign. When recipients visit their unique PURL, you can track their online behaviour, customise content and gather valuable data for further digital marketing efforts.
Social Media Integration
By promoting your social media profiles and hashtags in print materials, you can encourage readers to engage with your brand across all social platforms.
This assists with community building and extending the reach of your campaign, allowing customers to reach out to you easily in an environment familiar and comfortable for them.
Email Campaigns
Print materials can effectively promote upcoming email campaigns or newsletters. To get the most out of these materials, include QR codes or instructions for subscribing, encouraging readers to join your digital mailing list for ongoing communication.
Content Promotion
Another way you can utilise print in your marketing efforts is by highlighting blog posts, articles or digital resources in your print materials.
By directing readers to your website or blog, they can uncover in-depth content, educational resources or product information, which can solidify their choices during the stages of the buyer’s journey.
Event Promotion
You can also use print marketing to promote webinars and events by creating media, including registration details and dates.
Consistent Branding
Remember to maintain a consistent brand image and message across all your print and digital materials, ensuring the transition between print and online experiences is seamless for your audience.
By integrating print marketing with digital marketing, you can create a cohesive and immersive brand experience that engages your audience across multiple channels and maximises the impact of your campaigns.
Impress Your Audience By Using the Tips in Our Playbook
Print marketing remains a valuable tool in modern marketing campaigns, offering unique advantages such as tangibility, memorability and credibility.
Want to learn even more? Check out our comprehensive playbook, which provides advice on specific types of print which can be used throughout the buyer’s journey, including top design tips so you can create exquisite, eye-catching materials to impress your audience.
