Print marketing is a powerful tool to use when communicating with your target audience.  In the past there have been myths that print is going to completely ‘die.’  Just as radio didn’t ‘die’ when television came to the scene and television didn’t ‘die’ when the internet emerged nor will print ‘die’ with the options of mobile and digital media marketing — it’ll evolved, just as all other media has in the past.

Joe Pulizzi, author of the article “Reasons to Choose Print,” that appeared on the Content Marketing Institute’s blog, put it eloquently when he said, “The evolution of the internet doesn’t kill off these channels… it makes us look at them differently because they are used differently by consumers.”

Print is still valuable to consumers — maybe even more-so while we’re in an age of instant and constant digital communication.  Digital communication is easy.  While this is a benefit for marketers, it can also be a negative in that customers know it’s easy to click a button and send out thousands of emails, but to send print, it takes time and a little extra effort — not to mention it’s a break from all of the digital clutter.  Over sixty percent of people in a recent print survey reported that they not only read printed messages, but they enjoy receiving print communication.

Today, we’re going to share three reasons why print is integral to your marketing mix:

Print helps to retain customers.
Multiple studies have shown that print helps to retain consumers more than any other form of media.  Furthermore, print has also been shown as the most trusted form of communication — over television and the internet.

Print lets people “unplug.”
As we discussed earlier, digital messaging is instant and convenient, but it’s also constant and can become cumbersome.  Print is a break from the computer, tablet, and phone screen.  In the article “Reasons to Choose Print,”  the author stats that “…More and more, people are actively choosing to unplug, or disconnect themselves from digital media. I’m finding myself turning off my phone and email more to engage with printed material.”

Print attracts more attention the digital media.
Print is tangible and is placed right into the hands of a potential customer.  It cannot be deleted with one click, it must be handled — increasing its visibility to it’s recipients.

Print is powerful and there will always be a place for print in the marketing realm.

Timothy Freeman
President
Print & Graphic Communications Association