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Top 10 Reasons Why Print Should be Part of your Marketing

Top 10 Reasons Why Print Should be Part of your Marketing

There is no doubt that we are living in a digital world where evolving technology and social media dominates. But the digital world is overflowing with online advertising, social media is full of salespeople and inboxes are full of unread junk mail. Digital marketing is saturated and it’s very difficult to cut through all the noise to reach and engage with your audience, this is why print should be part of your marketing mix. These are our top 10 reasons why print should be part of your marketing mix.

1. PRINT IS CREDIBLE

There is something about print that gives us a sense of legitimacy. Popups and banner ads on the web can be overwhelming and the fear of spam, viruses and your online safety is enough to make people wary of clicking. But with print there is no danger, it’s real and it establishes credibility for your brand.

2. PRINT IS TANGIBLE

It exists physical, so stays in homes or offices for months or even years, while Internet ads can disappear into cyberspace instantaneously. A printed product is tangible, it can be touched, handled and even smelt!

3. ESTABLISHES YOUR BRAND

Print is an excellent way to consolidate your brand identity. Your logo, your values, your mission in as many places as possible, with consistency in fonts, colours and images help you to establish brand recognition

4. PRINT STIMULATES

Areas of the brain that are responsible for long-term memory are stimulated by print. Especially when enhanced with sensory features, such as foil, spot-varnished and soft-touch laminates. Your message lasts for much longer in a potential customers mind with a well-printed piece.

5. PERSUADES YOUR PROSPECTS

Response rates with print can be up to 20% higher according to research carried out by the Royal Mail research (1) and printed adverts are recalled 2.6 times more than a digital advert (2).

 

 6. HITS YOUR TARGETS

You can really target an audience with print, personalising every piece, focusing on a specific sector. And the more specific the better, so you can really focus in on solving their problems. You can really engage with your target market with print.

7. IS VALUED

57% of people say print makes them feel more valued. As long as you’ve aimed your print at the right person and that’s it’s relevant, your audience will feel more valued than sending them an email (1)

8. LASTS LONGER

Print will sit on a clients desk, be read when they need a break from the screen or discussed with friends in the breakout area. Did you know, a door dropped leaflet stays in the home or office, on average from 17 to 38 days (1)?

A website visit is forgotten in the blink of an eye, a downloaded brochure can sit on a desktop unread for months and a flagged email is often never looked at again. Print lasts longer.

We don’t suggest that you don’t have a website, in fact, we have a whole department dedicated to designing them. But add print into the mix and turbocharge your marketing.

9. HAS A HIGHER ROI

Digital marketing is obsessed with numbers, clicks, bounce rates, likes, follows and downloads, but what is the actually ROI? Well-targeted print campaigns can have a much higher return on your investment.

10. PRINT ENGAGES

Engagement is much higher when reading printed material, unlike websites, which are often skimmed in as little as a 15-second visit.

For a business with a local reach, print is super effective, because it creates local brand recognition and guides customers directly to your premises. If you want to reach people on the streets, or target specific demographics, then you can’t beat print.

Printed items to consider as part of your top 10 reasons to use print in your marketing

  • Brochures
  • Leaflets
  • Postcard
  • Stickers
  • Business Cards
  • Catalogues
  • Price Lists
  • Posters
  • In-store Display Units
  • Exhibition Stands
  • Floor Graphics
  • Corporate Merchandise
  • Signage
  • Books
  • Flyers

QR Codes

Placing QR codes on printed pieces is an excellent way to bridge the gap between print and digital. When scanned with a smartphone, the QR code will take you to a homepage, your ap, a landing page or special offers on the web.

The irony of promoting print on an online platform is not missed on us. Don’t get us wrong, everyone should be doing online marketing, but the old is becoming new again as printed media becomes the new trend.

Designing and sharing a great printed marketing piece should be high on your list of strategic marketing initiatives. This doesn’t mean that you abandon your online marketing efforts. It’s quite the contrary. Integrating your marketing makes your campaigns stronger, more important and more resilient.

Print is powerful, ensure you include it in your marketing strategy.

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Top 10 Reasons Why Print Should be Part of your Marketing

GDPR FRIENDLY MARKETING TOOLKIT

GDPR FRIENDLY MARKETING TOOLKIT

GDPR FRIENDLY MARKETING, WHAT’S CHANGED?

It’s over a year since the GDPR came into force and despite the irritating barrage of consent notices that came along for the ride, we can probably agree data protection across Europe has improved.

It’s also fair to say the new rules have had an impact on the marketing activity of most businesses. Many email lists would have shrunk a little, like Super Mario when he’s off the mushrooms, not that it’s all about size, of course.

But we can’t rely on email alone anyway, you have to use a combination of channels to give your business or idea the best chance of being seen or heard or better still, talked about.

However, gripped by post-GDPR fear, some businesses have been paralysed into inertia. “Crikey, if we can’t spam all those email addresses we’ve collected, what are we going to do? What are we allowed to do?”

Well, if you’re wondering exactly that, here are five essential marketing channels for your business wrapped up in an infographic for your viewing pleasure, and with explanations below. Enjoy GDPR friendly marketing in 5 minutes.

#1 SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)

Why do you have a website?

To sell more boiler cover packages? To book more appointments for your team? So more people hear about your microbrewery? It’s fair to say everyone’s different. But most people want more of something and that something usually boils down to more website traffic.

More website traffic comes from organic search than any other source. So whenever someone is using a search engine to find information that’s relevant to your product, service, or website, you need to be there, or you’re missing out on potential business. that’s where SEO comes in. What’s SEO?

More website traffic comes from organic search than any other source.

4 in 5 people use search engines to find local information.

94% of B2B buyers research online for purchase decisions.

#2 Events

Here’s an odd suggestion. How about getting out into the real world?
We know, sounds crazy, but as the old saying goes, people do business with people and there’s usually lots of people at events. One 2018 study asked B2B marketing folk about lead generation tactics, and events came out on top.

Which events do your customers attend? A trade fair? A convention? Classic car show, music festival, vintage fete? Could you drum up new business at one of these? Could you create your own workshop, event or open day? Or how about an all-ticket event where people hang out by the fire, eat pizza, hear from experts (and listen to your brand story about handmade jeans in a small Welsh town). How’s that for GDPR friendly marketing?

Check out or range of Displays

Events help generate the most B2B leads.

79% of marketers generate sales using event marketing.

84% of event attendees say that they have a more positive opinion about the company, brand, product or service being promoted after the event.

#2 Events

Here’s an odd suggestion. How about getting out into the real world?
We know, sounds crazy, but as the old saying goes, people do business with people and there’s usually lots of people at events. One 2018 study asked B2B marketing folk about lead generation tactics, and events came out on top.

Which events do your customers attend? A trade fair? A convention? Classic car show, music festival, vintage fete? Could you drum up new business at one of these? Could you create your own workshop, event or open day? Or how about an all-ticket event where people hang out by the fire, eat pizza, hear from experts (and listen to your brand story about handmade jeans in a small Welsh town). How’s that for GDPR friendly marketing?

Check out or range of Displays

Events help generate the most B2B leads.

79% of marketers generate sales using event marketing.

84% of event attendees say that they have a more positive opinion about the company, brand, product or service being promoted after the event.

#3 Direct mail

We’ve already talked about how important it is to have a mix of channels and print cannot be ignored. Even Google send you stuff in the post. Want more examples? Airbnb, Facebook, Amazon, all use print marketing as part of their approach.

The opportunity direct mail offers has actually increased since GDPR, that’s because you don’t need explicit consent to send a mailer, letter, brochure or catalogue. Provided you make it clear how they stop getting future mailings, and the content is relevant, sending direct mail is allowed under the ‘legitimate interests’ of your business.

The incredible thing about direct mail is, it’s turned full circle. We all get less post than we used to. Yet, research shows that it gets a better response than ever.

Corsham Prints Mailing Solutions

87% of people said they were influenced to make an online purchase as a result of receiving direct mail.

4 out of 5 people say they’ve connected with a business after getting direct mail.

44% agreed that they were more likely to remember something they had read in print rather than on screen (only 12% disagreed).

#4 Social media

When engagement rates on Facebook are reported to have fallen to 0.09%,  you might be forgiven for thinking social media is a waste of time for business marketers. However, Linkedin has proven to be an effective place to hang out, help and connect. Especially if you’re in a B2B sector.

The fact remains that many consumers do scope out the company’s social media presence before making a purchase. And for some potential customers, it may well prove to be the very first exposure to the brand. For that reason alone, it’s important to create content that is on-brand, adds value and is posted regularly to demonstrate that you’re active in the marketplace and a credible option to explore.

94% of B2B marketers use Linkedin to distribute content.

54% of social browsers use social media to research products.

49% of consumers depend on social influencers for recommendations.

#5 Oh, and of course you can actually still email people

But here’s the thing, there are some rules.

Email addresses you’ve scraped from cards at a show, purchased randomly, or even collected in exchange for a coupon code won’t cut it anymore (strictly speaking, they never really did).

Instead, people need to have explicitly opted in to receive the type of emails you’re going to be sending. Or, they could be an existing customer who previously bought or enquired about a similar product or service from you. That’s referred to as a soft opt-in, under PECR.

81% of SMBs still rely on email as their primary customer acquisition channel.

49% of people said they’d like to receive promotional emails from their favourite brands.

The average open rate for a welcome email is 82%.

Marketing is all about targeting the right message, to the right people at the right time. Both digital and offline methods have a role to play in marketing your business. The resources assigned to each depends on your budget and where your customers are. Corsham Print can help you leverage all available channels to do well in today’s omnichannel arena.

We hope you can benefit from this GDPR friendly marketing.

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