Print Marketing

“How to use printing marketing materials in today’s digital world?” These questions pop up often!

Well, offline marketing using printed material is still highly relevant with a higher tangible and memorable impact on people than digital communications. Every print marketing strategy depends on its budget and business goals in planning and executing campaigns. Businesses must select an appropriate print format that aligns with their brand’s identity and voice. 

Then, they could rely on demographic data to segment the audience to make messages more relevant and impactful. Printed materials are incomplete without stunning design, high-quality paper, and captivating content to inspire minds to consider a business and its offerings. 

This blog helps you learn everything about print marketing and how to draft your own marketing campaign! Let us begin.

Key Takeaways

• Companies use printed materials to educate and motivate people without the influx of digital information. 
• Print marketing increases conversions, and ROI, and ensures customer retention. 
• People see print media as more trustworthy than any digital channel. 
• Printed materials with QR codes or PURLs lead to additional interactions and engagement. 
• Each paper stock has different characteristics and use cases. 
• Recycled paper and eco-friendly practices make print marketing more sustainable. 
• Using commercial printing is always more cost-effective than in-house printing.

Better Read Rates 

Your consumers can easily ignore or forget digital information they receive via email, texts, social media, etc. In contrast, printed materials are tangible, aiding comprehension and making it easier to remember information. 

Consumers also like to spend more time reading information via printed materials and can remember more quickly and confidently. Businesses seeking to make a positive impression prefer using print methods to captivate consumers. 

Trustworthy and Authentic

Fake news and digital misinformation are common these days. Anyone can potentially alter or delete digital content on various platforms. Moreover, people don’t trust social platforms when grasping any information. However, printed materials are more credible and can help you build high trust levels. 

Businesses don’t need to worry about online fraud or data breaches with print marketing. Your audience can immediately trust your message and build a connection with your brand. 

Higher Numbers of Leads 

Smart businesses use print marketing with actionable elements to generate leads. Print media indeed faces various challenges while competing with digital strategies. However, modern technology like QR codes and personalized URLs (PURLs) helps encourage prospects to take action.

These interactive elements give consumers the option to interact with your offer without hassles. Businesses can include a limited-time offer, a sign-up form for an event, or a link to a landing page with detailed information. 

QR codes and PURLs allow businesses to capture details of potential customers. They can ask customers for their information, like an email address or contact number, after navigating them to a landing page. 

People often pitch print and digital media against each other. However, both channels have their pros and cons. Printed materials help you form deeper connections with your customers, while digital channels cost less and provide a broader outreach (global audience). 

However, this outreach to a global audience comes at the cost of stiff competition, making it challenging for most businesses to stand out. Digital advertising still gives you the perks of adding video and interactive content while reaching millions of people at the press of a button. 

At the same time, print marketing still holds the value of being more attention-grabbing and driving value to your audience’s mailbox. Combining both with a creative strategy could be the perfect formula to reach a broader audience and influence minds with tangible marketing materials. 

What’s Your Budget and Goal? 

Any marketing campaign offline or online has a specific budget and goal to achieve something. If you don’t prioritize this, a campaign can go completely off-track or unnecessary additional investment. So what could be some ideal goals for a print marketing campaign? You can consider these: 

• Lead generation 
• Brand awareness
• Increasing registrations 
• Customer retention 
• Improving seasonal business 

Your business goals might have a direct impact on your print marketing budget. The company needs this information to determine how many collaterals to send, designs to include, and mailing options. 

Which Print Media Format Aligns With Your Brand’s Message? 

Only a few collaterals will fit your brand’s message and outreach. You need to find the ideal format that helps you include a copy, branding, and display professionalism. For example, if we take a casual consumer brand like Hershey’s, posters, flyers, and postcards are more appropriate for marketing. 

At the same time, an insurance company with a formal or professional tone might prefer letters, newsletters, or self-mailers. It provides more detailed information about the brand and maintains a sense of professionalism. Product-driven companies like smartphone manufacturers will prefer catalogs or brochures to showcase their products to the audience. 

How can you use Demographic Data for Print Marketing? 

Generic marketing efforts don’t work in a competitive market. You must use in-depth demographic or customer data to segment your audience and personalize the printed materials. It makes every marketing collateral more relevant and engaging. We can segment our target audience based on their; 

• Age 
• Gender 
• Income level 
• Profession 
• Preferences 

Businesses often rely on demographic data to add a close personal touch to their messages. It increases the chances that their audience will respond to the print media. 

Why Collateral Design Matters? 

People will notice your print marketing material design before reading anything. Brands have the complete freedom to showcase their creativity and ingenuity for each campaign. It is important to include custom logos, fonts, colors, layouts, and elements in your printed marketing materials for a competitive advantage. 

A custom design helps you create a consistent brand identity across all channels and keep your brand in top-of-minds. Even the color palette and font could change the way your design looks. 

How Impactful is Your Marketing Copy? 

The message you send to the target audience has huge importance and requires thoughtfulness. Always try to make the copy relevant and personalized to motivate people. Top brands use action-oriented words to make a personal connection and encourage conversions. In fact, the use of technical jargon only makes your copy boring and less engaging. You should be telling people about the benefits and value it would add to their lives instead of reading specifications.  

Can Your In-House Printing Operations do the Job? No! 

Any in-house printing setup costs a huge initial investment. Most businesses avoid print marketing due to the necessary expenditure for printers, paper stock, ink cartridges, stationeries, storage space, staff, etc. 

A commercial printer relieves you from all these initial costs and inconveniences of manual workloads. You get proper cost estimates to finish the job without facing any quality issues. Unlike in-house printing, commercial printing is more cost effective and efficient for businesses of any scale. Some printing partners also provide mailing services to further save costs, and time, and reduce logistics. 

• Coated Stocks: These stocks have a coating to make the paper glossy, matte, or silky in texture. This shine on the paper surface makes the design appear brighter and more eye-catching to the audience. Businesses can choose from gloss, dull, and matte options for their printed material.
• Cover Stock: This paper stock is more resistant to wear and tear than ordinary paper or “text stock”. Cover stocks are thicker and useful for postcards, company handbooks, or perfect-found magazines. 
• Text Stock: Businesses use text stock for the inside pages of a magazine or book. This thin paper stock is also useful for marketing letters. 
• Uncoated Stock: This paper stock does not have a coating added during the printing process, making it ideal for marketing campaigns that include a lot of text. 
• House Stock: It refers to your printer’s preferred stock stored at the printer’s production facility. It is the most common stock among print stock selections. Businesses mostly order house stock in bulk quantities. 

Letters 

It was the most common communication format in the 20th century. However, do not think that it is obsolete in today’s world. Businesses still prefer letters to include text-heavy marketing messages, such as periodic newsletters or other detailed promotional materials. Letters are a highly secure medium for sending sensitive information to employees, clients, or stakeholders. You can prefer letter marketing to generate leads, build brand recognition, or display professionalism. 

Postcards  

Marketers consider postcards to be the most cost-effective print marketing material. They come in different sizes and shapes for your desired campaign goals. Businesses often prefer this format to share short messages, including promo codes, event invitations, or highlight products. 

Newsletters 

Every business wants to keep its audience engaged and newsletters play a vital role in this strategy. Unlike digital newsletters, people can’t ignore or delete physical newsletters. This format keeps people in a communication look while including personalization and targeted marketing strategies. 

Flyers 

You don’t need to buy separate envelopes to send this printed format to your target audience. A flyer is a visually appealing marketing material that draws instant attention toward your products or services. Hyper-personalization can make this format more appealing based on different preferences. 

Many experts associate print advertising with an environmental concern, leading to deforestation, soil erosion, and air pollution. Traditionally, increased use of paper only led to high carbon footprints. However, modern printing facilities use eco-friendly practices and recycled paper in their operations. 

They prioritize using FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified recycled paper in the printing and mailing process of print marketing. This practice helps in protecting forests, wildlife habitats, and indigenous communities that rely on them. Digital printers also contribute to making our future brighter and greener. 

With years moving so fast, businesses are focusing on captivating young minds to get loyal long-term customers. Generation Z refers to individuals who were born between 1997 and 2012, they are moving to their mid-20s. Many of them are now part of an active workforce with high spending capacity. This generation has a shorter attention span compared to the millennials. However, print media still has a unique charm for this generation. Let’s discover how! 

Gen Z Prefers Focus 

This generation grew up with multiple screens around them. It often makes them feel intimidated by the influx of digital information. They need time to unplug themselves from digital devices. Print marketing could be an amazing opportunity to use this break and help them focus better. Printed ads easily capture their undivided attention in a single attempt. 

Inclination Towards Print as a Learning Medium 

College students (most of Generation Z) still prefer reading printed textbooks over digital course materials. There’s a reason why you find a considerable crowd time inside libraries. Printed learning materials are easier to read, annotate, and read from. They are not distracted by other platforms while their device like digital learning. 

The physical text encourages people to engage and in-depth reading. You should consider print marketing to convey your brand’s message with a powerful impact. 

Gen Z Likes Cross-Channel Communications 

Generation Z  is accustomed to viewing everything digitally. Brands can use this opportunity to pitch their marketing messages via printed materials to give a refreshing and out-of-the-box look, reinforcing the campaign. Cross-channel communications create multiple touchpoints where the target audience interacts with your marketing materials. 

Print Media Shows a Sign of Trust 

The young generation is highly analytical and senses when brands are inauthentic. They have more disposable tools to check facts online. Printed materials feel more tangible and experientially aesthetic in a digital world. It is hard to alter or delete printed materials, making them appear more authentic and memorable. 

The young generation views printed media with a novelty factor. It gives them a retro vibe and encourages them to show interest. Ultimately, printed materials are less intrusive than online ads. This retro trend is quite popular in most industries. For example, there’s still a huge demand for classic bikes and clothing. 

Print Marketing Provides a Tactile Experience 

The readers can touch, sight, and smell printed material, setting it apart from any digital communication. Businesses cannot recreate these sensory elements on digital devices yet. It gives Gen Z a chance to evaluate and understand a product’s quality or brand’s personality. 

Printed Material Have a Longer Shelf Life 

Your target audience can immediately delete or ignore your digital marketing message after receiving it. Even if they read the content, chances are less they would remember anything after a few days. Printed materials are physical, which gives them a longer shelf life than digital ads. 

Anything from newsletters to postcards to flyers will remain longer with your recipients. It gives Generation Z more time to consider and connect with your brand. Some purchase decisions take time, and you cannot convince someone within seconds. 

Gen Z Values Personalization 

Many believe that they can only customize digital messages with demographic information. However, print media also has a high potential for personalization to directly speak to Generation Z. Print marketing campaigns can help you build a straightforward and uncluttered marketing strategy to provide instant gratification to Generation Z. 

Despite the huge growth of digital communication channels, print media will likely remain popular among marketers. Combining it with digital technology will further enhance its impact and memorability. You can refer to these strategies to maximize your impact while using print marketing services; 

Include Exciting Coupons 

Gen Z looks for every possible measure to achieve financial stability. Retail stores and similar companies can prefer coupons to drive engagement and retention with Gen Z consumers. Exclusive coupons on printed material are best for fostering customer loyalty. 

Send Personalized Direct Mail 

This generation embraces the power of data-driven personalization in marketing and communication materials. Businesses should consider customizing postcards and letters based on demographic and consumer preferences data. It gives a more personal touch to each collateral, encouraging Generation Z to read the entire message. Any printing marketing material needs a personal touch to support a company’s brand awareness strategy. 

Make Your Mailers Interactive 

Generation Z has a shorter attention span than the millennials and other generations. It means businesses must employ some creative measures to engage their target audience. Including QR codes, Personalized URLs (PURLs), or gamification in your printed material can navigate their audience to online channels like websites, YouTube videos, or social media profiles. Many businesses use this strategy to build a bridge between print marketing and digital strategies. 

Use Testimonials

Generation Z looks for validation from others before making a purchase decision. Their buying behavior depends on testimonials from real people. They want to know how others perceive a specific product or service before investing their own money. These testimonials show the proof of quality and commitment of your business. Newsletters or flyers can include the most important snippets of customer reviews. 

Nivea Men: Anti-Wrinkle Product 

Nivea, a global leader in the skincare industry used creative print ads creatively with story-telling. The use of vivid imagery became an instant hit and highly relatable among men. Their campaign positioned the brand as a solution people need to fix their wrinkles. 

The ad highlighted the common struggles men face in their everyday lives and also gave a way to overcome those challenges. Businesses trying to consider print marketing services should issue surveys or customer feedback forms to understand the pain points. It would help in sending more targeted and relevant print marketing materials. 

Jeep: Creative Ads to Encourage Adventures 

Jeep, a leading American SUV maker recently launched a print marketing campaign to position itself as an off-road champion. The ad featured brilliant optical illusions featuring wild animals. These ads invite customers to relate to the brand’s message that Jeep lets you go out and see whatever you want. If you look at the ad from a different angle, the gazelle will magically appear as a seal. 

These advertisements capture consumer’s desire for out-of-the-box thinking and adventure. Creative designs like this can make your marketing material powerful and appear different. Print and marketing require an ingenious message that customers respond to instinctively. Creative ads also leave room to tie in your branding.

Nestle: Mailing With Exclusive Coupons 

Nestle, an international brand for dairy products launched a hyper-personalized campaign to a selected group of local customers promoting the “chunkiness” of Kit-Kat chocolate. This postcard was similar to those “sorry we missed you” cards that Royal Mail leaves behind when packages are too big to fit in the mailbox. 

Nestle’s card encouraged the selected recipients to visit a local retail store to claim a free chocolate bar. This local print marketing strategy effectively delivered the message straight to the consumer’s doorstep. You can also deliver such personalized mailers to your prospects with segmentation by considering reliable print marketing services.

Many have questions like “Is print marketing dead?” However, this communication channel is still reliable in capturing attention, converting leads, and building relationships. In the world of automation technology, you need a reliable solution that can streamline your print and marketing operations. 

PostGrid’s print & mail API is a highly scalable solution that lets you send personalized letters, checks, flyers, or postcards on demand. You can use our native integrations to build custom workflows to send marketing messages based on events or customer interactions. It makes your marketing material highly relevant and personalized to each recipient. Unify your offline marketing capabilities with a scalable print & mail solution. Sign up now to streamline your print marketing efforts with a compliant solution!