Print Marketing vs. Digital Marketing: Which One Is Better for Your Business?
Most modern marketing takes one of two forms: print or digital advertising. Print marketing includes direct mail campaigns, magazines, brochures, flyers, postcards and more.
Digital marketing, on the other hand, encompasses all online ads and other forms of marketing, such as social media and content marketing.
While both types of marketing encompass countless forms and mediums, in general, if it’s a physical item in the real world, that’s print marketing, whereas digital is strictly online.
Both have unique advantages, but which is better for your business?
4 Advantages of Print Marketing
1. Print Marketing is Trustworthy
Consumers still trust printed advertising and direct mail. Print ads, after all, come with no threat of hidden malware or hackers. They also seem more legitimate since they often come from businesses within the reader’s community.
Since the perception of physical direct mail advertising is more credible compared to digital advertising, recipients are more inclined to look at your ad.
Of course, a crucial factor in print marketing’s credibility is quality. Your direct mailer needs to look professional and impressive. Troi Mailing Services can help with that. We offer high-quality printing for a wide range of direct mailing options.
2. Print Marketing Captures Your Attention
Direct mail marketing stands out. Consumers see many digital advertisements daily, which can easily be ignored. On the other hand, physical print-outs are tangible items that readers have to interact with.
As a result, they’re more likely to read your ad and, hopefully, keep it in their home or car until they’re ready to make a purchase.
Due to its physical nature, mail advertising can fully capture the reader’s attention.
They can flip through your magazine or catalogue, scan the QR code on your flyer, or read the information conveyed in your brochure. It’s a focused experience that they can’t scroll away from.
3. Print Marketing Feels More Personal
One of the most significant advantages of print ads is that they feel personal. After all, you put the time, effort, and energy into creating an attractive and valuable physical print-out for your customers.
A beautifully designed direct mailer printed on high-quality paper feels more valuable and exclusive.
All this means it’s also easy to deepen customer loyalty and improve retention with print marketing. You can make customers feel valued and important by customizing your direct mail campaign with rewards, discounts, insider events, and welcome kits.
4. Print Marketing is Versatile
There are many ways to promote your business through print marketing. Direct mail flyers, postcards, coupons, brochures, magazines, and catalogues can all be distributed through mail marketing campaigns.
They can introduce your business to new customers, advertise new products or services, offer special discounts to existing customers, and more!
However, direct mail advertising isn’t your only option. These physical print-outs can also be handed directly to customers at trade shows, events, or your physical store.
4 Advantages of Digital Marketing
1. Digital Marketing is Easy to Track
Thanks to modern analytics, digital marketing is effortless to track. You can get a clear sense of the ROI on your advertising efforts, allowing you to quickly pivot if your current strategy isn’t delivering the desired results quickly.
In addition, you can test different strategies in relatively rapid succession. You can refine and reiterate your marketing tactics again and again until you get the results you want. Monitoring results in this fashion is only possible because digital marketing is trackable. You don’t want to wait weeks (or even months) to know if a campaign was successful.
2. Digital Marketing Has a Wide Reach
If an individual is online, you can reach them through digital marketing. With online advertising, you can reach people anywhere and everywhere- and do it faster than ever before.
Whether you want to advertise globally or keep it local, you can do it easily online.
Furthermore, digital marketing allows you to hone in on your niche. You can advertise directly to your core demographic and tailor messaging for subgroups within that population.
3. Digital Marketing Generates Engagement
Consumers can instantly interact and engage with digital advertisements. There are several key advantages to this.
First, people will likely remember your ad if they engage with it. Second, your ad could go viral if enough people engage with it. Third, you can respond to your customer’s engagement. Customer engagement allows you to build a relationship with that customer and deepen their connection (and loyalty) to your brand.
The more you engage online, the more loyalty you will inspire in your customers.
4. Digital Marketing Can Be Cost Effective
With digital marketing, you can achieve tremendous results very cheaply. Digital marketing makes online advertising incredibly accessible, particularly for small businesses.
However, don’t assume that digital marketing is always the most cost-effective option. With any form of advertising, digital marketing can run up your bill if you’re not using it effectively. Many businesses incorrectly assume that a digital ad campaign will always be less expensive than a print one, but that’s not the case.
As mentioned, the online world is oversaturated with advertisements, which means your business may get lost in the shuffle.
Unfortunately, it tends to be the companies willing to spend the big bucks that can get their product in front of more people and stand apart.
When you utilize traditional advertising methods, you’ve already set yourself apart from the competition. Furthermore, companies that offer print and mail advertising services, such as Troi Mailing Services, are experts at ensuring clients get the most ROI for their investment.
Why You Should Combine Print and Digital Marketing
Ultimately, print and digital marketing work best in tandem with one another. Both offer unique benefits, so using them in conjunction enables you to benefit from the strengths of each. It also doesn’t hurt to send both print and online marketing messages! Remember, you can reach different audiences through different mediums, which is better for business.
If your business relies solely on digital marketing, you’re missing out on the opportunities afforded by printed direct mail advertising.
Need Help with Mail Advertising? Contract Troi Mailing Services
Troi Mailing Services provides various mail advertising services, including premium Canadian, U.S., and international direct mail and fulfilment. Whether you want to retain or find new customers, we will help your marketing campaign meet its goals. Contact us to learn more about our mail advertising and printing services.
To learn more about our Smartmail Marketing services in Toronto, call Troi Mailing Services at 1-866-486-9350 or contact us here.
About: Seamus Barton
Seamus Barton joined Troi Mailing Services in 2014 after graduating from York University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Professional Writing. As a manager of print and direct mail solutions, he sees how words play an important role in personalizing any experience. Seamus’ passion for writing motivates him to provide frequent direct marketing content that supports each Client’s individual needs. Please chat with Seamus about commercial printing and direct mailing campaigns, or about how to marry digital and physical strategies for optimal Smartmail Marketing success.
You can connect with Seamus on LinkedIn or by calling Troi Mailing Services at 1-866-486-0423 or via email at seamus@troimail.com. Read his latest article featured in Direct Marketing Magazine on “Dimensional Mail: Marketing’s Buffet Lobster“
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