In a highly digital world print can play a successful role in increasing the effectiveness of messages and prompting action. Printed marketing, printed materials, printed advertising holds attention. The average piece of business mail is read for over two and half minutes during a 28 day period according to JICMAIL, the British direct mail measurement organization. It also found that year on year comparisons showed 95% of mail was engaged with, up 1%, 30% of mail promoted a commercial action, up 6%, and 5% of mail prompted a purchase, up 24%.
A recent Keypoint Intelligence survey echoed the effectiveness of print. 90% of respondents considered printing marketing collateral to be very or somewhat important to their sales and marketing efforts. Just 2% of respondents considered print to be very or somewhat unimportant. Not surprisingly, the vast majority of respondents (98%) reported that personalized campaigns delivered significantly or moderately higher response rates.
There are several reasons print continues to play a key role in today's digital world:
Credibility and Trust
Printed materials are often perceived as more credible and trustworthy compared to digital formats. They are often considered to be more accountable and are expected to adhere more rigorously to legal and ethical standards that in turn helps maintain the integrity of the content.
Their physical tangibility can enhance trust by feeling more permanent and substantial compared to digital communication, which can be easily altered or deleted. Printed materials don't need to compete for attention in the same instant way digital media does. This can lead to more thoughtful and effective content creation that resonates.
Tangible Impact
Print makes a tangible impact in several distinct and powerful ways. Its tangible nature creates a physical connection with the audience. Holding a card, leaflet, or brochure engages multiple senses, making the content more memorable. This physical presence can leave a lasting impression on the reader and result in higher retention and engagement rates. Activating the sense of touch invokes a feeling of ownership as well and that can influence purchasing decisions.
Printed materials can aid engagement and focus as reading print requires more attention compared to digital media, which is often consumed amidst various distractions. This focused engagement can lead to a deeper understanding and retention of the information presented. They can be easier on the eyes compared to screens, too. They can reduce eye strain and make it more comfortable to read for extended periods. This can encourage readers to spend more time with the content.
Printed materials have a longer lifespan as mentioned above. They can be kept for future reference, and revisited multiple times. This repeated exposure increases the impact of the content and advertising messages. They also enable increased creativity with personalized and customized content combined with high-resolution images, premium paper, and special printing techniques (like embossing, foil stamping, and die-cutting). The enhances visual appeal and tactile experience, makes a strong impression. The visual appeal and tactile experience, makes a strong impression as we explored here. This can create a tactile experience that evokes emotions and a personal connection. The texture of the paper, the act of turning pages, and the overall sensory experience can make the content more engaging and memorable. Unique formats like full-page spreads, inserts, gatefolds, and pop-ups also capture attention in ways digital media cannot.
Targeted Marketing
Printed communications can be highly effective in targeting specific markets, offering several advantages that digital media might not fully replicate. Demographic and geographic targeting can focus on recipients defined in a variety of ways such as their hobbies, lifestyle, interests, and location. Content can also be customized to be highly engaging and more deliberate encouraging readers to spend more time with the item of print. The fact that it very often delivered directly to the recipient results in higher visibility and impact while the longer shelf life of print enables repeated exposure.
Printed communications can also drive traffic to digital platforms by including URLs, QR codes, and social media handles. This integration helps bridge the gap between offline and online marketing efforts, creating a cohesive strategy. This encourages readers to engage with more interactive and updated content online. JICMAIL reported 6.5% of mail (including direct mail, business mail, partially addressed mail and door drops) prompted a purchase in the Christmas trading period, with half of these purchases completed online.
Complementary Role
Print supports and enhances digital strategies, offering a multi-channel approach that can reach broader audiences effectively. It can reach audiences that might not be as digitally connected, such as older demographics or people in regions with limited internet access.
It provides the opportunity to share more in-depth information and data which can complement the faster, more immediate nature of digital communications.
Printed materials can drive traffic to digital platforms and in fact, 40% of British website visits prompted by mail converted into online purchases in the fourth quarter of 2023. Mail also prompted online searches, emails to advertisers and app download and usage. Mail drove sales in physical retail stores too, with 2.3% of mail employing engaging and actionable elements such as personalised and targeted vouchers, prompted an instore purchase in Q4 2023. This suggests ‘real life brand experiences’ remain important to consumers. The triggering of in-store purchases enables marketers to see their return on investment with the measurement of redemption rate.
Together print and digital media together can offer a richer storytelling experience. Print can provide the long-form, image-rich, design-led communications while digital platforms can offer multimedia elements like videos, interactive graphics, and real-time updates. The ability to use both forms of consumer engagement will help ensures a broader appeal and addressed different media consumption preferences. While some recipients prefer the tactile experience of reading print, other choose the convenience and interactivity of digital content.
Why print endures
As we have seen from Keypoint Intelligence and JICMAIL print remains crucial across various sectors like education, finance, healthcare, and retail, even as digital media grows. Strong personalization, specialty printing techniques, and links for further information such as QR codes and augmented reality, significantly boost engagement in direct mail campaigns.
Print endures in its importance in marketing. It is effective in fostering customer connections because it engages our senses and holds attention, is creative, tactile, and visually pleasing. By harnessing the strengths of both print and digital media, organizations can create a more comprehensive and effective communication strategy that reaches and engages a diverse audience through multiple channels.
With these insights Print Service Providers (PSPs) can better integrate personalized and specialized print technologies into their offerings to stay competitive. They can then help their clients effectively target their desired markets through print media, to complement their overall marketing strategy and reach audiences in ways that digital alone may not achieve.