Effective Print Marketing Tactics for Web-Based Companies
Some naysayers erroneously projected that the rise of the digital age would herald the end of the print marketing heyday. And they were partially right. Digital publishing has made it easy to create a brand, reach targeted audiences, and share content to spark discussions on social networks.
However, print continues to penetrate at a decent level because of its distinct advantages that digital hasn’t been able to conquer. A study co-conducted by neuromarketing agency TrueImpact and Canada Post compared the impact of paper marketing against digital media (direct mail vs display and email ads in this scenario). The metrics evaluated in the study were ease of understanding (cognitive), persuasiveness (motivation), and attention (how long was the content looked at).
The results revealed that print trumps digital on all fronts. Direct mail required 21 percent less processing effort than digital media, implying that it’s more memorable and easier to understand. And when people were asked to cite the company name that they’ve just witnessed in the advertisements, participants that had been exposed to direct mail had a 70 percent higher brand recall than those exposed to digital ads.
This and similar studies make it evident that print is staying for the foreseeable future. In fact, rather than putting the final nail in the coffin, digital has liberated print. Now shoppers can visit online sites to get more details. Print doesn’t have to accommodate every need of the shopper, nor does it have to take the sole responsibility of communicating brand messages, which means print marketing can now be used to leverage highly-refined branding and circumstances.
With that in mind, here’s how to leverage print if you’re a web-based company:
- Get That Business Card Printed
Commercial printing services provide options to print black & white or full-color cards depending on the needs of your business. Credible print companies can produce business cards of the highest quality to delight you as well as the recipients. With premium cards in matte or gloss finish, web-based businesses can gain great value overtime.
Good networking requires a fantastic business card. It helps company owners make a strong impression on their prospective clients. A study found that for every 2000 cards that are handed out, the number of sales rises by 2.5 percent. That’s a decent revenue uplift for the taking.
- Corrugated Boxes for Market Testing
If you’re an online company that hasn’t tested offline branding yet, you could conduct some market testing through corrugated boxes. Companies can effectively develop a variety of boxes for product lifecycle management.  Also, corrugated boxes can also be used to promote CSR campaigns.
For instance, if you want to contribute to the treatment of a deadly disease and want your customers to contribute to the cause, you can gather their personal sentiments via social media and print them on boxes. For each personal sentiment received, you can donate a certain amount to the cause.
- Get Creative with Stickers
Practically, stickers can be placed in a variety of places, from windows and event stalls to vehicles and bulletin boards. That means this print marketing material allows you to reach audiences on the go, and the stickers can be used to promote your site with a QR code or a URL.
Place stickers creatively so that potential customers can resonate with your efforts. For instance, they can be placed in surprising areas and engagement can be associated with a discount offer. You can announce your sticker campaign on social media once you’re done with the placement to get people excited.
The print marketing materials listed above have their own weight, but they can make a greater impact when used in tandem with digital efforts.
