Print vs digital – what does your business need?

Truth is, you realistically need both, even if you think your business is strictly online. Here’s how to choose the right mix for your audience, goals, and your bank account.

Reach vs longevity

Digital marketing lets you reach tons of people for very little money, when compared to its print equivalent. That’s why we love it. Whether it’s a Facebook ad, a newsletter, or a Google search ad, you can hit thousands of people for a reasonable budget.

However, that doesn’t tend to last very long. An e-newsletter might hang around in someone’s inbox for a few days, but for the most part, your digital ad might reach someone two or three times in a campaign. Instead, print has a tendency to stick around – whether that’s a magazine advert or a leaflet, someone’s going to look at those multiple times before it gets thrown away. It’s going to get picked up, left on counters, passed around before it finally meets the recycling bin. (Or, it might even stay in the office for months if you’re lucky.) The more someone sees your ad, the more likely it’s going to stick in their head. And if they can touch it… even better.

So if brand awareness is what you’re after, then print may be the way to go.

Direct results

But if you’re after direct action, then nothing beats digital. Getting potential customers to click straight through to a product for consideration or head straight to a website to learn more about a service is exactly what you need for the middle of your marketing funnel.

It’s also infinitely more measurable – well, as long as people accept the cookies. Even with the tracking changes that have come in over the last few years, it’s still much easier to build up a picture of what customers are interested in, what’s performing well and what’s not doing so well through digital marketing.

When to use print or digital

We’ve already talked a bit about the marketing funnel – the first stage is brand awareness, then consideration, and then finally, purchase or conversion. Print is often used best at the beginning of this funnel as an awareness tool, then followed up with your digital advertising.

But the other thing to bear in mind is audience. There’s no point in advertising a new Korean skincare brand aimed at teens in a magazine they’re not going to read. That’s where influencers and paid Instagram ads come into play. But, if you’re trying to sell a new anti-ageing cream formulated for over 60s, then it’s best to consider where they’re more likely to see that ad. It may be in a glossy mag. But it may also be on a different digital channel.

Lots of our ad campaigns have shown that your over-60s LOVE Facebook. They’re on it all the time, sharing badly worded memes and finding out what the grandkids are up to. And they’re also less savvy about ads, so they’re more likely to click.

Budget concerns

And of course, budget – that’s the kicker. Digital’s great because it lets you experiment for less money, and you can essentially ‘fail fast’ without putting all your eggs in one basket. However, if you know you’ve got a solid hit on your hands with a print ad, then it may be worth splashing out.

Ultimately though, a mix of formats is what’s going to give you the best results. When we handled the marketing for the Chateau Impney Hill Climb, we used print ads in specialist magazines and local newspapers along with digital ads after motorsport events in the area to drive ticket sales. Tracking them with unique codes, we found that the split between digital sales and those generated from magazine ads wasn’t worlds apart, with newspaper ads then driving the walk-in sales.

It’s also important not to discount the role of your marketing agency in this. Agencies like us have built up relationships with print advertisers, so we’re often able to get a better price for multiple runs or know the best time to strike for a discount.

The bottom line

Print and digital channels are both crucial to your marketing plan – but you need to be smart about how and when you use them.

If you need a marketing agency that’s been there, done that, got the t-shirt for the best price, then let’s talk. We can help you figure out your next comms campaign and make sure it’s a winner. Email us today or give us a call.