Great Brands That Compete On Value: Don’t Pass Up Print

Sometimes in life, and in business, you just need to get back to the basics.

As you might remember from my topic last month, I shared a blog post from Freeport Press, a fellow believer in the power of print. Shortly after reading that one, author David Pilcher delivered yet another piece that succinctly covers the key points that I too am persistent about driving home every chance I get. Fundamentally, it’s spot on, so this time around I’ll let it do the talking for me. Without further ado, I present for your consideration:

The Only Four Things You Need to Know About Print Ads

No doubt, the magazine industry has been hit hard by the move toward digital advertising. As Don Potochny notes in SF Gate, “[Ad] Investments have gone digital mostly because the Internet provides businesses with an affordable way to promote products and services. However, online marketing needs the complementary power of print advertising to seal the advertising deal.”

Why? We could cite study after study that shows that print is more effective at building trust, making good impressions, fostering engagement and other key indicators. Potochny, however, boils it right down. “Business owners have four reasons to keep print advertising as part of their marketing strategy,” he insists.

  1. First, print ads convert better. “Nearly 80% of consumers act on direct mail advertisements compared to 45% of consumers that act on electronic advertisements,” Potochny says.
  2. Print ads are highly targetable. Those perfectly targeted digital ads we were all promised are a properly-busted myth, but this kind of Marketing 101 targeting is possible in print. “For example, dog lovers that want to purchase healthy food for their canine friends are more likely to find the right brand via a publication such as Dog Fancy than by receiving an email blast from an online marketing agency,” he notes.
  3. Print adds a boost to any digital campaign. “Savvy business owners know that implementing both digital and print advertising campaigns produces higher customer conversion rates,” he notes. In a multi-channel shopping environment, print adds a significant improvement to overall campaign success.
  4. Consumers often feel more comfortable buying from print. This age of impulse buying might have us believe that online is the only way to shop, but in reality, print ads continue to perform well in purchase intent.

It’s a good primer to remember, this 1-2-3-4 approach. Conversion, targeting, ROI boost and purchase intent just may be all the reason you need to advertise your brand in print magazines.

In lieu of a dramatic mic drop close for Pilcher’s masterful delivery of the main points, I’d like to simply reiterate that there is SO much print can do for you. Whether your key objective(s) is/are branding, top-of-mind recognition, increased credibility, getting your desired results on a specific call to action, and even SEO and strengthening your online presence, contemporary content marketing strategies utilizing a combination of print and online platforms will achieve everything I’ve listed and more. All of the above makes quite a compelling case to get on board, give it a try and see for yourself.

Let Strictly Business Magazine help you lock in your status as The Expert in your industry, utilizing print, the internet and social media. Find out how by contacting Paige at (402) 466-3330.