These days, far too many people think digital advertising is the only option and print options have gone the way of the horse and buggy. Sure, email has a place in most modern marketing campaigns, but print-based strategies have plenty of benefits of their own. When planning your own advertising scheme, don’t overlook these advantages that traditional methods have over email.
Print Sticks Around
We all know from our personal accounts how quickly a particular email gets shoved to the second page of our inbox, never to be seen again. This quickly becomes the fate of most email advertising. Many consumers have become so good at skimming their emails that they don’t even register the titles of commercial messages. This means your advertising campaigns often come to nothing.
Physical documents have much greater staying power. Catalogs, newsletter, and flyers often wind up on kitchen counters and dining room tables for weeks. The longer your material is in front of people’s eyes, the more likely it is to convert prospects into leads. Once a potential customer finds value in your material, they might even stash it away or, better yet, show it to a friend. In either case, your content is going further.
Physical Documents are Easier to Understand
No matter how tech-savvy you and your cohorts may be, don’t forget that the internet is still a relatively new invention. There are millions of potential customers out there who still aren’t fully comfortable operating in digital spaces. When you focus all your advertising efforts on email, you deny these people the opportunity to engage with your content.
For lots of people, printed documents are easier to understand. There are no distracting pop-ups to content with, and the visuals are often simpler to digest. When you send people physical materials, you give them the chance to understand the content on their own terms.
Mailed Materials Can Drive Website Traffic
Don’t make the mistake of assuming digital and direct mail campaigns are entirely separate. There are all sorts of ways that online and printed campaigns can support each other. One of the best methods is to use physical materials to drive traffic to your website.
Catalogs, newsletter, and flyers all serve to attract attention and instigate an initial engagement with prospective clients. These materials can all drive sales in their own right, but they can also help bring prospects to your website. You should consider any people who visit your site after seeing your print advertising as successful conversions. You’ve managed to interest them with your material, and now you can continue your advertising efforts in the digital realm.
Catalogs Making Major Comeback
Don’t make the mistake of considering catalogs an archaic advertising strategy. Just because we often associate these glossy pamphlets with age-old buying habits doesn’t mean they’re not just as effective today.
More and more companies are returning to catalogs because they realize how successful this old tactic can be. People love idly flipping through the pages, fantasizing about all the products that could soon be theirs. The presentation is ideal for spurring purchases since the high-quality photographs enhance the desirability of the products.
Direct Mail is Worth the Investment
Don’t wrongly assume that internet advertising is always better because it’s cheaper. Yes, there are more materials involved in physical campaigns, and all these materials have their cost. In the end, however, the costs are almost always worth it. Once you see the subsequent increase in sales, you’ll recognize the substantial return on your investment. Good management revolves around proper and sound expenditure of capital. Any improvements to your business model are going to require additional spending. Direct mail marketing is no exception, but in the long run the investment will pay for itself and then some.
If you rely only on email, you also risk cheapening the value of your brand. Quality physical materials demonstrate the competency and professionalism of a serious business. Emails, on the other hand, are so cheap and easy that they do nothing to build respect for your company. When you invest in mail marketing, you invest in the integrity of your brand.
Tell a Longer Story
By its very nature, email promotes the rapid skimming of content. This makes it extremely difficult to catch a reader’s attention. In order to stand out, advertisers need to make their content short and snappy. While the brevity is good for popping out at potential clients, it often makes telling a longer story impossible.
Some consumers want more than a rapid-fire spiel. They enjoy lengthier content that provides both breadth and depth. Standard mail advertising gives you a chance to reach these sorts of prospects. Newsletters can include messages from executives as well as special offers and new products. Catalogs can spell out the company’s charitable initiatives. All this provides more value to the readers.
Advertising campaigns require strategic thinking and careful analysis. Don’t rush toward the cheapest, easiest, or flashiest option. Sometimes, it’s the tried and true methods that bring the best results.