How print marketing fills in the huge gaps left by digital marketing alone…
Many of us have had that feeling after looking at a screen all day. We feel bombarded by digital and might even have digital fatigue. Our brains become oversaturated and everything we came across while scrolling through our smartphones just seems distant and jumbled.
This is where print comes in.
Studies have found that we use various parts of our brains when reading from traditionally printed material as opposed to a smartphone or tablet. Print engages the mind in a more fulfilling way than digital, and also appeals to more senses.
Jim Hill, Minuteman Press International Vice President, explains, “Have you ever received a catalog, brochure, or postcard in the mail that instructs you to go to a web site to take advantage of an offer? Done well, the direct mail piece is likely to succeed in its mission to lead you to the next step. Print marketing directs you to products and services without the over saturated results from digital marketing.”
Print provides deep engagement according to neuroscience.
Science says the more screen reading you feed your brain, the greater the tendency to lean on “non-linear” reading. This is a habit that involves light scanning of its copy that makes your eyes more inclined to flash from item to item on the screen, instead of settling down to participate with the topic. The difficulty is we have adjusted ourselves at a cost. To be able to combat this, we must train our brains to become “bi-literate” and this can only be accomplished by balancing what we see online with printed pages which encourage deeper processing and reading.
Research reported by Ziming Liu at San Jose State University found that “when we read on screens, we spend more time browsing and scanning.” In this sense, we ought to take care and realize that it is a reality that we must utilize the deep-reading portion of our brains — or start to lose it. Deep involvement with reading material means immersing from the copy and this is possible using print in a manner where digital is limited.
It is the kind of interaction with content that requires what we have been doing for centuries where intelligent beings engage in profound understanding and make connections via “linear” reading. Engagement with anything we would like to comprehend or anything we want other people to know and connect with needs the kind of reading that the printed word provides – deep, linear reading. The internet simply cannot supply the same experience, nor the same link that print has achieved over time.
Print is the foundation of our culture.
Nick Titus, Vice President of Marketing for Minuteman Press International, is wise to needs of modern marketing efforts and knows that print is still what anchors the multi-channel marketing approach. He shares, “Wide reach is what cross media marketing is all about. It’s about engaging your potential customer as effectively as possible and keeping your name, products and/or services in front of them for as long as possible.”
Digital fatigue is real, and print stands out.
We are bombarded by swarms of businesses online using advertisements as they compete for our attention. Therefore, it gets increasingly hard for any of them to stick out. Online marketing has its place as part of a targeted marketing effort, but businesses failing to use and leverage the power of printing are missing out. Just think about how often you check your email when compared with reaching into your mailbox. If you’re like most people, you will take a few minutes to manage and look at each piece carefully, as opposed to simply deleting everything with one click in your email.
After all, there’s not any rapid scrolling in life, and the staying power of print, which is tangible and can be saved for later, is far greater than that email you are likely to skip over or delete without reading.
Print is trusted and here to stay.
While digital exchanges have value, we can’t help but scan through them rapidly without retaining the overload of information. When we examine things in print, our brains are wired to dive deep into the material. Human beings are making meaningful connections with paper and ink today, just as they have for centuries. There is something special about print, and it stands out even more today in the cluttered digital landscape.
The biggest takeaway for business owners is to keep a digital presence. However, when it comes to capturing the hearts and minds of your audience, you should lead the way with print.
Or, in essence, let print lead the way.
Want to bolster your brand with effective cross media marketing strategies? Find your local Minuteman Press at https://minutemanpress.com.au
Learn more about Minuteman Press Australia print franchise opportunities at https://minutemanpressfranchise.com.au