Use Print to Drive Cross Media Marketing!
Print links the real and digital worlds for profit
Understanding how brand awareness works in the digital age necessitates a hard look at the force of printed media. Today, consumers are more likely today to learn about new brands, services and products from print media and not just relying on digital ads or social media alone. Cross media marketing strategies using print and digital together are vital to effectively reaching your target audience.
Studies show that very active smart phone users (those doing 6 or more activities per day on mobile phones) are reading more print materials than any of the other groups (smart phone or regular phone owners). Print advertising has been proven to drive consumers to shop online. A study by the Direct Marketing Association revealed that 78% of them react to direct mail immediately with 44% visiting the brand’s website and 34% searching online for more product information1.
Why Print Works!
Printed media remains a staple in the modern marketing mix even as online and mobile use continues its inevitable growth. This creates a situation where “old becomes new again” as print revitalised a market that is digitally flooded. Indeed, print as one of our earliest forms of communication has gained steam and evolved so that today, printed media is an integral means of reaching and enticing consumers to get online and pursue other platforms that brands have to offer.
Global managing consultant firm K. Salmon showed that print catalogs directly boost online sales by increasing “purchasing intent”. They showed that 58% of online consumers surveyed prefer browsing printed catalogs instead of browsing online catalogs. Furthermore, 31% keep a retailer’s printed catalog handy when they go to make purchases online. As a result, the average order size (as compared to internet-only customer shopping) increased by 12.5%2.
In another study by Exact Target, they discovered that 65% of consumers surveyed have been directly influenced to buy an item or service thanks to direct mail. Furthermore, their study showed that almost 90% of business executives prefer to visit online sources of information that link to print publications.
A survey of 3,500 consumers discovered that when examining print and digital magazine platforms, printed ads were more likely than digital ads to inspire a buy either from a brick and mortar store or online. Furthermore, digital channels are likely to trigger online searches for information about products and services. It turns out that an impressive 57% of respondents say that the printed media led them to visit online3.
Print As a Base for Cross Media Marketing
The printing industry has fully embraced modern technology and is effectively employing innovative technologies such as PURLs, QR Codes and augmented reality. In these ways they connect the real and digital realms together and, as a result, allow businesses to thrive.
7 Ways To Use Print to Increase Website Traffic
1. Use print to tease consumers with sneak peaks of products and services
Expertly designed, high quality customized printed collateral pieces entice consumers to visit your online site for a bigger picture of products and services. Combining interactive web presentations containing videos and product demonstrations with the proven success of printed media provides customers with have a fully rounded exposure to your brand. This kind of early engagement bonds potential clients with brands and leads to the budding of business relationships; the more involved you can get folks, the more likely they are to make a buy or use services.
2. Make them want to respond by giving them a strong offer
Adding a valuable offer to your postcard or flyer will drive people to your website. Typical offers are a seminar, white paper, webinar, discount coupons, samples or a free trial. Give them something they want, not just something you want them to see and they will storm your way online to find it. Remember that direct mail leads 76% of online consumers to buy a service or a product online. It remains the one medium of many that connects your brand to nearly everyone in your target market with reliable access. Furthermore, you can measure those results and use the information gained to adjust the advertising campaign. Use it under the guide of a business service franchise with marketing specialists ready to aid in the process.
3. Have a call to action that creates urgency!
People are more likely to respond when they are given specific instructions with a deadline for that sense of urgency. Ideally, a flyer or mailer should offer a discount such as a 20% off coupon code or, better yet, something for free. That offer should have a deadline date clearly stated near the call to action.
4. Build a unique landing page
A focused landing page is required because it's too easy to get lost on a homepage with all of its choices. The perfect landing page presents a specific message that helps make sure they will be properly engaged.
5. Use short, easy URLs and PURLs for the win.
The shorter and easier to spell URLs generate the most traffic. Creating a separate domain exclusively for a promotion allows the URL to be much shorter and if you want the landing page on your site, redirect from the unique URL to your page. Personalized URLs or PURLs have the power of using an individual’s name to get attention. They should be combined with personalized teasers, subheads and copy to encourage engagement. A successful landing page must have the proper balance of personalization in all printed collateral. Therefore, consider hiring design professionals to achieve just the right balance to be effective. Select PURLs that are easy to type and they will give a tight integration of the direct mail and the landing page for easy tracking.
6. Use QR Codes on all of your mail pieces.
The QR code will make it possible users of mobile devices to instantly connect your printed mail to your landing page or website.
7. Printing Industry Growth = Options. Test and use them!
Yes, one can find success using postcards to drive web traffic. But there is a whole world of printed collateral to select from and all of them can have a monumental effect of driving valuable traffic online for further interaction and future sales. Customers like to receive branded promotional items. Therefore, there is every reason to include a web address on every one. Partner with a marketing specialist within the business service industry and test the many formats that begin at self-mailers, flyers and envelope packages. Be sure to consider testing as a part of the journey of developing and maintaining a marketing strategy. Using a variety of printed items as part of the campaign is a wise and proven way to push traffic online, engage with new clients and build trust with your customer base.
Cross Media Marketing Recap:
Remember to Integrate Your Marketing on EVERYTHING!
An investigation of the influence of offline channels on online search showed that offline channels drive nearly 70% of the online searches4. Furthermore, Printed advertisements directly trigger 30% of those searches. What is even more significant is the fact that print marketing led the list of offline media sources that led to an actual purchase, with about 30% of Internet users searching and purchasing online as a result of a print medium.
Ultimately, business owners need to acknowledge that they are welcoming a wasteful decline in sales as well as web traffic if they are not using print media to its full effect. Print feeds web traffic and future business. Successful marketing campaigns integrate the highest quality printed items and take full advantage of the ways that online channels representing their brands can be featured.
For more information on using the power of print to market your brand. Look through our extensive list of Products & Services or Contact Us for a free consultation using these links or the buttons on the top navigation bar of this page.
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Credits: This posting is based in part on materials and references complied by the Minuteman Press International corporate staff.
