How print can still deliver a positive, cost-effective impact in the Digital Age

Even in this increasingly digitised business landscape, print can still deliver a positive - and cost-effective - impact to your business. Here’s what to consider before you start.

Digital advertising has become quite the expense in recent times – however, it has also become increasingly commonplace for digital campaigns to result in diminishing returns.

There are many factors to account for this: not only has the market become oversaturated with a wealth of businesses eager to stand out; but Apple’s updated privacy policies mean that users of iOS 14.5 (and up) block tracking cookies as a default. This has restricted the amount of personal data that can be collected by companies like Facebook – meaning they have less to sell to third-party advertisers wishing to target users with specific interests.

With underwhelming results coming at such high prices, many companies are diversifying their marketing approaches to include print – and finding that the personal feel of direct mail, catalogues, salesperson CVs, mini-portfolios, gift boxes, and other creative leave-behinds are helping to set their brand apart.

This popularity isn’t limited to a single generation, either: for older demographics, interacting with physical media taps into feelings of nostalgia; whereas for younger groups, it provides a novel respite from constant screen-time.

Production Print magnifying glass over photos

Now, while mass-mailing thousands of physical pages every month is obviously unviable in modern times; the strategic and targeted use of smaller print materials can be an effective way to drive sales. In fact, a study conducted by the Harvard Business Review found that US customers who received print materials in combination with emails resulted in a 24% increase in purchases, over customers who received emails in isolation.

So, where do you start? First of all, it’s important to note that nowadays, some forms of print marketing (such as catalogues) are best suited to luxury brands, rather than providers of utilitarian products. Secondly, print marketing requires work and creativity – and businesses should carefully consider how much time, money, and resources they have to commit to it; as well as whether they can do so sustainably.

Below are some things to consider before getting started:

Apogee Graphics

If you have a creative idea for your print but feel you lack the resources to bring it to life, it’s worth contacting our creative design agency, Apogee Graphics. Capable of taking your complex ideas and developing them through to production, our design experts ensure that your print material – and by extension, your brand - deliver a lasting impact to your potential clientele.

Production Print

Top-quality print material can be made easily through a high-speed production print device; which can be leased through a Production Print service. Professional training is also available through this service, and enables you to program your Production Print device with additional processes that assemble your multi-page collateral automatically.

PrintReleaf

If you’re concerned about the environmental impact of introducing print into your marketing strategy, enrolling in a platform like PrintReleaf can help to offset your print output. By adding this software to your Production Print service, the paper you use is recorded and converted into reforested trees - enabling you to print responsibly.

Furthermore, PrintReleaf provides businesses with monthly reports of the amount of trees they have reforested around the world. These reports, as well as representing a worthy part of any Corporate Responsibility strategy, act as positive promotion for your business – while also raising awareness of PrintReleaf’s reforestation work amongst your audience.

Digital Print Services

If you wish to preserve your resources, you can always outsource your printing through a Digital Print Service. This way, the production, packaging, and delivery is handled entirely by Apogee, through a 24/7 ODS production facility – meaning that all you have to provide is the design file.

Since this service produces high-resolution print without requiring manpower or resources on the part of the client, this service would be ideally suited for smaller businesses seeking to incorporate print marketing.

Of course, print marketing is a big commitment – so for those looking to just test the waters, using Outsourced Document Services (ODS) to perform a direct mail campaign may be preferable. Conducting a small campaign like this will allow you to familiarise yourself with the outsourcing process, as well as gauge interest for printed materials amongst your audience – giving you all you need to start generating a targeted mailing list to ensure your print campaigns have the maximum impact.

Ultimately, the viability of engaging in print marketing is entirely dependent on the nature of your business – but having an awareness of these complementary services may provide a clear route to reaching audiences that were otherwise inaccessible through digital marketing methods.

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