Mark Twain is said to have once lamented “the reports of my demise have been greatly exaggerated.”
Print advertising might share the same frustration about its passing, as it remains a highly effective and important vehicle for advertising.
Although much of the excitement today in media and marketing centers around digital advertising options, print advertising remains an important, and effective, part of the media mix.
Print advertising can take many forms including display advertising run adjacent to news and content, pre-printed flyers inserted into the newspaper and delivered together, headline notes that appear as stickers on the front page of the newspaper, spadea wraps, and native advertising, among others.
There are many benefits to including print in your multimedia campaign including:
- Newspaper advertising is the most trusted medium. 82% of consumers report that they trust print advertising (Marketing Sherpa).
- Targeting your message geographically through your community’s newspaper offers unprecedented reach and relevant geographic targeting. For pre-printed inserts, advertiser’s options include geographic targeting down to the zip code level. As well, targeting through content adjacencies within newspaper sections is highly effective.
- Print advertising in your local newspaper enables your business to deliver its message to a captive audience. Newspaper readers are fully engaged and immersed in their reading experience and your advertising message is not delivered in the crowded environment often found online. People are 70% more likely to remember businesses seen in print compared to online. Your advertising delivered in this environment is an integral part of the information experience for a reader.
- Print advertising, not unlike the news delivered with it, is an ideal environment for your business to tell its story. While it can be difficult to convey your company’s narrative via a search link or banner ad, creative copywriting and visuals in a newspaper advertisement can deliver your company’s story as part of the reader’s lean-back reading experience.
- Not commonly understood, print advertising can be tied to modern data analytics which allows you to see exactly how your print advertising investment is working for you.
Most importantly, including print advertising as a component of an integrated multimedia program can lift the effectiveness of all the components of your campaign through the benefits of both reach and targeting. A recent study by consultancy Benchmarking for Newsworks showed through a study of more than 500 econometric models that placing advertising in newspapers increases overall campaign return-on-investment by three times. The study’s results show that advertising with newspapers increases overall campaign effectiveness and even help other media become more effective. Newspaper advertising made online display campaigns four times more effective and television campaigns two times more effective than they would have been without the boost from print advertising.
Print advertisements have a significant impact on converting prospects to customers.
With all the well-placed excitement around technological innovation and the doors that technology opens digital marketing, it is easy to overlook the importance and effectiveness of print advertising. Although not the shiny new medium, print remains an important way to reach customers, convey your business’ message, and encourage conversions and sales.
The River Valley Media Group are experts in print advertising and integrating print into a comprehensive and effective multimedia program. Every day we develop effective programs for our clients and can do likewise for you. Complete the form below or drop us a note to learn more.