If you think print marketing is dead, think again. In fact, with the flooding of digital messaging through e-mail, social media, and online marketing, many customers find print advertising a welcome change. People love the tangible impact of print. Holding a postcard, door hanger, or brochure in their hands make people value your brand and perceive it as more permanent and credible. Online printing companies prove a low-cost way to reach your target customer every time.

Why Print Marketing is Still Effective in 2021

It's tangible. Digital marketing is here to stay, but there is no denying the impact of print. Your customer can hold it, turn it over, paste it into the refrigerator. The print has long been the standard by which advertising is judged. While digital marketing is popular, there is something that says "credibility" and "quality," when it comes to print.

It's noticeable. How many times have you clicked away from an online ad before even giving it a second look? How many ads have gone straight to your spam folder before you had a chance to see it? Print marketing is hard to ignore. It arrives with your stack of mail and grabs your attention. Even if your customers only look at the front of your postcard or flyer, you have still made contact with them.

It's relatable. The two biggest consumer groups are Generation X and Baby Boomers. They grew up with newspapers and magazines as their main form of advertising, so they have grown to trust print. It's also important to remember that not all of your customers use the Internet regularly, so print is an effective way to reach them. While most advertisers think that Millennials prefer digital media, studies have shown that they actually pay more attention to print. Raised in a lifetime of digital content and bombarded with digital stimulus, they find print novel and unique and seem to be more influenced by messages that are delivered by print marketing and advertising.

It's versatile. There are only a few ways to use digital ads. You can read them online or print them out. With print marketing, you can create products that people use every day and keep your brand's name in their hands. You can print calendars that they see daily, refrigerator magnets, keychains, ink pens, tote bags, and car magnets.

It encourages retention. People tend to skim when they read online. They pick out keywords, get the idea and move on to the next piece of content. When a person reads a print postcard, there is no ad popping up on the side to distract them. They tend to read more of the content and remember it. IF they forget the details, they can always come back to it later. Digital ads tend to disappear quickly after they are viewed, but a customer can hang on to a printed brochure, business card, or menu for years.

It's creative. You can do a lot with print. You can create tri-fold brochures, play around with inks and dyes, use a spot of foil to make your piece stand out, or use different paper textures. You can order your business cards with rounded edges, in specialty shapes, and with raised ink. There is no limit to how creative you can get with print marketing, and customers love the experience of receiving these print masterpieces.

It's complementary. It can take several "touches" to turn a prospect into a buyer. You can combine your print campaign with your digital campaign in order to keep your company's name in front of your buyers. Space out your marketing by sending an email, placing a digital ad, then following up with a mailed postcard later.

The Benefits of Online Printing vs. Brick and Mortar Stores

Price

Online printing companies don't have the overhead expenses of brick-and-mortar stores, so they can offer their services at a significant discount. In addition, online printing companies can market to and serve customers from all over the world, making them less sensitive to geographic market conditions. An online printer based in Wisconsin isn't affected if New York City's business is slow, and they don't have to raise their prices in order to make up for geographic shortfalls.

Because online printing companies' prices are so much lower than their in-store counterparts, you can create multiple versions of the same marketing piece to test out the effectiveness of each one. Change the font, wording, photos, and orientation and see which piece brings the most customers to your door. Online printing companies are more likely to print short runs so you can test out your campaigns without a huge outlay of cash upfront.

Flexibility

With brick and mortar printing companies, you're limited to working during their business hours. If you are the early bird type that wants to get things done at the crack of dawn, you may be out of luck if you're depending on the local printer. Weather issues, time constraints, and even road conditions can make it hard for you to get your project off the ground. With an online printing company, you can work around the clock, operating on your schedule.

Design Options

Online printing companies often offer a full suite of services that make your project a breeze. Many provide templates that you can use to design your business card, flyer, brochure, or menu yourself. Even business owners with little to no graphic design skills will find they are easy to use, drag and drop system a breeze. Online printing companies offer templates that make it easy for you to design all of your products at once, using the same theme for all of them. With brick and mortar printing companies, you may have to pay extra for design services, schedule time with the designer, and wait for the project to be completed. With online printing services, you can design your marketing materials and order them the same day.

Scalability Options

Because online printing companies handle large orders regularly, it is easy to get the products and services you need when you start to grow your business. If you're starting out small and your marketing campaign is doing well, you may want to print more postcards in the next run. Perhaps you want to include flyers, order new letterhead or design custom envelopes with your new logo. Online printing companies work with teams of design and print experts who can handle large jobs and get you the materials you need.

With brick and mortar printing companies, you may be at the mercy of the staff, who may be limited by other jobs. If you have an urgent need for flyers but the local sports team has a large order for banners and fundraising materials, your job may take a backseat. Online printing companies handle large jobs every day, so you can be assured that when you are ready to grow your business, your printer is ready to grow with you.

Flexible Shipping Options

Online printers often offer a variety of shipping and mailing options to make it easier to get your job out to your customers quickly. You can have your job printed and mailed to you, or you can choose from shipping services like Every Door Direct Mail, postcard mailing, and media mail. You can even have your online printing company address all of your pieces and stamp them in-house.

In addition, you can choose how you want to ship your materials and where you want them to go. If you have a project that has to be completed right away, your online printing company can rush them to you quickly.

Additional Business Services

One of the added benefits of using an online printing company is the additional services they provide for small businesses. Online printing companies offer logo design services, website creation and templates, and banner design. They also offer complete branding services including a full suite of products with your company's logo and tag line. Create one design and use it for postcards, stickers, letterhead, invoices, car magnets, banners, promotional products, and more.

The debate over whether print or digital is more effective is one that will likely rage on for years. Studies have shown that print marketing is still the gold standard when it comes to reaching the widest range of customers, and still offers the largest return on investment of any marketing vehicle.

Appealing to both Millenials and Baby Boomers alike, print has an enduring quality that means that it will always be here to stay. Whether you are looking to create mailers to gain new clients, design beautiful menus for your spa or restaurant, or simply looking for a new banner for your small business, you can't go wrong with online printing.

Using an online printing company is one of the best ways to get all of your printing needs in one place, while enjoying lowered costs, added flexibility, and a full suite of business and design services. If you need help or know what you want feel free to reach out to us or check out our work on getthingsprinted.com. Start your next print project today.