We all know that the COVID-19 pandemic has encouraged an extreme shift in marketing and advertising. Many people are still wondering if print advertising is still worth it? They wonder why as a business owner you should be investing in print ads when you have so many great digital options nowadays.
The truth is, digital advertising has major strengths that print advertising can’t replicate, but it has its own advantages that digital advertising can’t replicate either. For example, you can measure the effectiveness of a digital ad campaign by seeing how many people saw your ad, clicked on it, and converted. You can also isolate precise demographics such as age, gender, etc.
Although you cannot see those same results from print advertising, there are many advances to advertising in a reputable magazine or newspaper with an established audience.
Read the rest of our blog post to find out how print advertising has an edge over digital advertising.
Consumers Trust Print Ads
You can think of print advertising as the tried and true form of advertising. Consumers have seen print advertising for much longer than they have digital advertising, therefore they are more comfortable purchasing a product or service based on their experience.
Below you will find a chart from Marketing Sherpa, where they display a graph that proves consumers continued trust with print advertising.
With this information, it is safe to say that print advertising is still a necessary form of advertising and should be included in your advertising budget.
People Remember Print Ads
Due to the lack of clutter in print advertising in comparison to digital advertising, consumers have made it known that they are more likely to remember an advertisement from traditional print ads because they leave a lasting impression, ultimately leading to more sales.
Don’t get us wrong, there are still distractions in newspapers and magazines, but there are generally fewer of them and you physically move through the advertisements and interact with the content.
There have been studies that show that physical ads activate a different part of the brain than digital ads, and viewing them provokes and emotion, which is important for memory and brand associations.
Long-Lasting and Tangible
Have you ever kept a wedding announcement or obituary listing from the newspaper? Print advertising is a tangible object that can be kept and hung on the fridge. It lasts for years to come, without constantly popping up on your Facebook newsfeed as a reminder.
This goes similarly with print advertising. It lasts until the content they’re attached to no longer has value, whereas digital advertising is not tangible and will last for a predetermined amount of time. When you purchase a magazine or newspaper, it lives on your counter, desk, or coffee table, and your ads stay there until the entire magazine goes into the recycling bin, or to someone else’s desk for review.
Print advertising provides consumers with a physical product, making it more impressionable and personable, ultimately adding a human touch that people still yearn for. Digital advertising offers a huge advantage due to the fact that you can see quick results and make adjustments, but print ads take longer to reach their maximum value as they go from hand-to-hand and consumer-to-consumer. Both forms of advertising offer their own unique lasting value.
Readers Engage With Physical Content
If you’ve ever produced a bland ad for your own business or for another business, you understand the negative effects it might have on your business. When it comes to print advertising, even a bland ad can benefit your business. People subscribe to magazines based on their interests, and the ads are part of that because they align with the rest of the content within the magazine.
What we are trying to say is, oftentimes magazine subscribers actually WANT to read the advertisements. The advertisements are a part of the experience, rather than the interruption. Think of a magazine or a newspaper as the whole of the content, with information inside that individuals choose to study or explore with passion.
For example, if you are reading a Vogue magazine, you are not going to see ads with power tools. Instead, you will see the Vogue lifestyle portrayed throughout the rest of the magazine. With digital advertising, you will likely see advertisements related to whatever you were recently looking at on Amazon.
Wrapping It Up
Even with the COVID-19 pandemic adjusting the way in which we do business, it is important to keep print advertising efforts within your advertising and marketing budget. Digital advertising is a great form of advertising when it comes to quick results and collecting data. However, if you are looking to penetrate your market, print advertising should be utilized. You are providing consumers with something tangible and memorable, that will engage your audience and leave a lasting impression.
If you are looking for an incredible experience with a local and well-established print advertising reputation, reach out to CW Print & Design located in Barre, Vermont. The company has been providing print and copy solutions since 1994 and has evolved exponentially since then. Nowadays, they offer an array of equipment options and services, as well as a new production floor that supports the addition of the new state-of-the-art digital production equipment that is expected in the coming years.
