More Marketers Weigh in on the Value of Print

nike-liftAs the world went digital, many businesses did too. Yet what did they risk by cutting traditional media out of the loop?

“Many people have started using the Internet as their primary source for networking and information,” writes Katherine Halek in Entrepreneur. “Because of this, you might have considered cutting your print promotions, or at least downsizing them significantly. What if you looked at print and social ads as two sides of the same coin instead? By learning how they work together, you can get much more mileage out of your advertising, and both you and your customers will profit.”

Halek goes on to give some fairly basic and straightforward advice on how to engage with fans and potential customers on social channels, then gets to the heart of the matter that so many businesses seem to overlook these days.

“Find out where your target market spends their offline time and advertise there. Don’t say so much on your print ads that viewers can find out all they want to know about you without ever getting online,” Halek advises. “Tease just enough information to show that you deal with a topic of interest to them. Then direct them to your web presence to learn more.”

We are hearing this drumbeat from many corners lately, with other digital marketing experts advising a fresh look at print. And Halek offers a final bit of wisdom:

“If you try to outrun the world’s progress toward digital conversion by moving your business exclusively to online interactions, much of your potential audience will miss your advertising, and you will lose out on important opportunities for growth,” she notes.

As we’ve said time and again, it’s not an either/or situation. Digital absolutely has its usefulness, but it has not and is not likely to ever replace the marketing mojo of the printed piece.