Print vs. Digital Marketing

Print vs. digital marketing, which is the right choice for your business? With technology evolving, marketing has come a long way. Gone are the days of reading a printed newspaper. We visit local news sites, FB, Instagram, and Google what we want. People like their information on demand, and this is one of the primary reasons why social channels such as YouTube have grown so vast. 

The move to digital marketing gives you a huge opportunity to expand your business’s reach. You can now get your message directly in the eyes of people who need to see it when they need to see it. 

The primary goal of marketing is to reach your best customers. Outside of actually being physically present, a business must understand the ideal method for advertising their products and services. Historically that has always been face-to-face or Print.

Being in front of a potential new lead isn’t always viable; Print has historically helped to fill this gap by providing another way to reach clients. Now we are in the digital age, and with that comes a more effective way to market to your audience.  

The downside to physical presence in the modern world is the fact that time has become more and more of a scarcity. To cater for this, we have switched between several methodologies for marketing and reaching out to people. Businesses want to connect with as many people as possible in the shortest time. This is where advertisements come into play.

The question arises, how does a business target its best demographic and customer base efficiently? A physical presence will generally outweigh most other forms of marketing; however, it is time-consuming and needs human resources. Print advertising is costly and hits a vast audience. You may be missing the mark entirely with Print, radio, or TV advertising as these methods market to the masses instead of your ideal demographic.

Over the years, we have religiously relied on printed advertisements. Ever since the growth of digital media platforms, people have started doubting the effectiveness of printed publications. We are going to go through a comparison between Print and Digital Marketing to find out which is better?

Print Advertisements

Print media, as the name suggested, refers to brochures, advertisements, anything and everything that has a physical existence and can be used to advertise a service or a product.

Usage & Type of Business

Being smart about your advertisement is the first thing you need to work on, your ad depicts the image of your business, and thereby you need to be up to the mark on your advertisement.

Another vital factor to consider is the type of business you are advertising. For example, if you are opening a Gymnasium or a local food stall and you are targeting local people, then the best way to go could be local print media if you are trying to build awareness. The same will not apply if you are in the business of selling online.

Looking at this from a different perspective, there’s a low chance of someone who lives 10 miles away to travel to your gym, especially when there are closer options. Hence a printed advertisement may work better to target residents in the area. In terms of a digital solution, Google Local Ads is also a fully scalable and results-driven option. 

Trust & Credibility 

When discussing print vs. digital marketing, audiences tend to trust print advertisements more than digital ads. This is primarily because you come across several published ads when searching. It is hard to decipher what the best choice is.

We usually use our digital space for things that are of interest to us; for instance, if we get an advertisement in the shape of an email, we tend to overlook it. Comparing this to your home’s mailbox, people tend to be curious about what lands in there.

Focused 

How many times have you clicked on an advertisement or a video link that misleads you into something else? We are sure it has been several times, but that is how the internet works and how some people manipulate the system to make money.

In the digital world, your clicks are making someone money. Even if you are clicking on something that may not lead you to what you expected, the goal of the publisher gets fulfilled. There is a lot of distraction in the shape of clickbait and marketeers/businesses fighting for attention online.

Value & Significance

Print media has proven to have a higher significance when it comes to value. There is a sentimental value when it comes to a written word. The time and effort that went into writing are appreciated. 

Furthermore, it is easier to delete an email or walk-by a search ad as compared to throwing away a physical brochure. The upside to this is that there is a higher chance of initial visibility when it comes to print advertisements. However, printed ad reach ends with this, whereas digital publications can be pushed over and over again to the same interested clients. What some call in the marketing world retargeting. 

Digital Marketing

There are several reasons why the switch from print media to digital media became inevitable. There are numerous advantages under the belt of Digital Advertisements, such as:

Visibility

Our lives are heavily dependent on digital gadgets and tools; the inception of smartphones, for instance, took away so many other things and packed them into one fancy package. An average smartphone user checks his/her social media account 17 times a day and spends over 5.4 hours every day on their social media accounts.

The goal is to attract as much attention as possible, and that is where digital media takes the cake.

Targeting & Reach

The digital world has been segregated based on several criteria, including and not limited to location, demographics, gender, age, interest, and several others. Having the liberty of choosing exactly the type of audience you want to attract is like a superpower. Keeping your product or service in mind, you can attract the exact audience you wish to attract.

Reachability is a definite advantage; you can sell your product around the world, and all it takes is punching several buttons on the keyboard combined with a couple of clicks. Expanding your brand is as simple as it can get, and your reach is as broad as you want to go.

Time and Money Efficiency

Digital advertisements are not just time-efficient, but they are also money efficient. Imagine how much effort and time it would take to distribute printed brochures within a 3-mile radius. Furthermore, the density of the population you can cover with the help of digital advertisements is far higher.

Conclusion

If you have ever taken a class or an online lecture about marketing, the first thing that you are taught is “knowing your audience.” This thought process covers most of the things that will help guide your digital marketing decisions. When analyzing print vs. digital marketing the best way to choose a specific methodology is to define your goals. Once goals are defined you can make an informed decision to either use digital or printed advertisements. This is generally based on data and comparing both programs to see which performs better for your particular business.

Never be afraid of combining both; it can help with a better Return on Investment or (ROI). Printed media has proven to deliver ROI if done for the right business and target audience. Print ads will not be applicable or cost-effective for all businesses; therefore, understanding and defining your requirements should always hold more preference.

With digital advertising at the forefront of marketing, it’s imperative to keep up with your competition. At Business Nucleus, we have helped many of our clients make the transition from Print to Digital Advertising. We analyze your current marketing structure, see what has worked and what hasn’t, then help you build an optimized digital strategy that circumvents or adds to your existing Print strategy. 

If you’re still stuck in the world of Print and don’t have any idea on how to transition or which steps to take to build your online presence, give us a call. We can discuss print vs. digital marketing and the best solution for your business.

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