The Advantages & Disadvantages of Having Print Advertising

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Print media used to be one of the best options for advertisement strategy. It poses a lot of possibilities, and many companies can reach an audience with it. But as time goes, print advertising is starting to get overshadowed by digital media. However, even with that condition, the media still has its moment. 

Not just a little, but some advantages make traditional advertising still viable in the modern-day. It is still one of the most trusted methods to communicate and also bring out the cheapest options to work with. But at the same time, it also comes with its share of disadvantages which are mostly due to the shifting trend of publication. 

As business owners, companies need to pay attention and consider the print media. Advertising using physical items can come with its advantages and disadvantages. Thus, if you are interested in trying print advertising, make sure you learn some of these points before you get to the work. 

About Print Media Advertising 

All of the physical advertising you can find in the market is part of the print media. Long before the advertisement function, the print material itself used to be a publication and distance learning correspondence courses. As the industries find their advantages and disadvantages, people start to use the material to introduce brands and products. 

The material itself can come with ranges of text, copy, or graphics. It later states one of many advantages of the print media itself. Eventually, the advertising world is starting to pay more attention to the option. Those are the reasons why the options used to be the mass communication options. 

Anything physically printed on the paper will be under the print media sector. With the advantages that keep on enticing companies and businesses, the types of print advertising are blooming. There are hoardings, business cards, logos, catalogs, posters, banners, corporate presentations, and many more. Thus, the disadvantages are not a big concern. 

But at some point, digital media advertising started surging in the business world. It has more potential, advantages, and possibly lower cost than print. It later pinpoints some of the disadvantages of the traditional medium. But of course, the advancement of technology also turns print ads material get some changes and upgrades. 

There are some innovations in print advertising that blend both digital and traditional approaches. The use of QR codes, virtual reality, photo manipulation, and many more ideas make the media bloom again. Regardless of the advantages and disadvantages, physical promotion is still holding a serious note in the business realm. 

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Reasons To Go Back Into Print Ads 

If you wonder why people keep working with print advertising rather than digital media, most of it comes with reasonable excuses. The physical material itself has been one of the advertising methods for centuries. It is also found in many places or locations, which explains why companies consider the advantages and disregard the disadvantages.  

But there is also a sense of more trusted resources from the print material than digital. People know that the internet is brimming with bluff, false, misleading, or fake information. Thus, people working with print try to win their audience through a sense of trust and credibility. It turns into one of its advantages that overshadows varying disadvantages. 

However, the shifting trend and surging needs of digital media in marketing make this traditional method start to get forgotten. It relates to the disadvantages that point to its old and higher cost consequence. So, is it worth going back into physical or print advertising? Yes, of course. Both print and digital have their advantages and disadvantages, so nothing bad about trying.  

Why so? One of the reasons is that almost 34% of the consumer has higher trust in print media than digital ones. Many advantages come from the fact that the 18-23 y.o people have a better comprehension ability when reading print advertising. And there is also a finding that shows how Gen Z has magazine reading rates of about 9.1 per week.   

It shows that the disadvantages can easily be overlooked with the advantages. At the same time, given the situation, business goal, and marketing sales, the option is better than modern digital advertising. It tells that the ads still have a robust role in the marketing and business world. In other words, you can use print advertising as your main marketing media.   

To help you decide whether to use the advertising or not, here are some of the advantages and disadvantages highlighted to know beforehand. Thus, you can prepare, plan, and consider all of them up or down of the medium. It is best to learn for yourself and consider the use of the material for your business marketing needs. So you can get advantages and sidestep the disadvantages. 

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The Advantages 

1. Focus On Loyal Customer Base 

Print media advertising has loyal customer base advantages. How so? Most of the time, the ads themselves are published or appear in the monthly and weekly basis publication for a long time. One of the best examples is magazine advertising that has a specific theme. It helps to sidestep disadvantages such as unnecessary planning. 

You can post and feature your advertising in the print medium for months or so. The advantages of it are you will get massive exposure that goes for a longer period. It is a great point and moves to build up a loyal customer base. At some point, you can even create a subscription newspaper or mail for your customer. 

The subscription ideas work the same as the online promotion. But, the advantage of having physical media is a higher chance of interaction. People are bound to read magazines or newspapers compared to email. But again, the disadvantages of print advertising go to its higher cost and production process. 

Creating regular publications will cost more. While it does reach the specific guest, it can pile up the marketing budget. Even so, all of those disadvantages can be overshadowed by the higher ROI advantages. If planned correctly, print media advertising will be the greatest marketing people business can have while avoiding a range of disadvantages.  

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2. Has Higher ROI 

As mentioned before, print advertising has a high ROI. ROI or return on investment highlights the fact that the media can bring up a better retention or sales rate than the digital one. The unique point of these advantages goes to the ability of physical media that can be kept, re-read, and shared. 

The material helps elevate the audience's attention span. Since they can touch and feel the advertising, it will help them remember the content. The biggest example of the advantages is the magazine or newspaper in public places. You are likely to read it while waiting for your business. But since it has a physical medium, you will remember it even when leaving the location. 

The best trigger is looking at the same magazine in different locations. The advantages pinpoint that the target will be reminded of the information and take action. The ads also have a long shelf life. Public newspapers or magazines might be old, but it is gold since the media will increase the product exposure. It also avoids disadvantages, such as over budget or planning.  

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3. A Better Appealing Option For Visual Learner 

One of the advantages that show how print advertising is not a simple design work is the appeal. In this case, a killer ad design is key. Most of the time, companies try to attract people or target audiences with high-end P.R. qualities. It includes graphics, photography, typography, and catchy headlines. So, they can expect more advantages than disadvantages.

All of that effort goes to the fact that print media can be an appealing product to see. You can find cool-looking advertising in magazines, an inviting leaflet, or a puzzling brochure. A good marketing strategy is the real fuel of your ads. If you can nail the design point, the advantages and fewer disadvantages that come along are always worth expecting.  

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4. The Best For Local Targeting 

Small businesses or startups can take a lot of advantages and avoid disadvantages from using print media. One of them is local targeting. As the name says, it brings a bigger ROI for local businesses or organizations. Spreading messages using print advertising tends to reach people directly. Part of these advantages also includes trust-building. 

As a small business, new company, or growing startup, your credibility and trust are vital. You can hand out printed media such as leaflets, brochures, or catalogs directly to increase the sense of trust. You can also get some other advantages that allow you to reach more specific targets among local communities and avoid disadvantages (over budget).  

If you are talking about budget, the local targeting mostly has smaller quantities. In other words, local newspapers or magazines might not ask too much about the cost. Regardless of the advantages, the local publication also poses disadvantages. One of them is the limited target and reach. That is why print advertising is bound to be the best option for new local businesses.  

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5. Has Multiple Generation Reach 

While internet advantages are readily available and have varying social media, not all generations can work with the media. It is part of the disadvantages that you can find from digital advertising—the younger generation dominating the digital world. Meanwhile, the older group is hardly assimilated with the fast pace of technological advancement. 

On the contrary, one of the best advantages that you can get is the huge range of generations. Newspapers or magazines can come with multiple reader ranges. The senior group, adult, young adult, to teens, everyone can enjoy the print medium. It explains the higher ROI and exposure of physical advertising, which are the opposite disadvantages of digital.   

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6. Flexible 

If you think the advantages of this kind of marketing are limited to magazines or newspapers, then you are wrong. Print material has large options that you can work with. The newspaper and magazine used to be the best examples to choose from. However, you can also find other options that come with different advantages or disadvantages.  

You can make advertising in a range of mediums, such as leaflets, brochures, or billboards. It also comes with many features. If you are a cost-conscious person, make print advertising in different sizes such as small, big, full color, full pages, listing, etc. It explains the flexibility advantages for print media. 

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7. Develop Trust  

One of the best advantages that you can get is trust. Many customers and targets will have a feeling that you put money or investment into the advertising. Working like this means you are serious about the brand and business. Thus, it subconsciously builds trust in your brand and consumer. 

The trust point goes far to the retention value. People will buy products or services from businesses that they trust. It highlights some digital media disadvantages that show the internet is filled with questionable or false ads. That is why the advantages of using print advertising are trust-building and better retention value.   

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The Disadvantages 

1. Demand More Planning 

Working with print advertising is a very sensitive matter. It has quite a lot of points that need to be considered to make an effective ad. Thus, one of the worst disadvantages you have to face is thorough planning. Indeed, it is part of business and marketing strategy. But comprehensive planning will need a longer time. 

In other words, the problem relates to many other disadvantages. You have to pay a lot of attention to every element. For example, you got to plan the ad, consider the best copy and punchline, hire a professional designer, submit the job to the publication media, and process the payment. It is complex, time-consuming, and probably not worth doing. 

2. Has A Limited Audience 

Even though the advantages highlight better audience targeting and local exposure, they also indicate disadvantages. The issues of print advertising are its limited audience reach. It is not the best option if your goal is to reach a bigger audience or global reach. One of the reasons goes to the more directed design, plan, and budget. 

Most of the time, print advertising comes with a definite design that states its specific target audience. As an example, teen girls are starting to learn about cosmetics. The element of the ads will have a definite theme. To reach different targets, the company needs to make alterations for the commercial, or else it will not hit the right target. That is one of many disadvantages.  

Doing so will have many more disadvantages. You have to work longer to make different designs, plans, and research. Not only that, the tally for the marketing budget will soar. That is why it is very rare to find print advertising that is meant for global reading. Except it goes with the global publication, international magazine, or so. Thus, it can cover the disadvantages.    

3. Require A Specific Target Audience 

As said before, you need to plan thoroughly about print advertising. Thus, you got to work with researching the target audience. It is one of the disadvantages that can be a time-consuming effect. You got to be clear about the demographic, the audience, the market, and the publication to ensure your advertising hits the mark.  

4. Has Higher Cost 

A big oops and problem that many print advertising needs to consider is the cost. Some of the printed media can be highly expensive, such as the billboard one. But of course, you don't have to work at that level. One of the many advantages is that you can choose different mediums to fit your budget. Thus, you can avoid all of the following disadvantages. 

5. Hard To Be Unique 

One of the challenges and disadvantages that companies need to be aware of is the difficulty of being unique. Working in marketing and publication means you got to ensure the brand or product is recognizable. But, with the limitation in printed media (fewer elements than digitals), it means you will have a hard time making a distinctive design. 

Some of the disadvantages regarding design come from the possibilities of low-quality print. You need high-quality pictures or photography to avoid pixelation. But again, the final print advertising can look crappy with bad printing equipment. The placement and competitors are also mostly found in the same location, which makes the competition fiercer. 

6. There Is Time Delay 

The last and most noticeable of many disadvantages of print advertising is time delays. Even though the advantages mention flexibility, the production and the planning can take time. It can take days or weeks to ensure the ads travel between the company and the audience. Thus, plan it properly. So the time and ROI will work hand in hand.  

Conclusion

Based on that information, it is safe to say that print advertising does have its moments and advantages for business. Exclusively for a startup or small business that has to start with the local market. The option is readily available, flexible, and also has a high ROI. Though, one needs to pay attention to planning, budgeting, researching, and publishing.