Does Print Advertising Still Effective in Modern Days?

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Advertising and marketing need constant change or updates. The ever-changing interest, bandwagon, and details make the industry promotion have vast options. Companies can work around digital or printed media. But there is an assumption that modern days still put huge appreciation upon physical media. Is that true? Yes, it is. 

Physical media, such as print advertising, still has a significant role in business. Products such as newspapers, brochures, direct mail, or magazine are bound to have a better return than a digital one. How so, and is it still an effective method despite the surging interest of modern internet ads? Here are the details that will give you some insight into the idea. 

About Print Advertising 

What is it? As the name says, print advertising refers to physically printed media to reach customers on a broad scale. The main point of the idea is that it bore the form of hard copy, which can be different based on its publication types. As a printed media, the advertisements are the opposite of modern high-tech commercials. 

Due to the surging interest of the internet and online ad, many people are starting to offer their brand in modern ways. However, it does not mean that it is not effective in modern society. It still brings a better conversion rating than the online promotion. How so? There are many reasons behind it. 

But when it comes to advertising, modern media are way cheaper and more diverse. It possesses a lot of possibilities in the form of ideas and location. You can work with social media, websites, or email. Meanwhile, print media make the total opposite of modern marketing. It is physical, limited, yet straightforward and interactive. 

Yes, you can find most of the print advertisements in modern publications. It is found in magazines, newspapers, direct mail, or brochures. The number of companies that use the media in this modern society might decline. But from 2015 to 2019, the rates of annual print advertising reach up to about $25 billion. It proves that the ads are still viable in this modern era. 

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Reasons To Use Printed Advertising 

But, why do people spend more money to work with print media if they can save more with modern technology? There is a range of motives behind the use of print advertising. While it does not provide options as much as online tech, but the physical P.R. are still loved by people. How can it still be effective? Here are some reasons that will answer your question.

1. Has High Conversion Rates 

What do you want from creating an advertisement? Either modern or traditional methods, the goal of the advertising is basically to make more sales and widen the brand recognition. Do modern internet ads offer this kind of objective? It does. You can make a wider range of audiences through the internet, but print advertising has higher conversion rates. 

It is one of the reasons why this kind of print media advertising is still viable in modern society. According to the CMO council statistic, the different number of responses between the direct mail and online email ads are very significant. 80% of people will respond to the physical direct mail ads. Meanwhile, the online email ads response is about 50%.

It is a confidence that shows how print advertising has better effectiveness than modern tech. But is it balanced with the marketing cost? One sure thing is that print media demand a higher cost compared to digital ads. However, due to its high conversion rates, you can consider it is a more substantial investment. 

Not only in the form of direct mail, but most of the print advertising also has a high level of response. Modern societies that are bound to work with gadgets still appreciate the use of physical objects. Advertising such as business cards, banners, newspapers, or brochures are bound to trigger people to take action. It later affects the conversion rates to be higher. 

However, there is also a great use of traditional and modern technology simultaneously. To get higher sales, online tech allows companies to blend the two methods. As an example, you can look at the use of QR codes or other interactive features within print advertising. The idea is to make both print and digital publicity work synergistically. 

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2. Can Reach People 

Have you ever wondered how many times you skip notifications or ads on the internet? Even though modern media and ads offer convenience, many are not reaching people. In other words, the promotion messages simply miss the target. It is one of the reasons why print advertising is still viable and effective despite the surging use of internet ads. 

The highlight point goes to the fact that printed media make people interact in ways that are different from modern digital advertising. You might not realize it, but print or physical media are easier to remember. Many people might read, learn, and save the physical promotion for later. It turns out the simple gesture helps deliver the message. 

At some point, the modern print design also has a lot of potentials. With the help of digital design applications and high-quality printing, you can make an appealing physical advertisement that leaves an impression. In general, the product or service mentioned in print media has a higher value than the online ads. How so? It can relate to credibility and trust-building. 

But if you want to consider how print advertising reaches consumers, it is better to see the audience's reaction. Most of the time, the ads demand customers to spend more time reviewing the message. With that point, customers can absorb more information, emotional reaction and consider the product more valuable. What does it mean? 

Since customers spend time reading the print and reviewing the advertising, they are bound to take action. Thus, it will elevate the conversion rates. It turned out to be true. Modern technology might allow wider ranges of options or creativity, but does it reach people? Not so much. Modern society can click ads or emails as spam or ignore digital promotions easily.  

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3. A Powerful Implementation For Demographic Targeting

If you know how important the target demographic is, you will see that print advertising always hits the mark. As long as you have a significant amount of research and marketing strategy, it is. In other words, using print media over modern digital ads might help you reach the target demographic. 

While it is true that online technology allows companies to refine their advertising effort digitally, you can do the same with printed media. With the help of modern technology, you can use both methods in one advertisement. The trick behind it is to break down the loyal customer base on the proper demographics. 

After that, you can make a clear target for the print ads in designated publications. It should be related to the related demographic. An example is the pet lover audience that is looking for healthy food and assortment. They are most likely to go to publications such as pet magazines or related books. 

You can use the publication as a way to reach the audience. Put your print advertising in the magazine, and you will get the proper response. The response and the target reaching are way better than using modern email blasting. It is not a surprise since the audience can feel the correlation between the interest and the advertising. 

However, it also has a big correlation with audience experience. Many people want to subscribe to physical content such as newspapers or magazines to learn new skills or indulge themselves in personal passion. Your magazine ads will also turn into part of the experience. It later helped the sales and conversion rate hike up. 

If you are looking for a better experience and use of advertising, it is also possible to combine it with highly targeted digital campaigns. Modern targeted digital advertising that comes along with print media can be in the form of QR codes. If you do so, it will increase the number of customer interactions and the likelihood of purchasing the product. 

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4. Can Build Trust And Creates Credibility 

Why do you think the alteration rate of print media is better than the modern digital one? One of the reasons is credibility and trust-building. Many companies or small businesses work around print advertising to entice customer trust. Despite the rise of modern technology, physical ads help create a sense of credibility. 

How so? Part of the reason goes to the fact that the internet is rife with misleading, fake, and false information. A modern company can spend hours, thousands of money and fine-tuning the website or digital email marketing. Yet, there are times that it fails to establish a sense of trust and credibility. That is where print advertising turns into the best option. 

The effectiveness of print media in modern society stands out in this regard. The use of higher-budget advertising creates an automatic assumption that it is coming from a reputable and established company. At some point, the traditional print is on par with the modern TV ads but way better than online advertising. 

In a survey by Nielson, the highest ad format that helps to build trust is led by TV ads. The number second to four is print advertising, such as newspaper, magazine, or billboard. There are also brochures in number seven, one point behind the online videos. It shows that a large portion of the list is dominated by print media over the modern online ones. 

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5. Provide Bigger Attention Span

Part of the reason why print advertising has a higher conversion rate is the ability to have a bigger attention span. The design can vary from one to another. You can make it with a traditional method or modern design, which later makes a brand identity. Surprisingly, this kind of unique point will help increase the attention span. 

What is the attention span? It is a term that refers to how people pay attention to the content. The physical print media help the promotion message to reach the customer. Meanwhile, the modern online digital age kills the attention span. You easily get distracted when reading on your gadget. It also implies the high possibilities of multitasking using technologies. 

It is especially true since you can easily open different tabs and do other activities, such as texting or reading other information. At some point, the modern media are easily diverting one attention. Thus, you are bound to miss the advertising message. That is why online marketing is not always an effective tool to elevate business sales. 

On the other hand, the physical media work as a definite point of interest. Most of the time, people hardly multitask when reading newspapers or magazines. Providing print advertising in such publications is the trick. They will read and understand the information better. It is also great to reach specific audiences and get the proper sales from the publicity. 

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6. The Sensation Of Being Unplugged 

A surprise element that shows print advertising is still effective in modern days is the sense of being unplugged. So, due to the rise of technology and modern gadgets, humans are starting to become obsessed with the media. It is human nature to get obsessed with something new, and in this case, modern technology is the culprit. 

You can see how long humans can spend using smartphones or computers. It makes them realize the value of unplugging from now and then helps them to rest. When people find themselves staying away from the modern digital world, they are bound to get back on the traditional media. Using print advertising can be a solution to this kind of condition.

7. The Ranges Of Flexibility And Options 

Of course, you cannot make a range of videos or moving pictures in print advertising. But it does not mean you are limited in term of options. There are many ways you can get creative with physical commercials. Starting from deciding the audience, you will find the best basic design for your advertising. It can be in the form of publication. 

If you are going for a newspaper, you will need to find the proper section for the advertising. It is also possible to work around your budget. You got the chance to make simple low-budget print or modern ad designs with colors or effects. Or maybe you can add a modern detail such as QR code, website link, etc. Your options are endless. 

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Samples Of Printed Advertising 

Printed media bring a lot of possible flexibilities and models. It is also very adaptable for any kind of product and brand in multiple formats. However, there are some of the most powerful print advertising models that are still loved in the modern days. Here are some of the ideas that you can use for your commercial. 

1. Magazine

If you want advertising that has a more direct and designated audience, a magazine will be the best option. It is also one of the popular publications options that have constant subscriptions and productions. The magazine publication also tends to have a specific target industry or demographic audience, which later helps you stick to your goal and market. 

Having printed ads in magazines can give you ranges of high-definition display and design. At some point, modern magazine layout and detailing come with colors, high-quality material, and content. It brings out a vast potential creative idea for companies that want to make advertising in such publication media. It also has a wide range of audiences, from young to senior. 

2. Newspaper

Newspaper is still one of the most enquired print media in public and society. Despite the online availability, many people still prefer the physical newspaper to read. It is part of the reasons you will need to consider newspapers as your print advertising publication. It is a powerful marketing tool with proactive, engaging, trustworthy, and affordable options to choose from. 

3. Direct mail

Despite the use of modern email, direct physical mail still has its charm. Using this advertising idea will help you reach a specific demographic audience. At the same time, using physical print helps you monitor and maintain the result or budget. You can see it as a modern-day traditional marketing idea that is highly individualized with many flexible criteria.  

4. Brochure 

With the modern-day starting to work as technology-driver culture, a physical brochure is a way to unplug from your online life. As a marketing tool, the use of traditional brochures helps pinpoint the brand's personality, credibility, authority, and trust. Print advertising also has a range of formats and flexibility. So, you can work around your budget, goal, or audience. 

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Conclusion

Using printed ads might sound pretty out of trend or old. However, the physical objects are bound to make better credibility, trust, and conversion rates. It is especially true since modern society finds print as their way to unplug from technology. It is effective in a way it brings out the traditional human nature that loves physical objects.