Despite attempts by some marketers to convince the rest of us that print media is a thing of the past, the more savvy ones amongst us know that this observation is definitely wide of the mark and print media is actually getting bigger and better than at any time in the past.
The figures speak for themselves
A good starting point to kill the argument that print media is in decline would be to take a look at figures produced by a Statista study, which showed that in the United States during 2014, companies spent over $44 billion on direct mail marketing.
This is an annual spend figure which has remained at much the same level and certainly hasn’t declined since 2009, and it also supports the observation that the use of print media is as strong as ever.
Although these figures relate to U.S spending, they have relevancy to the way the UK uses print media and we often follow similar paths in both countries in terms of trends.
Interestingly, another survey carried out by Compu-Mail was able to provide further compelling evidence that the obituaries for print media were not justified, as they reported that 92% of young shoppers actually preferred direct mail marketing when it came to making purchasing decisions.
That is very interesting to hear when you consider that these are consumers brought up in a digital age and it seems that many of us, whatever our age, seem to agree that mail is more personal than the internet.
Advantages over digital counterparts
When you take a closer look, there is plenty of evidence to support the observation that print media has a number of distinct advantages when compared with its digital counterparts.
A print piece offers something tangible because of its physical presence, so something printed like a magazine or a brochure can stay around for months whereas an internet advert simply disappears with the next click of your mouse.
Even when you find that the ink cartridge finished during the print run, a quick change and you back up and running and ready to produce something that has the potential to make a much bigger impact than when it is viewed online.
You could also argue that printed media carries a greater sense of legitimacy and credibility, especially when you compare it to the proliferation of banner adverts and pop-ups that invade our viewing space online.
Less crowded marketplace
Another big selling point and a strong reason to favour the use of print media is that with a good number of businesses deciding to concentrate solely on advertising via the internet, this provides you with a great opportunity to reach people in a less crowded marketplace.
The perceived decline of print publication creates a marketing advantage that can give your business an edge, and allows you to stand out from the crowd and get your message across effectively.
The best way to market your business is a multi-disciplined approach that uses all available channels, so make sure you make use of print media as well as online initiatives, as your bottom line will testify, print media is very much alive.
John Sollars runs a successful printing ink business. Whenever he has the chance, he likes to share what has worked for him with others. You can read his articles mostly on business, marketing and technology websites.
