July 15, 2024
5 Ways to Leverage Print in Multichannel Marketing
Multichannel marketing is pivotal in today's digital age, with the print industry playing a crucial role in its success. Take for instance a local bakery using outdoor banners to promote its new offerings and draw customers into its store. Print materials offer tangible engagement and brand visibility unmatched by digital channels alone.
If you think your digital marketing strategies aren’t working as well as they should, it’s worth checking out how print materials can support your efforts.
In this article, we'll delve into the critical function print plays in multichannel marketing strategies for businesses. From its tangible appeal to its ability to enhance brand visibility, we'll explore ways you can leverage print to amplify your marketing campaign across various channels.
What is Multichannel Marketing?
Multichannel marketing involves engaging customers through various channels to promote your brand and offerings. These channels include traditional media such as brochures, billboards, and product packaging, as well as digital platforms like online ads, search engine marketing, and social media.
The goal is to expand reach, boost sales, and interact with customers in different ways.
However, don’t confuse multichannel marketing with omnichannel. Multichannel marketing promotes products on specific channels, engaging customers through various touch points independently. On the other hand, omnichannel marketing utilizes all available mediums to offer a cohesive brand experience.
Let’s say you’re a tech brand selling noise-canceling headphones. A customer might see your product through targeted advertisements on various platforms and devices. This information can support their purchasing decision. This is an example of using print in multichannel marketing.
On the other hand, potential customers see your brand on a brochure from a tech event featuring a QR code leading to your website. Here they can find detailed info, videos, and reviews about your product and make purchases. The brochure also includes an exclusive promo code for customers to use at checkout. This approach exemplifies omnichannel marketing.
5 Benefits of Print in Multichannel Marketing
Contrary to popular belief, print is not dead. In fact, print plays a critical role in complementing and maximizing the effectiveness of digital communications channels. Here are some ways physical marketing materials can support your promotional campaigns.
1. Boosted brand awareness
Unlike digital channels, print materials have a lasting appeal in the physical environment, reinforcing brand presence and recognition over time. This heightened visibility can solidify your position in the minds of consumers, making it more likely they'll remember and consider you when making purchasing decisions.
2. Better understanding of customers
Not all customers find businesses and products online; print materials like banners, billboards, posters, and brochures still play a big role in brand awareness.
For example, analyzing the locations where billboards receive the most attention can help you better understand where your most profitable market is. Similarly, distributing flyers with attached coupons allows you to track redemption rates and analyze customer responses, providing further insights into their preferences and purchasing behavior.
3. Increased customer engagement
Print materials provide a tactile and immersive experience that digital channels often lack. Whether it's flipping through a catalog, perusing a magazine, or receiving a personalized direct mail piece, print materials capture attention and encourage deeper interaction with the brand.
Studies show that millennials, in particular, enjoy reading through catalogs because it evokes nostalgic feelings. They believe it provides a more immersive and sensory shopping experience similar to traditional retail, which engages them differently than online shopping.
This type of engagement fosters stronger emotional ties between the customer and the brand, leading to increased brand loyalty, repeat purchases, and positive word-of-mouth recommendations.
4. Credibility
In an age of digital overload and online scams, printed marketing materials offer a sense of legitimacy and authenticity that brands can't always achieve through digital channels alone. Customers tend to perceive print materials as more trustworthy and reliable, leading to greater confidence in your brand’s offerings.
This trust-building aspect of print marketing can greatly impact purchase decisions and contribute to long-term customer loyalty and satisfaction.
5. Cost efficiency
You may think that printing brochures, cards, or signs is expensive. In reality, printed materials are inexpensive as it relates to cost per action (CPA) or customer acquisition cost (CAC). This is because print is a tactile medium that can create greater impact on the recipient through added recall and retention. In direct mail, for example, one high-quality printed mailer that the recipient touches and handles can have much more emotional impact than a hundred emails or social media posts. Plus, with database targeting, print can reach your targeted audience with minimal reduced waste.
Print materials last longer than digital ads, giving ongoing visibility without constant investment. This cost-effectiveness helps you allocate your marketing budget wisely, reaching more people across different channels without overspending.
5 Ways to Leverage Print in Multichannel Marketing
Despite the benefits above, incorporating print into your multichannel campaign still requires a lot of work and consideration. Follow the tips below to ensure your print materials generate results.
1. Set campaign goals
Do you want to increase brand awareness or generate leads with your printed marketing materials? Defining goals can give your campaign some direction and help you measure its success. Remember to make your objectives SMART—specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.
Suppose you own a clothing brand and recently released a new collection. You can highlight it using brochures or catalogs. Set a goal for the percentage increase in sales of promoted items or the number of inquiries generated from customers interested in the showcased products.
2. Understand interactive technology
Technologies like QR codes, augmented reality (AR), or 3D printing can bridge the gap between print and digital channels, enhancing customer engagement and driving action. Hence, consider incorporating them into your printed marketing materials.
This way, you can create immersive experiences and even impress customers with out-of-the-box ideas.
3. Utilize digital marketing channels
If you have a strong online presence, you can use your digital channels alongside print materials to enhance your reach and amplify your multichannel marketing efforts. This combination creates a cohesive brand presence across multiple touchpoints, maximizing visibility and engagement.
One thing you can do is use social media to promote coupons you’re distributing in-store. You can also send out digital versions of your print materials via email as attachments or embedded images, inviting recipients to learn more about your offerings.
4. Use eye-catching design
Did you know that the human brain processes images 60,000 times faster than text? This fact highlights the importance of distributing well-designed printed marketing materials.
Vibrant colors, captivating imagery, and visually appealing layouts can draw customer attention and encourage them to engage with the content. Investing in professional graphic design that aligns with your brand’s aesthetic and messaging ensures your print materials are memorable and stand out to your intended audience.
5. Emphasize calls to action
Directs readers on what action to take after engaging with your print materials. For example, you can encourage them to follow you on social media or scan the QR code to directly access the product they’re looking for on your website and on different devices.
Strategically placing CTAs throughout print materials and using persuasive language that communicates the value proposition can help you drive conversions and achieve your multi channel advertising campaign objectives more effectively.
Print Marketing is Thriving
From boosting brand awareness to providing tangible engagement, print materials offer unique advantages that digital channels cannot replicate. By integrating print into your multichannel marketing campaign, you can effectively reach and meaningfully engage your target audience.
Don't overlook the impact of print on your marketing efforts. Take advantage of its benefits with the help of a reliable printing services provider like Intermedia Print Solutions. We provide various printing options to support your promotional efforts, whether they’re banner stands for event marketing or brochures for boosting your product launches.
Place an order or request an estimate for your print materials today.
