Today, many companies focus on email marketing, blogging, video and social media marketing to raise brand awareness, increase website traffic and boost sales. The one medium that is largely overlooked is print media.
It makes sense; according to Statista, revenue for the U.S. newspaper industry shrunk by about $4.5 billion between 2011 and 2018, and respected publications such as The New York Times and The Washington Post have had extensive layoffs. This downward trend is predicted to continue in coming years, and some publications have resorted to putting their content behind paywalls to survive.
Just because the future of the newspaper industry is grim, marketers don’t need to forsake print in 2019. Print provides incredible marketing opportunities that digital cannot, and will not, ever be able to offer.
According to MarketingProfs, 92% of 18- to 23-year-olds find it easier to read print over digital content and the response rate for direct-mail marketing is 37% higher than the email rate. When making purchasing decisions, consumers trust print advertisements 34% more than they trust search engine ads.
Print media is not going away anytime soon. In fact, it’s an effective way for marketers to stand out from their competitors and attract audiences. The following are reasons why marketers should still be investing in print in 2019.
The payoff for print ads is often higher than digital ones. People keep print publications in their home, re-reading articles or sharing with others. When those publications live in doctors’ offices or other public spaces, they get a longer shelf life and will be seen by more people. When people see ads online, they may forget them in an instant. If they see them repeatedly while flipping through a magazine, that message is more likely to stick.
People think that younger generations are so addicted to their screens that they’re no longer reading print. But looking at statistics, the opposite is true, and younger generations are reading almost as much as older ones. According to MNI, Baby Boomers read 9.2 magazines per month, Gen Xers read 9.1 and Millennials read 8.9.
Gen Zers, or people born between 1995 and 2012, have been hailed as the saviors of the future of print media. According to Folio, even though they’re obsessed with their phones, the average Gen Zer will still read magazines for about an hour every week.
Plus, 61% of Gen Zers believe their peers would benefit from unplugging more. Even though they grew up with technology, they see the value in print media and unplugging when consuming content. According to research from MNI, “Gen Z may breathe new life into print — preferring to use newspapers and magazines [without] interruption and trusting these publications over other media to deliver credible information.”
When marketers invest in print media, they’re targeting the younger generation. This is going to pay off in the years ahead, as Gen Z will become the largest generation of consumers by 2020.
Marketers looking to increase revenue for their clients can sells ads and charge subscribers for print publications, which increases clients’ bottom lines. Advertising sales and print subscriptions are more tangible ROIs than, say, social media or email marketing.
If marketers work with clients that have members and/or associations,these clients have built-in audiences that enjoy reading print publications to learn about upcoming events and classes, news about their members and career development opportunities. These publications are distributed at member meetings and association gatherings, increasing loyalty to the associations as well as membership numbers.
Most businesses or organizations are investing in digital and forgetting about print. If marketers want to be unique in this competitive environment for consumers’ attention, they can think outside the box and develop print publications. Going “old school” can give them that edge they’re looking for.
The research is clear: Consumers trust print media above all other types of media, including digital news outlets and social media platforms. According to a Kantar poll of 8,000 consumers in the U.S., France, Brazil and the U.K., printed news magazines are the most trusted resource for news, followed by 24/7 TV news, radio bulletins and national newspapers. The print versions of national newspapers were more trusted than the newspapers’ websites.
If marketers want to help their clients establish trust among consumers, investing in print media is the way to go. Since customers buy from those they trust, this can lead to higher sales for their clients.
Sixty-five percent of people are visual learners. Marketers can appeal to a majority of the population with print media full of great visuals. Visual, printed media is especially attractive in a time when consumers have to read so much content, including social media feeds, texts and emails on their devices day in and day out.
Print media is not going anywhere. Marketers can increase their clients’ revenue, gain consumers’ trust, attract visual learners and younger readers and much more by investing in this medium. Are you ready to start experiencing the benefits of print in 2019?
