Is Print Still Relevant?

There's been quite a bit of talk lately about the explosion of digital media, specifically mobile media, and the importance both play in a company's marketing plan. We happily agree it would be foolish to ignore this medium, however it would be just as silly to claim that with the advent of social media, online media and mobile media, print advertising is unnecessary and, for all intents and purposes, dead.

While we'll probably be reading digital versions of magazines and newspapers on handheld tables in the future, that time isn't here yet.

Fliers are still distributed. Letters are still sent. Contracts are still printed on company letterhead. Business cards are still handed out. And the vehicle for this is print. In this highly technological age, print media is still a vital marketing tool and it will be for the foreseeable future.

Instead of replacing one with the other, most savvy business owners have recognized the importance in building an online presence not in isolation, but in addition to a solid library of paper-based marketing material (sell sheets, marketing packages, brochures, etc.). Even the big guys recognize print is still a perfectly viable means to reach new and existing consumers.

We're not suggesting you hop on the bandwagon and launch a national print magazine, what we're doing enforcing the idea that print marketing, as traditional and old school as many try to make it out to be, won't be disappearing any time soon. This is especially true in business-to-business advertising. By and large, there isn't that 21st century need to be on the cutting edge of communication. Businesses still have face-to-face meetings, they still sign contracts with an actual pen, they still attend tradeshows and physically network with other businesses, and most importantly, they still need to condense information and data onto something physical that can be handed out to a potential customer.

That's the beauty and power of print. It's tangible. It can be passed around. It can be stored and filed. It can be referenced offline.

This is where we come in. Consider the following:

A potential customer calls enquiring about one of your widgets. You direct him to your website where he can find more information, but are told he needs to present something to his boss who in turn would need to present it to the board of directors. A page on a website won't cut it. On account of having nothing physical to send out detailing the specs, benefits, and cost of your widget, a potential sale is subsequently lost.

Or this:

Your biggest competitor has a professionally designed marketing package they send out to all potential customers. It includes a few sell sheets, a brochure and business card. You, on the other hand, have a "fancy" document "designed" in Word that gets printed out and stapled to your business card.

Don't laugh - this describes the vast majority of businesses we've come into contact with over the years. Yes, even businesses larger than yours.

It should go without saying that a customer is far more likely to purchase from the company who takes pride in their appearance simply because it subtly reflects the level of pride they put into making their product. Cheap marketing material, on the other hand, suggests exactly the opposite. In other words, every time a customer views your competitor's marketing material, you're missing out on a potential sale. That's just bad business.