Does Print Advertising Still Work for Businesses?

Since the inception of the Internet, marketers have anticipated the decline of print advertising. Some have even gone as far as to predict the ultimate death of print media in a few years’ time. While many businesses have indeed shifted their marketing efforts to accommodate the modern consumer’s growing preference for digital media, we can still see a significant number of print ads being used today.

Print advertising is evidently still relevant even in today’s digital-centric landscape, but the assumption remains that its future hangs in the balance. Will the burgeoning adaptation of the Internet be the end of print media? Will print advertising still work for businesses in these modern times? If so, how can businesses leverage traditional advertising in the midst of digitization?

Benefits of print advertising for businesses

While digital media has a number of advantages over print—such as being significantly cheaper and being able to potentially reach more people—print advertising also offer a number of benefits that digital media still can’t compete with:

1. Trust and credibility

A study conducted by MarketingSherpa revealed that 82% of consumers consider print ads to be the most trusted advertising channel when it comes to making a purchasing decision. As many marketers know, trust is an essential foundation in converting viewing audiences into paying customers.

Privacy has also been one of the most prevalent issues plaguing the online industry. This has led to increasing mistrust of consumers towards online ads. Studies have also shown that the intrusiveness of online ads, specifically pop-up ads, have also contributed to its diminishing credibility.

2. Impact and recall

The Internet, undoubtedly, is laden with a dizzying amount of content. With so much information available all at once, audiences are bound to have ad fatigue and become so used to seeing the ads that they will eventually become blind to them.

Researchers at Penn State University revealed that respondents recalled ad information from print media more than they do with online ads. This proves that print ads, being less ubiquitous and often more targeted, have a more lasting impact. Additionally, audiences who see print ads don’t typically multitask—as they usually do while surfing the Internet—and therefore making them more receptive to information laid out on print than on-screen.

3. Reach and tradition

Despite the fact that a significant number of adults in the US spend more than three hours a day on the Internet and their smartphones, a study found that 72% of US households still rely on traditional and printed media for product information.

From this, we can surmise that print ads have the farthest reach in marketing for retail, surpassing all other types of digital marketing touchpoints. Print media, with its long history, gives it prestige and a sense of tradition that not a lot of people are willing to let go of so quickly.

Tips on how to effectively use print advertising for your businesses

While print advertising has been in existence for many years, it’s still worth revisiting the essentials for creating effective ads in print:

• Keep it simple – Design and layout are crucial elements for print ads. As always, simple layouts work best in whatever medium you choose. Keep the design clean, with lots of white space, and the focal point directed toward your one key message.
• Highlight the benefits – Provide your customers with all the necessary information at a glance, but don’t focus too much on the features of your product. Highlight the benefits of using your product, and then set this in bullet-points so that these are easier to perceive and read.
• Consider the sizes – When it comes to print advertising, size is essential. Don’t cramp up too much text in a very small ad. Larger ads with a clutter-free design will encourage more eyes to be drawn into it, and the more likely it will lead to sales.
• Provide contact information – Make it easy for your customers to reach you by providing your contact information in your ad—your store’s address, telephone number, email ad, or website.

Does print advertising still work for businesses?

The short answer is, yes, print advertising indeed still works for businesses and apparently will still remain so for the years to come. While there is admittedly a small decline in the usage of print media, the rising popularity of social media and the Internet does not mean the death of print ads, no more than traditional books are threatened by eBooks.

For optimal results, it’s advisable to use both traditional and digital marketing strategies to bring the best of both worlds together, and to encourage online and offline customer engagement. If you want to know more, or if you’re interested to work with Ilfusion for your graphic design and other marketing needs, give us a call at 888-420-5115, or send us an email to [email protected].

Categorized in: Marketing