With omni-channel marketing and the explosion of different media, it’s increasingly important for businesses to create marketing strategies that cover all bases. Rather than relying on digital media, we can work with you to test different combinations of online and offline communications, via print and digital marketing, to help you increase your customer base and enjoy significant returns on investment.
Customers don’t tend to see the distinction between print and digital marketing: to most of us, it’s all part of the same brand experience. By employing a carefully considered campaign that used both types of communication, you can enhance your customers’ brand journey and offer unique value, gaining an edge over your competitors.
How can print marketing help me reach more customers?
We believe there are four main ways that print can help you to grow your business and improve your customers’ journey in a meaningful way:
Using multi-channel marketing to increase brand awareness
With any business, it’s key to create a point of difference between your brand and your competitors. In a saturated market, it’s all about highlighting how distinctive your offer is.
Many businesses rely purely on digital marketing to secure sales and grow their customers but, if you’re not already doing so, by pursuing more than one type of marketing, you can grow your business in multiple directions and tap into valuable new customer bases.
We’d advise investing in direct mail as well as employing digital marketing. By using targeted leaflet distribution and door drops, you could enjoy a 25% higher brand recall than those companies that use digital methods alone. It’s increasingly being recognised that consumers interact more with printed materials, leading to an improved return on your investment.
Considering your customers’ needs to create trust and build loyal relationships
If you’re not thinking about what your customers want before marketing to them, you might want to reassess. By focusing purely on your business ambitions and ignoring their needs, you will never truly connect with them on a human level or build trust.
You can establish customers’ interest in your brand and further reinforce trust by providing important resources which make them feel like they’re missing out if they don’t receive them.
Regular blogs and email newsletters are a great start, but consider expanding your remit and providing tactile, printed touchpoints such as regular magazines and brochures.
If sensitively planned, printed material can instil the reader with trust and have an emotional response. People tend to spend more time interacting with print (think holiday brochures, seasonal retail catalogues, etc) and become more invested in your brand as a result.
Making sure customers see the value in purchasing from you
Once your consumers are ready to commit to buying something, you need to communicate the practical benefits of using your brand and reassure them they’re making the right decision.
While repeatedly serving digital adverts will ensure they will see your product on more than one occasion, print materials are long-lasting and tend to sit around the house, making them ideal for reference and comparison. Recent studies show that print is a more trusted medium too – adding that extra layer of credibility that digital marketing often lacks.
Ensuring your customers become advocates and speak for you
The customer relationship shouldn’t stop once a purchase has been made. By continually speaking with your customers, your relationship is kept alive and they will enjoy an ongoing emotional connection with your brand.
Social media is great for this type of connection, however, you should know quite a bit about your customers now, and you can use the abundance of insights collected from digital channels to surprise them.
Personalised printed materials such as ‘thank you’ cards or complimentary items show your customers how much you value them. Bespoke printed communications create a more relevant customer experience and have been shown to encourage customers to return and make repeat purchases.
What are the benefits of multi-channel marketing?
Don’t let your next marketing campaign become a missed opportunity! By including personalised, thoughtful print within your wider marketing strategy you can keep your audience engaged throughout every stage of their journey with you.
Independent research* shows that the continuing explosion in multiple media channels means that both online and offline communication is blending into a seamless experience for customers. It’s no longer a case of one being more successful than the other – print and digital marketing complement one other and work better together, resulting in an increased ROI for your business.
*Source: Marketreach – Royal Mail
For help and advice with your next print marketing campaign, get in touch.
Call us on 01159 399 797 or email solutions@edwps.co.uk
