The benefits of print media in a digital age

In a world where digital marketing has such a strong presence, it’s easy to forget the potential of print, and throw it in the bin marked ‘irrelevant’. However, print still plays a vital role, and can help companies connect with their customers and clients in ways which digital media can’t.

Print vs Digital

Unlike digital marketing, which is generally accessed online, and can find your audience losing focus, opening a new tab, and getting sidetracked by a video of a cat playing a banjo on Youtube, for example, print is far more capable of keeping your audience interested. Opening up a brochure or leaflet is much more of a physical commitment, and as such your audience feel more inclined to take time out and stick with it. 

As we’ve said before, print allows people the chance to disconnect from technology,  by offering a much more tactile experience of handling and flicking through physical printed material. Communication through touch, known as haptic communication, can add a dynamic to the user experience which digital simply can’t offer – such as that fresh print smell!

People value the physical presence of printed material and their associations with it, making it a more preferable option for magazine and newspaper content in particular, as opposed to the alternative digital format publications on offer. Where digital media is more beneficial for quickly browsing and searching, print offers more of an experience for consuming content.

Print is for Keeps

Having your own brochure or leaflet can be particularly effective as it is all about you, without the potential invasion of competition, whereas online,  you could be competing with other businesses displaying their digital adverts to your audience.

Print isn’t like digital in the sense that digital marketing, once viewed, is rarely viewed again, and often disappears over time. Print media is more solid and has a longer shelf life, once created it’s there for the duration meaning people can keep hold of it, giving it a lot more value to your audience.

Users also tend to mentally retain more information when consumed via print. The way in which we navigate print compared to digital media finds us using less mental resources to absorb the information. When reading a physical page, we engage with it by flipping from one page to another in chronological order, whereas with digital, we are distracted by scrolling and numerous links, which makes fluent reading difficult. Therefore the visual relationship we form with the media isn’t as strong.

Everyone Can Access Print

Print media also offers a lot of versatility and isn’t limited to a screen like digital media is, which can limit your audience reach, as although most people are digital-savvy these days, there are still some who don’t own digital devices, and therefore are unable to access your digital media. With print, there are so many options, you can not only market using paper – brochures, leaflets, business cards, flyers, etc – but almost anything can be printed on. Stickers, badges, magnets, mugs, and more, can help promote your brand in ways that digital media definitely can’t. Print media can be placed almost anywhere, giving it broader scope in everyday life.

Get in Touch!

If you’re looking to take advantage of print media, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Call us on: 01392 202320 or email us: hello@ashleyhouse.co.uk. We would love to help!