Use of print in marketing has been around a long time.
We spend a lot of time in this blog discussing multi-channel marketing. When we discuss multi-channel marketing, we are frequently mentioning digital marketing components, such as email, social media, and microsites & landing pages.
What we have not spent a lot of time in this space discussing is print. The demise of print has been talked about at length for the last 5-10 years or so. However, just because print is not the medium that it once was, it still has a place in the multi-channel marketing equation. Many organizations have been reducing print spends, but are still maintaining a presence in print through the use of direct mail, printed brochures, flyers, and other forms of print advertising. Like other forms of advertising, print has its own nuances. It is important for all brands to optimize their presence in print. Managing, optimizing, and distributing print materials has been a pain point for many organizations. A lack of visibility, obsolescence, and an inability to personalize materials in order to get the best return creates a scenario that is not efficient from a cost or process perspective.
Cost is a primary concern when discussing print marketing. Direct tangibility comes at an immediate cost, and marketers need to make sure that their printed materials are being generated in the right quantities. It is wasteful to have printed materials sitting around an office or a warehouse going unused. Additionally, these printed materials can go out of date rather quickly. If a company chooses to update their printed materials, they incur the new costs of updating and the costs associated with the old print collateral are sunk. Companies simply can’t afford to be wasting money on outdated print. Companies in regulated industries have the potential to encounter issues based on printed materials becoming outdated, and that could lead to increased fines.
Therefore, printing on demand is a preferable option. We’ve created an efficient On Demand Print Studio to address the needs of the marketplace. The On-Demand Print Studio allows organizations to take any traditional print collateral materials and instantly turn them into customizable marketing pieces that can then be delivered in a variety of ways, including digital delivery, allowing for more comprehensive tracking. Marketing automation makes vendor management is a much easier process. Compliance concerns are addressed through permissioning and approval flows, ensuring that printed materials aren’t fulfilled without the proper steps being taken.
Despite the changes in marketing materials taking away from the importance of print, there’s still going to be a need for printed materials in the near term. There’s still a time and place for printed materials, so it is essential for brands to make the most of their print marketing efforts.
Want to learn about more our multi-channel marketing solution? Contact us today!