Where Should You Invest Your Marketing Dollars?
Online or Print Media?
Print based marketing material is a mature industry while new online marketing strategies such as blogs are still in their infancy. For this reason, we cannot be certain what the long-term results of the new media will be. Many are investing countless hours on social media sites and blogs. While in these early stages of online media signs are promising that online media is only going to get bigger and better however, only time will tell the long-term success of these strategies.
The purpose for both online and printed marketing materials is to provide a professional image to prospects and customers and cause a response however both have very different pros and cons.
The case for online media
It costs next to nothing. Social media is free, bookmarking is free, even blogs can be free (although you should register your own domain name and invest in a custom template design). Online media not only is cost effective but also has the capability of going viral. For example if you were to write a compelling article on your blog and people ‘tweets’ about it or puts it on Facebook, your material could be viewed by an untold number of people.
You will notice, we have taken on-board social media and obviously blogging, not just from a marketing point of view but because we feel a great deal of satisfaction providing value to business people in this way. If you get into social media and blogging you really do need to enjoy it because it is time consuming if you intend on doing it well.
The case for printed media
If you want quick results and don’t have a lot of time to spend writing large volumes of quality content printed media is the way to go. Printed media has a powerful advantage over online media, its tactile and physical presence. While people tend to skim over web based marketing material, they will pay closer attention to printed marketing material when done well. Particularly if the material has a high quality look and feel. Most of us experience an overwhelming number of email marketing campaigns that we click delete on instantaneously. Most of us when we receive addressed marketing material or an ad in that niche magazine we love, pay some attention to it that we would not if it was received electronically.
Print based media is historically the oldest and still one of the strongest media channels in Melbourne today. Melbourne based business people are amongst the most avid publication readers in Australia. The press is still equally as important as the new, electronic media we see emerging.
The print media industry has many opportunities that have been tried and proven. There are also new capabilities of digital printing and variable data, which allow for more customised and personalised design. Everything from imagery and wording can all be now driven by variable data. This can leave a lasting impression with prospects and customers.
Conclusion
Print design is an extremely important part of most businesses marketing mix. From business cards to posters and blogs to Twitter, every piece of marketing must support the brand, the company image and values of the company. The key is to get the right marketing mix for your business using both printed and online media.
What are your thoughts?
What has worked best for your business or for the people you know? Let us know in the comments below.
