We spend a lot of time reading about and experiencing how great digital media and e-marketing is–and it is wonderful. However, it’s important to keep an eye on the big picture–which should include an integrated marketing strategy. Print is an important driver for other media–especially those online.

According to a United States Postal Service study:

- 8 out of 10 households say they either read or scan print advertsing mail sent to their homes

- 51% of consumers say traditional mail is their preferred method of contact.

- 1 out of 3 households say they made one or more purchases thanks to the advertising mail they received.

According to the Direct Marketing Association’s Insert Council, campaigns combining direct mail and Internet yield up to 25% higher response than Internet alone. In addition print ad inserts prompted 52% of readers to visit advertiser’s websites.

There are many more pertinent factoids regarding the importance of print as part of an effective marketing strategy–if you want to learn more–give us a call at 1-800-274-0016 or email service@hamblincompany.com.

As Hamblin’s Brandeli continues to evolve,  the cost and resource efficiencies that it can deliver to marketing-driven organizations (and just about every organization needs to be focused on how they communicate in the marketplace) are quickly being realized .  One very relevant benefit of Brandeli is the ability it offers to 1) create fool-proof, completely customized communications templates that eliminate the need to keep recreating the wheel and 2) to streamline the approval process for most print and digital projects. Imagine how much time (which equals money) that could save!

Since we do a lot of print work for clients, we’re often asked how that side of the business is doing–with the underlying assumption being that it must not be very good, given that ‘everybody’ is doing ‘all’ of their marketing online. Not so! Yes, print collateral and marketing have evolved…but they’re not extinct.

Case in point: just last week we received a direct mail offer from Google (arguably the market leader of web marketing savvy), enticing us to use its Adwords campaign platform. So no, print isn’t dead–it’s just being employed in smarter ways. Kind of like how online marketing is less about banner ads and more about pay-per-click measurability.

One mistake many entrepreneurs and small business owners make is channeling their advertising through one media rather multiple outlets. This type of logic appears to be based on the false premise that all people are internet savvy, read the same newspaper or listen to one radio station or watch one channel on television . This may have been true a hundred years ago, however, today’s fragmented media landscape  demands a more targeted marketing approach be taken.

Advertising research consistently confirms multi-channel advertising is more successful for most businesses regardless of size.  This is especially true when advertising is developed as part of a professionally prepared marketing plan. Depending on the type and size of the business, the channels selected will undoubtedly be different.

One business may select radio and newspaper channels for advertising their products or services. Another may determine the most effective channels are direct mail and online social media.  

Understanding the market(s) your business serves and the most effective channels available (within budget)  to reach these constituents will result in more effective advertising and, in turn a more robust business.  Anything less in business planning is likely to result in a steady decrease in lead generation and customer loyalty.

We are hearing and reading daily about newspapers closing or shifting their operations online.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise to regular newspaper readers. Reduction in page counts and even the physical sizes of many publications have become the recognizable signs of the newspaper industry’s ongoing struggle for survival.

With the influx of new media options available to advertisers over the past decade, newspapers have lost their grip on ad revenue even faster than they have on paid circulation. It is the norm for advertisers purchasing less than full page ads to be forced to tolerate less than desirable ad placements: bottom of pages and near center folds of back pages, for example.

For years, newspaper publishers have conceded ads as necessary, but treated them as second-class content. One newspaper this writer reads regularly, places the majority of its display ads on the bottom half of a page, starting at the fold and working out. Now that advertisers have more effective options for reaching larger cross-sections and more targeted groups of consumers, the question is why would anyone with the least bit of marketing knowledge choose to advertise in such a vehicle?

Rather than devoting advertising budgets for one medium, most organizations are finding success in cross-channel, multi-media marketing programs. Online advertising and web-based content permits businesses to respond to trends more quickly with updated information. These and other emerging media offer new avenues for engaging audiences in real-time, a strategy against which the traditional newspaper business has little defense.