As a business that offers clients both printed and digital marketing materials, Impact Visual Communications is often asked which platform should be used to promote business products and services.  In essence, both media types are used for different purposes and have a strong role in today’s market place.

Not so many years ago, print marketing materials were the common form of advertising for many of us; social media platforms such as facebook and Twitter hadn’t hit the mass markets and were relatively new and the best way to attract new customers and promote business services was through directed news print and magazine ads.  Campaigns were run using a combination of brochures, cards and flyers and delivered directly to customers through the mail system or as inserts in popular newspapers and magazines.  When social media came on the scene, the advertising and marketing industries started to change.

Business owners sought platforms where they could promote their business and see real results, no longer content with printing brochures and marketing pieces and sending them out in a scatter gun approach, they wanted real-time results, immediate metrics that they could view, analyze and report back to management  showing the effectiveness of their campaigns.  The role of social media began to take over traditional marketing methods such as print.

So was that the end of the print industry?  Not at all, as with many industries, the print industry responded through change – developing to have a symbiotic relationship with social media, with one platform supporting the other.  Ask yourself how many times you have seen printed ads in newspapers with social media icons printed in the ad?  How many times have you seen QR codes alongside print ads that direct the customer to your website or a social media platform with more information?

Print advertising has developed to provide a supportive role in multi-media campaigns.  Often social media sites are used to target specific demographics – dictated by industry survey information showing which customers will see or hear the marketing message.  Printed media will always have a place in our business lives, we thrive on information and having information in your hand, even if it is on paper, will always be a necessity. 

Quality printed materials, used effectively will provide your business with an opportunity to reach specific customers; mass-marketing can be handled by social media tools and the Internet.  For those of us who appreciate a quality brochure or card with great images that we can share with friends and family, print is still the place to be.