Print vs Digital Media

Digital Marketing, InSynch, Digital Media

5 REASONS TO GO DIGITAL

Does print still have a place in today’s world or is digital media the way to go? If newspaper sales are anything to go by, print is possibly not the best option! National newspaper suffered a hefty double-digit fall in circulation as the pandemic accelerated a general decline in print sales.

So, the question is, where should you invest your money in advertising, in print or digital?

Sure, it’s safe to say that some businesses could benefit from a local leaflet drop and of course the business card is without doubt a tangible marketing asset, but as both a digital marketer and graphic designer, I find myself now creating far more digital artwork than printed, for use over the digital marketplace.

Print continues to offer its audience a sense of credibility, which is why the glossy magazine market is still going relatively strong. However, it does take time to write, edit, publish, and distribute, not to mention to dispose of, but for many businesses, printed marketing assets are still hugely valuable and relevant to them as a business, so print still has it’s place.

Digital content on the other hand is far more disposable, just one click and it is gone! It could be argued that print has greater visibility, as it has the longevity that digital does not. A magazine may be left lying around and read and reread or passed on, which will enable your advertisement to be seen several times over. It is also not as easy to dispose of by the swipe of a finger. However, it is my strong belief that digital marketing has already outranked print in many aspects, such as the valuable return on your investment, niche targeting and visibility.

For this reason, I am going to share with you five reasons why I believe digital media now storms ahead of print media when promoting your business.

1 COST

Having worked in media for over 30 years, I have seen first-hand the decline in newspaper sales and with that, advertising in print. The birth of the internet manifested several ways in which companies and businesses could now reach out to others. In recent years media outlets have quickly seized this opportunity, taking the internet and all its offerings as a new opportunity, quickly growing, and now distributing news and advertisements through online articles via the internet. News is now easily accessible through mobile devices, because it is cheaper and does not incur the overheads of printing on paper. As a result, newspaper sales have plummeted as has the desire to advertise in print. There is no longer the need to print and distribute 1,000’s of daily newspapers, when you can deliver the same news by a simple click of the mouse or tap on the screen.

As a result, few businesses now want to advertise in print, which inevitably raises the cost of print advertising.
Digital media is now undoubtable the most cost-effective solution for marketing in today’s society.

2 TIME EFFICIENCY

Its far quicker to advertise in digital than in print. There’s little art working required, (preparing a finished piece of artwork to print.) Not to mention finding the most cost-effective printer, this can be time consuming.

With digital there are no delays in getting your message out to the correct audience. Your article, advertisement, post, or comment is no longer being published once in Thursday’s paper. With just one click and it can be published instantly and viewed by literally 1,000’s.

3 NICHE TARGETTING

Again, you are no longer reliant on generic distribution with a printed product, with digital you can target a specific demographic, whether that be by age, area, or interest, enabling you to reach a far wider audience, increasing your conversion rate thus vastly increasing your return on investment, not to mention the ability to remarket to engaged users, be it over Facebook or Google.

4 MEASURABLE

By launching a digital marketing campaign, you can see what is working, what is converting, the return on ad spends and have the ability to optimize the campaign or change your approach for future marketing efforts. 

It is a great deal harder to see the results from printed campaigns and you will inevitably have to wait for the data to trickle back to you.

5 SUSTAINABILITY

Going digital is one of the best ways to reduce waste. Paper waste can be a serious problem towards the environment.

Your message can be created, launched, and viewed in moment and all on many different devices, visible to an audience of your choice over multiple digital platforms. Online meetings and screensharing can be carried out to sign off a piece of artwork easily allowing you to have a detailed discussion on your branding or campaign objectives. We no longer need to drive miles for a meeting, or send a physical proof of your campaign through the post, it can all be done at the touch of a button and is far better for the environment.

Working towards a more sustainable environment is always an attractive solution. 

We encourage all our clients to take up a more digital approach. We have ourselves over recent months dramatically reduced our own daily carbon footprint, with more agile working and we enforce these beliefs by delivering high spec digital projects and marketing campaigns on time, and to the highest standard.

If you are looking to launch a digital campaign and would like any advice on your digital marketing, please feel free to book a free 121 with one of our digital marketing specialists, who will be able to provide knowledge and expertise in building a successful strategy that works for your business in 2021.

You can book your free 30 minute consultation here

CASE STUDY

Although navigating through digital marketing for tourism this year has been a challenge across the UK, we have worked extensively with Daisy Lodge, to get in front of the correct audience and aim to fill the trickier midweek slots and late availability using a mix of PPC and SEO to bring in the relevant sources of traffic. 

When asked, Pam Johnson [Owner of Daisy Lodge], had this to say: “I am seeing a big increase in traffic to my website and a corresponding increase in bookings”We work with Daisy Lodge to bring together a full digital marketing strategy including SEO, PPC Email MarketingWebsite conversion work Social Media support and much more as needed. By taking a more holistic approach to marketing and not just relying on traditional methods of print marketing, we have been able to reach a far wider audience.

Learn more about our Total Digital Marketing package here.