Print is not dead. At least not yet anyway.

With the economy seemingly in a downward spiral, printed publications are having to resort to new methods to keep afloat, including layoffs.  This is no secret.  But many companies are struggling and printed media, though some have written it off, is not dead.  At least not as of yet.  Before you decide to transition all of your marketing efforts away from print and onto the web, you might want to reconsider.

Magazine Advertisement
Several months ago I was working with a convention and visitors bureau regarding an advertisement that would be placed in a magazine.  This magazine was to be placed at the welcome center on the state line and would primarily be advertising to those who would be in the need for a hotel during their trip.  The ad was full page and full color, which admittedly helped tremendously considering most ads and coupons were only 1 or 2 colors.  The ads included within this ad for the various hotels were either specific discounts or contained a code that allowed the company to track the coupons usage.  (Note: This is a great idea to see where your marketing dollars are going.  Much like tracking visitors to your website, tracking your ads can allow you to measure their effectiveness.)  The company that included a coupon on this single page saw a return exceeding several thousand dollars, translating easily to a 500% return.  That was one ad in one publication and one location.  Imagine if there were several of the ads elsewhere that the financial impact would have on the company.

Direct Mail Campaigns
Most recently we were in need of landscaping services.  Our yard had become difficult to maintain simply because it required so much to get it to the point of regular maintenance.  Having landscape companies return calls is a chore in itself, yet we found one, via a postcard direct mail piece.  Having experience designing and using these both as a freelancer and through a company I once worked for, I knew that the postcards had a relatively low return rate, averaging 1% – 2%.  So I really wondered if the company had much luck with their campaign.  After speaking with the company it was clear that they had developed a strategy for reaching new customers and the direct mail was not only a large portion of that strategy, but it was working.  Sending out thousands of cards on a scheduled basis, the company blocked off 2 entire days after their mailing in order to deal with the volume of phone calls that they received.  I was more than impressed.  Not simply with the return rate, but the fact that the company had found a great way to reach new customers involving the printed world.  And it all started with an effective and eye-catching design.

I am not saying switch all efforts from web to print, or vice versa.  Your marketing efforts should be a combined and strategic effort.  Being aware of your targeted audience and profile customer will help guide how you communicate your product and or service to them.