Consumers consistently tell us they want more: more information, more selection, more special offers and more ways to access your goods and services. With the two sides of multi-channel marketing, print and digital, you can stand out amidst competitors and gain some solid ground—especially when the market is unpredictable.
The fact of the matter is that AI is changing the way content is seen and how well it performs. People are still trying to figure out how marketing fits in the new reality. Either way, the best way to stay ahead in the game is to utilize every tool available—including both digital marketing and print marketing.
Multi-channel marketing is one of the best ways to enhance credibility and better reach customers. Let’s take a few minutes to unpack how each facet of multi-channel marketing can lead to higher profits in your business.
The traditional “brick and mortar” model asks a customer to come to your store and make a purchase in person. Clearly, a successful model, this has been the bedrock of retailing for years. While it used to be the top-selling channel, it has since been replaced by digital marketing—social media selling, email marketing and various online advertisements.
In recent days, we’ve seen at-home deliveries grow in popularity while mailbox delivery sits on the back burner. With digital marketing taking the center stage, print marketing and direct mail aren’t nearly as prominent. However, despite the near-empty mailboxes and full inboxes, print marketing is still a huge contender in the advertising world.
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Delivery has been around forever. One of the earliest retail applications started with milk carts in the late 1780s. Yes, over 200 years ago, we delivered groceries. Fast forward to the mid-1900s, and we progressed to Chinese food and pizza. All you did was make a call, and in 30 minutes, it showed up at your door.
Today, we have websites and apps that do the same thing. What’s new is the delivery option for virtually anything, from all types of retailers—from groceries to home improvement supplies to every food style imaginable. Having delivery available adds another selling channel.
Curbside and in-store pick-up are just glorified versions of “call ahead, and we’ll have your order ready.” We’ve done this for years, but now we’re applying it to more and more business sectors as it’s used across multiple selling channels.
One of the earliest modern additions to the restaurant world was the drive-through window. Many credit the In-N-Out Burger folks with inventing the concept in 1948. We see drive-thrus at fast-food restaurants everywhere now because they effectively increase sales.
With a combination of dine-in, drive-through, delivery and curbside pick up, each of these methods provides a faster, easier alternative to traditional face-to-face sales, which is becoming increasingly popular with the rise of technology. Conversations are done virtually and fewer people are wandering outside of their homes for socialization.
Of course, the biggest game-changer has been the advent of online selling, where no physical store exists. Just a digital selling portal that combines many of the aspects listed above. Online channels offer shop-at-home convenience, low prices, fast delivery and even entertainment.
The pandemic changed the way commerce worked, and it accelerated how businesses expanded their selling channels—how a customer is able to buy products or services from you. As you would expect, the more ways a customer can buy from you, the higher the likelihood you have of making a sale. By using multi-channel marketing, a business naturally creates more opportunities for consumers to buy. At this point, the question is about how to stand out from the other businesses—and the answer is traditional mailbox marketing.
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The main lesson we can learn from multi-channel selling is that not all customers buy the same way. Some consumers love shopping online, while others want to feel and see the goods. Some prefer the in-person dining experience, and others want to drive through. The takeaway is, no matter how you sell, if you can introduce additional ways for consumers to buy, you will appeal to more prospective buyers. More buyers equal more sales.
Just like all consumers don’t want to buy the same way, they also don’t consume advertising the same way. Older generations aren’t going to be on social media the way younger generations are, and mailboxes are more uncluttered than ever, with everyone using digital. So, it stands to reason that the more ways you advertise, the better chance you have of getting your audience’s attention. This is classic multi-channel marketing.
Even though we are primarily in the print advertising business, we have often touted the value of including other forms of advertising to broaden your brand’s access to consumers. Conversely, when we see clients moving away from print to use only one type of advertising, we will make a case for retaining print to keep a diversified approach that allows the business to continue reaching as many customers as possible.
Consumer research confirms that we all have preferences on how we want brands to reach out to us. We are fortunate that in most studies, print advertising remains in the top tier of methods that consumers trust and value. In a consumer pulse survey, almost 55% of respondents told us they preferred print or valued print and digital advertising equally.
But more important than choosing one ad format over another, we need to recognize that the path to purchase is just that—a path. Typically, no one medium is solely responsible for a purchase. It’s the combination of touchpoints that finally persuades the consumer to make the decision to buy.
It may happen after only one or two touches, or it may take a dozen or more. One time, it’s your print ad that closes the deal, the next time, it’s because of the latest digital spot they saw.
This is the reason multi-channel marketing exists—to accommodate the way today’s customers want to buy. They simply want more.
With so much digital noise, it’s hard for businesses to stand out. While there’s no single marketing channel that’s the “best” for selling, it’s worth noting that print is arguably the best way to stand out amidst the digital clutter.
However, that doesn’t mean you should stop using other marketing channels, either. Digital is popular for a reason, even if everyone is clogging up the space. The best way to showcase your product or service is to utilize as many marketing channels as possible—with print marketing and digital marketing at the forefront.
Related Content: Combining Print and Digital Marketing
Chances are, you’re already working with an ongoing digital marketing campaign. Whether it’s an email marketing program, paid ads, ongoing social media campaigns or anything else, digital marketing offers an easy “in” to make your presence known online. However, if you are hoping to stand out from the crowd, print marketing can help you gain a competitive edge.
If you want to enhance your brand presence and elevate your campaigns to the next level, our team at Signature Graphics can help you get there. With turnkey solutions from design, print, assembly and delivery, we have all the hard parts taken care of.
Ready for a no-obligation analysis to see how print ads can make a difference in your multi-channel marketing strategy?
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