The Power of Print and Multi-Channel Marketing

In order to get the attention of customers, you need to be where they are and consumers are everywhere these days. There are more marketing outlets than ever before and this needs to be considered in order to develop a successful marketing strategy.

Consumers now have more control than marketers over the buying process. This new power is the result of the growth of available communication channels. Customers have more choices than at any time in the past when it comes to how they get their information. Therefore, multi-channel marketing is necessary in order to find your target audience.

You might be wondering…How do you correctly combine print and digital to execute your multi-channel marketing campaign? And more importantly, why do you need to combine both print and digital for your multi-channel marketing strategy?

The answer is…There is not a single outlet that is the one “good place” to capture the attention of everyone! Here are some facts you need to know about why marketing with multiple channels must be part of your advertising plans:

• 92% of millennials say that direct mail, as opposed to email or online marketing, has the greatest influence on their purchase decisions
• The penetration of QR codes has increased by 26% which makes them a viable marketing strategy that is also growing in inventiveness
• The evolution of QR codes has contributed to a 28% growth in their reach and a 26% growth in interactions with these codes from 2018 to 2019

Multi-Channel Marketing Strategy

It is important to realize there is not a “right” combination of print and digital channels. The key to successful multi-channel marketing is to choose the right combination of digital and print that allows the marketing campaign to reach the target audience. While one combination might be right for a certain campaign, that doesn’t mean it is the correct choice for the next campaign. 

• Print/Email Combination: Once you mail a printed piece, follow-up on the piece via email. You can reverse the plan and tease the printed piece by sending an email in advance of the printed direct mail.
• Personalized URLs: Send a printed piece that contains a unique URL for each direct mail recipient. The content in PURLs is personalized for each targeted individual. Plus, online responses can be tracked and updated in your marketing database for use in future campaigns.
• Online Prompts: Use social media, ads on the web and your own website to allow people to ask for a printed piece. You can even provide an option that allows respondents to personalize the piece so it is more relevant to their needs.
• Electronic Codes: Consider the use of short codes (a form of text messaging) or QR codes to send people from the printed piece (such as postcards they get at home or posters and banners at events and businesses) to a specific website for more information.

Create a Consistent Customer Experience Across All Platforms

When it comes to a successful and memorable multi-channel marketing campaign, the customer experience has been called the most powerful competitive difference. A consistent customer experience ranks in importance right next to the quality of the experience. This means the experience consumers have with your business, whether online or offline, needs to have a consistency in both the brand message and corporate identity.

Treating your online marketing as a separate concern from any physical marketing will just confuse the consumer. Do you really expect them to understand or trust an inconsistent business?

Choose a Good Print Partner to Help With Multi-Channel Marketing

Let us give you a word of caution before you begin a new multi-channel marketing strategy that combines print and digital marketing. Be careful who you work with on your campaign. Many places deliver ads via Internet cookies which are little trackers on websites. When delivering ads this way, it is sometimes more difficult to reach an actual human. In other words, there are times when advertisers waste their digital budget on ads that don’t reach the people they are trying to target. In addition, some businesses that are new to the world of digital ads might struggle with the creative side of the process. You should pick the right printing partner that  knows how to create campaigns without relying on cookies yet can still collect secure user data. 

If you need help creating and implementing a multi-channel marketing strategy, NextPage is here to help you. 

Contact Us Now for More Information

Phone: (816) 459-8404

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