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Digital or Print: Which Should My Business Use For Marketing Materials?

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We cannot stress the importance of strong design for all of your business’s marketing materials enough. Strong design brings simplicity, flow and ease of understanding the overall marketing message.

Without well-planned design, your marketing materials will not only look drab, but some people could interpret this as, “Well, if they don’t care about the way this brochure looks, will they care about my needs as a customer?”

There are two main ways businesses will use design: in digital and print.

With the vast emergence of digital marketing, print is often seen as an outdated, ‘traditional’ form of marketing, which is certainly not the case. Printed marketing materials are still effective; they’ve just become clouded by the evolving digital marketing solutions.

So, with that, you must be wondering which one your business should focus on. Let’s step back and show you examples for each.

Print vs Digital

Printed marketing materials are the tangible materials you can physically give to leads and clients. This includes, but not limited to, flyers, brochures, business cards and direct mail.

Digital marketing materials are exactly what you think they are; it’s everything digital. From websites and emails to social media ads and website banners (the top one is: 1 Day Banner), these items are viewed from your desktop, tablet or mobile screens.

The Pros of Print Marketing Materials

The impact of a well-designed printed piece will leave a long-lasting impression on anyone. With the increasing amount of time spent online, both at home and the office, seeing a printed marketing material brings a sense of value that’s sometimes lost in all the pixels we see everyday.

We are exposed to so many digital materials that it becomes difficult for brands to differentiate themselves in this busy World Wide Web, and print marketing gives them that opportunity to stand out again. Plus, in today’s digital age, it shows that a company will do whatever it takes to get their message out, even if it means investing in printed materials.

Surprisingly, there is one area print materials are more successful than digital: direct mail. We’re not just saying it’s doing slightly better; direct mail beats emails by 66% (seriously, we’re not kidding)! With that stat alone, it shows that printed materials can still be a highly-effective marketing tool.

The Pros of Digital Marketing Materials

Okay, we’ll get this point out of the way early: digital marketing materials are seen by more people today, and that means they get more exposure than printed materials. Digital materials are also much easier to track and measure than printed materials, which helps you shift your marketing efforts to work in your favor.

Although we said that direct mail is more effective than emails, they’re still a very effective tool and more cost-effective than printed mail pieces.

Lastly, because digital marketing materials are non-tangible, they can be edited quickly and easily tested to see which one will be more effective. That’s the beauty of digital marketing; everything you need or want to see can all be seen from one place without cluttering your space.

The Verdict?

Even though GreenMellen is a digital marketing agency, we truly believe that an effective marketing plan has a solid mix of well-designed printed and digital materials.

Cross-media marketing, which is using multiple forms of media to execute your marketing message, has been proven to work in more markets than one. By bridging the gap between digital and print through cross-media marketing, you will be able to tailor your message to your prospects across more than one platform.

An example of this could be an upcoming event you’re hosting. You would send out a direct mailer with the event information included and a personalized web page (PURL) for them to RSVP. They would then receive an email confirming their spot with the option to share the event on social media or post a picture of the sleek-looking wristband they got to enter your event.

By doing this, you’re allowing your prospects to engage with your brand through both digital and printed materials, which in turn will increase your campaigns effectiveness.

Print or Digital: Which Will You Choose?

Whether your current marketing plan contains a majority of printed or digital materials, it’s wise to make sure you include an even mix of professionally-designed materials.

If you’re interested in learning more about well-designed materials, view our gallery or contact us today and see how we can help you with your upcoming materials!

About the Author

Brooke Desmond

Communications Manager
With a passion for all things digital marketing, Brooke aims to give a unique perspective on the latest trends and ideas in this ever-changing space.

View Brooke's Profile

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