The rise of digital has been swift and all-encompassing, with most brands now appreciating the need for a website, online sales portal and various social media accounts to form the most effective relationship with their customers. Despite the presence of digital technology, however, print remains an integral part of most firms’ internal and external communications processes. Where marketing is concerned, the integration of print and digital is essential if you are to reach as many customers as possible in successful fashion. Have you married your online presence with outside print?
Creating a consistent brand
Brand consistency is crucial. A consistent brand is a more recognisable, memorable brand, and by marrying your digital marketing efforts with any outside print you’re more likely to be noticed by potential customers and recalled when it comes to making a future purchase decision. In order to create a consistent brand, you need to ensure that all staff members are on the same page. Print and digital marketing teams should not be separate, but instead work towards the same aim with a consistent aesthetic, approach and tone of voice. Create a brand that speaks for your company and apply it from top to bottom, across both print and digital.
Understanding the difference between print and digital
While consistency is important, it is also necessary to bear in mind the fact that print and digital are different disciplines. For one thing they speak to different audiences, so you might need to alter your marketing content accordingly. If you’re sending out some targeted print marketing coupons, for example, the language you use may well need to be different to the copy you’d write for an internet banner ad or Facebook sponsored post. Learn the varying strengths and weaknesses of print and digital marketing, and work out how to exploit each medium to the utmost.
The Print Inspection
The PMG Print Inspection is a process designed to get to the very bottom of your brand’s relationship with print, determining how your existing print efforts can be improved and whether you can save money and resources with a more economical approach. During the Print Inspection we’ll take a look at your outside print processes and ask whether or not they complement your existing digital marketing efforts. Sometimes, we’ll recommend that you abandon certain outside print campaigns in favour of more economical digital alternatives, or vice versa. Marrying your online presence with outside print is all about analysing what’s successful and what isn’t, tipping the balance one way or another where appropriate.
Implementing strong print design
Successful print design is very different to successful digital design. Often you’ll be targeting different audiences entirely, and you’ll certainly be addressing them in different contexts or formats. A large format billboard, for example, shouldn’t have the same design as an online banner ad. Here at PMG our Design Studio experts know exactly how to exploit print to best appeal to your brand’s audience. We’ll even consider elements you may not have thought of. For example, print can be a tactile medium, so should your business cards, leaflets and brochures boast tactile elements to appeal to customers in a way digital media cannot?
The key to marrying digital media with print marketing is maintaining consistency while appreciating that subtly different approaches may sometimes be necessary. Here at PMG we understand that print can be a challenge – that’s why we’re prepared to take your print obligations off of your hands and ensure you achieve greater success in future. If you’d like to know more about how print management can improve your company’s relationship with print, don’t hesitate to contact us today.
