Though online marketing strategies have taken over most mainstream business concepts, the value of print marketing has yet to truly die off. As of September 2014, the market research company Nielson published a report stating that consumers are still inclined to use printed materials to learn about product information.
Over 50% of surveyed shoppers continue to use direct mail and/or newspaper advertising to help them decide what to buy, while email marketing tactics ranged lower at 37% and online retail websites only brought in 27%. The study also concluded that web pages, social media, and money-saving apps were a greater effective tool for informing customers where to shop.
These numbers conclude that direct mail remains a substantial form of inbound marketing for advertisers, with higher conversion rates and lower lead costs excelling over digital email marketing.
It’s also important to note that direct mail advertising doesn’t only work for B2C marketing, but B2B as well. The Association of Business Information & Media Companies surveyed 6,700 potential B2B buyers, finding that while digital marketing did score well (73% in favor of websites, 67% boasting e-newsletters), a surprising 45% still relied on print magazines to help in decision-making before purchasing.
These findings clearly reinstate the importance of print marketing, clarifying its use as a continued success across the consumer world. Though digital marketing may bring in the younger generations via social media and online retail websites, the scope of print marketing’s outreach across generations is undeniably steady.
