In a digital age that demands our eyes fixed to computer screens during our 9 to 5’s and our finger’s firmly glued to our smartphones in the hours in between, you’d be forgiven for questioning what this means for the future of the printing industry. While the question is welcome to be asked, the answer is clear; print advertising remains as one of the most flexible and valuable marketing techniques for both small businesses and large companies.

As digital fatigue has begun to set in with users all over the world – particularly during the global pandemic where users saw themselves being increasingly driven to their phones and social media – the international community has grown tired of congested online advertising and disingenuous marketing tactics.

As such, print continues to come out on top as the favoured medium for brand communication. This, coupled with print’s accessibility and tangible appearance, helps bring products to life and keep brands at the forefront of consumer thoughts. In today’s blog post, therefore, we’ll discuss why the printing industry is as powerful and ever and shows no signs of slowing down – exploring just 4 of the many reasons why this historic form of marketing continues to succeed in an otherwise digital decade.

Print is trustworthy

Arguably, one of the most appealing features of print versus it’s digital counterpart is the trustworthiness this type of media instills in its audience. With studies showing that users consider online advertising to be the most intrusive at 43% while flyers are thought to be the least intrusive at only 7%, it’s clear that printed materials matter most when it comes to brand communications.

Simply put, print marketing allows businesses to reinforce relationships directly with customers, while online ads are viewed as potentially spam-like and artificial.

Digital is easier to abandon

We know what you’re thinking, there’s a significant amount of irony in us advocating print through a digital medium such as our blog. While you’re not wrong, it’s important to highlight here that once you’ve finished looking at our website you might ignore it in favour of the other digital media competing for your attention. Print, on the other hand, occupies a physical space that acts as a constant brand reminder that people find difficult to ignore and let go of.

The tangibility of this type of marketing speaks volumes when it comes to the quality of a business – therefore making printed materials a valuable resource compared with the diluted messaging displayed on online advertisements.

Paper-based reading is more focused

With frequent interruptions from ads, app notifications and text alerts, reading online comes with many distractions, making it increasingly difficult for readers to focus on one piece of material for any length of time. Printed materials on the other hand, don’t offer the same distractions – instead, helping the reader remain focused on the content and really engage and interact with the message.

As a result, printed marketing is better understood – helping businesses reach their audiences on a deeper level and encouraging consumers to remember brand names and products featured in print as opposed to digital.

More accessible

Most obviously, print advertising offers flexibility and versatility of media forms as it’s not limited to one single screen like digital media is. As a result, no audience is forgotten about and all consumer-types are able to be reached.

From brochures and business cards to flyers and banners, print offers a flexible and extremely visible form of advertising; helping target people almost anywhere and reaching new customers more easily and organically.