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Clever Ways to Integrate Print and Digital Marketing

by | Dec 16, 2021 | Magazine Advertising, Newspaper Advertising

Newspaper on a table with a digital tablet

There are many ways for you to integrate your online marketing into a print campaign. By doing this “two-pronged” approach, you can get more accurate response tracking as your prospects will more likely visit the websites or landing pages you want them to instead of searching for them organically on Google or Bing.
Below are some tips on how to successfully integrate online marketing into your print campaigns.

Use QR Codes

QR codes are those small square “barcodes” that can easily be scanned with the user’s smartphone to direct them to a website or landing page that integrates with your print ad. It’s a great way to give your prospect more information that might not fit on your print ads, like terms and conditions or an order page where the prospect can make the transaction and become a customer.

The great thing about QR codes is that they take up very little real estate in a print ad and can be scaled to any size for the user to scan. It can be small enough, for example, to fit in a quarter-page newspaper size and large enough to be featured on a billboard.

Even though the technology has been around for a while, QR codes are still a popular way to integrate your digital marketing into your print advertising. According to Statista, it’s estimated that 11 million households will scan a QR code in 2020, which is a 12.7% increase from 2018.

Multiple Touchpoints

Giving your prospects multiple touchpoints is an effective strategy to increase the chance that they’ll become a customer. Seeing your ad, for example, in a direct mail advertisement, then seeing that same ad in an email marketing campaign can further strengthen not only your direct sales message but also your brand.

Having multiple mediums using the same message further increases the chance that prospects will listen to your message and increases the chances of them becoming a customer with you.

Let Your App Do the Work

Apps, like QR codes, can allow someone to use their smartphone to interact with your print ad. Technology is making it even more innovative to use a customized app to further enhance your message and make your print ad a more interactive medium for your prospects.

For example, you could develop an app that allows you to convert a simple direct mail package into a 3D video presentation when scanned with a user’s smartphone and VR technology.

This can not only make your message more effective but also increase the value of the print ad, making it less likely to be ignored and thrown in the trash.

Print Reinforces Your Digital Message

Let’s face it, digital marketing, while effective is getting oversaturated. Its cost-effectiveness allows virtually any company—from someone reselling clothes from their basement to high-end global fashion empires—to have their message easily posted online.

However, print advertising shows that major investment has been made by the company. Print is still viewed as a medium that involves more than just a rudimentary set of online skills. It shows a prospect that there was thought, as well as an investment made in the advertisement in order to get their message across.

By linking this to an online platform, it can help strengthen your company’s image as a solid and trusted source, as opposed to a “fly by night” kind of operation.

Reimagine Your Print

One of the coolest aspects of the latest technology is that it can allow your print campaigns to really stand out. Gone are the days when you could just print images and text and leave it up to a prospect to read. Now, with technology and smartphones, print ads could be used to do virtually anything.

Some advertisers have used this technology to include LED lights or even have them play music on a smartphone. The technology is there and just needs to be implemented through the proper developers and printers.

CTAs and Landing Pages Go Together

Calls to Action (or CTAs) are the heart and soul of direct marketing. They are what leads your prospect to the action you want them to take, whether it’s to fill out a print order card, call a phone number, visit a physical location, or visit a website.

The common mistake, however, many advertisers do when integrating print advertising and digital advertising is putting their homepage on their printed ad as the CTA.

While it’s great to get your brand recognized, a homepage usually involves multiple pages and other messages not connected to your print ad. The key is to get the prospect to visit a landing page that is created solely for the purpose of getting that prospect to become a customer.

The message on the landing page should only lead the prospect down the path for what you want them to do. There should be no other message and minimal (if any) distractions that can lead them to click elsewhere.

Interactivity Is Key

The key to a successful print and digital campaign is to strike the right balance between your printed piece and your digital side. You don’t want to have a basic print package that leads to an overbearing and complicated landing page or vice versa.

You also want to have your prospect interact with your message and make sure the “customer journey” leads to the correct call to action you want them to take.

At North American Media, we can assist you with both your print and digital marketing needs through copywriting, direct mail list rental, graphic design, web development, and full-service interactive consulting to help get your print and digital advertising noticed and converted. We also specialize in helping our clients create robust, effective, mail pieces and direct mail campaigns. Our variety of services can be customized to suit your business goals, and we have packages that can work with a range of budgets. No matter the size of your organization, we can help you target your audience, retain customers, and build your reputation among your audience as a company they can trust. Our full line of services includes print media advertising in newspapers & magazines, direct mail marketing, digital marketing, alternative media/inserts, radio & TV advertising, list brokerage, data solutions, list fulfillment, and list management. If you need assistance creating a robust marketing program, consider working with North American Media.

For more information about growing your business, contact us at (475) 256-0303.

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