Print Media in the Digital Age: 6 Ultimate Reasons Print Still Matters
As the internet took over the world, it was easy for people to shift their focus to what’s online, leaving behind print media in the digital age. Suddenly, everything was digitized and it appeared that printed materials slowly faded away. Book lovers put down paper copies and accepted the e-readers, while businesses worked on their online presence.
However, print media still lives. As soon as people leave their phones aside, it’s the print media that catches their attention. This is the main reason print is still crucial in the digital world – but there’s more.
1. Digital Media Vs Print Media – They Don’t Cancel Out
“Print is dead” was a common thing to hear in the early 2000s. This sentence was supposed to convince people that printed media is gone forever. Just like the “video killed the radio star” sentence was supposed to convince the fans of radio shows that videos are the next best thing.
The digital realm should’ve become the only thing that people engage with, and radio should’ve become obsolete.
Still, the radio thrived. What’s more, video and radio worked together to bring a better experience.
In the same way, digital media and print media don’t cancel each other out. Print media remains as relevant as before, especially for events, where it now complements online promotions.
2. Print and Digital Media Are Companions for Advertisements
Technology has changed the way businesses promote their products and services, especially on social media. Regardless, print media still has a lot of power in the marketing world. For example, printing leaflets and spreading them around is an excellent way of promoting a business locally.
When it comes to print vs digital media in marketing, they both reach an incredible number of people. Again, they act complementary to one another, expanding the marketing channels, reaching those who aren’t online, and improving the experience of people who are.
What’s more, print media can contain information about reaching the business or an organization via digital means of communication. For example, organizations can print a brochure with a QR code. The new customers can scan it and learn more about promoted products or services.
Organizations that know how to leverage print media in a digital age leave no stone unturned when it comes to obtaining new customers, especially if the target audience loves print materials.
3. Print Media in the Digital Age Remains Tactile
The fact remains that consumers love pretty things. Today, a mobile phone is the main channel of communication between a brand and new customers. However, once they log off, there’s nothing for them to hold. On the other side, a beautifully designed flyer can keep the customer present at the moment and focused on the offer.
A large poster with a beautifully designed menu outside of a new restaurant will keep the people coming. It’s all about how people react to what they see, hear, and touch. With a nice design, they can fall in love with the product.
In addition, print vs digital media statistics show that 88% of US consumers are more likely to retain a story they read on paper.
Print materials are also more likely to activate the medial prefrontal cortex and cingulate cortex. These are parts of the brain that deal with creating emotions. Meaning printed material creates a stronger emotional connection with the brand.
4. Printed Materials Are Easy on the Eye
Compared to screens, prints are more comfortable to look at and don’t strain the human eye. This is especially important when an organization wants to communicate a wordy message.
Additionally, there are no intrusive ads and pop-ups that will divert the customer’s attention away from what’s on paper.
Instead, the person who holds a flyer remains focused on what’s on it – another relevance of print media in the digital age.
5. Print Is More Sustainable Than Ever
Digital media consumes more power than some may think. There are multiple servers that businesses use to store information, marketing strategies, and tools for data organizing. Unfortunately, these machines spend from 500 to 1,200 watts per hour.
For comparison, an LED UV printer consumes about 100 watts. Now, people can’t recycle electric power, but they can recycle paper. This difference can play a key role in the future of print media in digital era.
In addition, the American Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) claims that recycling paper provides multiple benefits like reducing greenhouse gas emissions and lowering the energy needed for paper production.
6. Printed Media Lasts Longer Than a Social Media Post
One difference between print and digital media is that a social media post lasts from a few hours to a day, depending on the network it’s shared on. If the followers don’t engage, it dies, wasting the marketing resources.
On the other hand, printed media lasts forever – or until the organization decides to recycle the marketing materials at least. This is why print is better than digital.
Once a flyer or a brochure is out of the printer, it can live on. Customers can interact with it for longer compared to a social media post – considering the marketer has properly targeted their audience.
Final Word
Be it a brand’s “about us” story or the description of the latest product, print media in the digital age offer a rich way to tell that story to a customer. Print is not invasive, but immersive, and allows people to get deep into what’s on the page as soon as they grab it.
What’s more, digital media and print media overlap and act as complementary marketing channels, capturing people’s attention across all channels. The good thing is that print became highly sustainable and can benefit businesses to remain sustainable as well.
If you’re looking for visual composing document design for print and digital media, please give us a call at 908 237 4646, email us at info@digitalartsimaging.com, or reach out via live chat on digitalartsimaging.com.
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