Marketers face uncertain futures in digital today. With rising privacy concerns, digital fatigue, the fake news phenomenon, and diminishing returns on digital investments, the answer is where it has been all along. Print. We are not a printer telling you that you should not invest in digital, after all, you are reading this story glorifying print in a digital space, and probably got here though a search or a link in our emailed newsletter. Digital communications are and always will be part of our lives, but choosing the right medium for the task at hand, and understanding how digital and print can work together to achieve your goals, is imperative to today’s marketer. The answer is all of the above. 

Let us start out by examining digital media in today’s market. A study commissioned by Two Sides, carried out by international research firm Toluna, compare how print and digital are viewed by consumers. Two Sides is an organization dedicated to promote the environmental sustainability of the Graphics Communications Industry. Go check out their introduction. Here are some of our takeaways from the U.S. study but you can read the international survey to dig in fully. 

Digital is immediate. 

Bank statements and service provider notifications are a few things that 90% of consumers think they deserve the right to choose between printed or digital media when receiving these communications. Under the age of 45, there tends to be a strong desire for digital communication which falls right in line with the fact that digital is king when it comes to speed. Unless the documents are important ones, such as tax forms, around half of the population prefers to receive notifications and updates digitally.

News and Social Interaction.

This one is pretty obvious. Our whole social world has changed to a digital experience and news is just another outlet that has gone digital. The speed digital brings to the user bodes well for breaking news and therefore, tends to be the choice for a lot of newsreaders, especially the youngsters. The study showed that only 35% of people 18-24 chose to read print news. The future seems to lean away from paper, or does it? Only about 35% of all surveyed users say they trust news stories from a social media platform, while 56% trust printed news. Even more, only 7% from the 55+ demographic said they trusted social media news sources. 

Digital deficits are Print positives.

For a marketer, reaching your audience is the name of the game. Being able to send precise content at the right time is critical in bolstering your brand. When choosing between online or physical advertising, take some of these facts from the study into consideration.

• 71% of U.S. consumers polled in the study showed they do not pay attention to online advertising.
• 69% in the United States found that online ads were annoying and not relevant.
• 63% of U.S. participants read printed advertising mail that was addressed to them at least once a week. This paired with 71% in the study saying that they don’t pay attention to most online advertising makes for a great connection when adding print to your campaigns. 

These few stats open the mind to how print can tell your story with it’s tactile engagement but without the power of digital information and trends, print can become less effective. It is no longer an either or question.  

So what does it all mean?

If you work in the marketing sphere for your company and you are not utilizing both print and digital efforts in a campaign, why not? Human beings are stimulated by a variety of things so it only makes sense to go after them with everything you’ve got. Of course, your favorite printer WOULD advocate print, but we encourage the use of both strategies to ensure better ROI. Find solid data digitally, hone in on a targeted audience, and send them print, or something physical. It almost sounds too easy… 🙂 

As much as digital has changed the world, print has changed while you were looking in the other direction. Check out the new print, we have made some really great improvements over the last 10 years. Personalization, targeting, new tactile effects, new inks, new substrates, and printers that have adopted the new mindset of being your marketing partner are changing the game in print. We recently heard creative visionary Dana Arnett chant at Dscoop’s digital printing conference – Print is the new Digital!

We are glad to see you coming back, and we have made a lot of improvements while you were gone.

This, of course, is our take on the study but you can read this and many other findings on Two Sides website.

Happy marketing and good luck out there!