If you’re a small business owner, and especially if you’re just starting out, you’ve most likely given some consideration to the best ways to advertise your business. Odds are good that print advertising is at or near the top of your list of potential advertising mediums. But is print dead?
This is a question that has been bouncing around the marketing world since the rapid surge of the Internet and social media. While many businesses have shifted their advertising efforts to the web because of its cost effectiveness, exposure potential, and convenience, print still maintains its stance as a powerful and necessary component of an ad campaign.
From online banner ads to television commercials and radio spots, advertising permeates daily life. Large companies frequently invest millions of dollars per year in advertising campaigns to sell new products or boost the sales of existing products.
Like major companies, small businesses also use advertising to get the word out about their products and services, or to better position themselves in the local market. In the battle for a bigger market share, print advertisements offer businesses several advantages. Let’s take a closer look at print media and some advantages it has over its digital counterparts.
Permanence
Unlike television and Internet ads, which flash before the eye and then disappear, print ads stay in the hands of potential customers and every time readers look at the ad they see the same thing. Direct mail postcards are a cost-effective advertising option that delivers a powerful offer that your prospects can hold and keep until they make their buying decision. This is a proven advertising method that provides tremendous longevity from a single investment.
Credibility
Print advertising that consistently delivers high-quality, reliable content develops credibility with potential customers. Businesses capitalize on something called the “halo effect” to use the credibility of publications to their own advantage.
In essence, the “halo effect” means that a person takes a positive thought or feeling associated with one thing and applies it to something related. In the case of print advertising, potential customers take the credibility generated by the quality of content and apply it to the advertisements, making the readers more likely to purchase a product or service.
There is something about print that gives a sense of legitimacy. The saturation of popups and banner ads on the Internet can be overwhelming and the fear of spam and viruses is enough make people wary of clicking. There is no imminent danger in a print ad.
Performance
Print advertisements, especially direct mail postcards, generate the best results across four of the five components of the purchase funnel – the process customers go through from initial brand contact to buying decision. The purchase funnel consists of brand awareness, ad awareness, message association, brand favorability, and purchase intent.
Direct mail postcards perform equally in message association to ads in other media, but provide the best results in the area of intent to purchase. For a small business seeking to maximize their Return on Investment (ROI) for advertising, print outperforms both television and Internet advertising.
Engagement
Watching television and listening to the radio are passive activities, through which devices provide images and sounds that may or may not capture a potential customers’ attention. Consumers are more engaged when reading printed material, unlike websites, which are often skimmed in as little as a 15 second visit. A study shows that people read digital screen text 20% – 30% slower than printed paper. (Alshaali & Varshney, 2005)
What good is an ad if it doesn’t reach your target audience? Our expert research staff will use the latest computer tools and demographic information to assist you in targeting your market. We can deliver your Direct Mail Postcards to any household or business that has a valid US address.
Our Direct Mail Postcards are customized advertisements sent directly to your target market. The exciting full-color design is sure to catch their eye and bring them directly to your door. Contact us today at Front Door Advertising for a FREE quote on direct mail postcards.