Is Print Media Dead?

I recently listened to a thought-provoking Podcast hosted by Philippa Channer of Channer Consulting on Embracing Print Media into your Strategy, featuring an interview with Jessica Embree, Creative Director at Tulip Media.

Key Points from the Podcast

Is Print Media Dead? 

Jessica made the contrary point that print media can stand out in an age of digital overload. The personal character of print, something people can hang on to, can help in customer retention.

Go to your Audience…

Print may help you reach where your customers are at, by placing newspaper or magazine ads, or adding coupons in such publications. Costco’s marketing magazine is one such example.

The Personal Touch

Mailing out Postcards to celebrate the season or a client’s birthday can add a perrsonal touch. The same holds for sending out Thank you notes.

Ebooks

Such publications can be easily assembled by repurposing past blog content from your website. An Ebook also lends itself to either digital sharing as a PDF or physical distribution as a printed publication. Just the impact of your producing a “book” can enhance your professional credibility!

My Print Experience

The Venerable Business Card

Business card exchanges at my GGCC Chamber events can be overwhelming, and I must admit I tend to neglect my growing, haphazard pile of cards. Nonetheless, if you strike a chord with a business prospect, I still think a business card is a handy way to boil down your key contact and business information, in the form of a retrievable record for possible future reference. See inserted here my own example for any comments or reactions.

Brochures

While not specifically mentioned in Jessica’s Podcast, traditional tri-fold brochures can be another effective print summary of your small business qualifications and services. More long-form than a business card, such publications force you to trim down and prioritize vast website text and images into a limited space. This was my experience in producing a brochure to support relaunch of my web design services and pricing for 2024. I was able to produce a brochure relatively quickly by selecting and editing a template from Vistaprint’s large and varied online library.

Putting it all together

I have scheduled a few in-person WordPress Demo Presentations before various groups as part of my 2024 Events Calendar. Such physical events are excellent opportunities to get to know possible clients, and the sharing of physical brochures and business cards is a way to cement such bonds. I also plan to hand out such marketing collateral at a variety of GGCC Chamber ribbon-cutting, direct connect subgroup, and general networking events during the year.

I welcome any feedback on the above Post, plus any of your own lessons learned in using print to complement digital marketing media.