In this post, we zoom in on the major benefits of print media and why print can be a rather powerful b2b marketing tool for the security industry.
You can relate – much of the marketing focus & effort is being put on the internet nowadays, and that goes with the current b2b marketing landscape as a whole. It is very convenient to think that print should not be part of your company’s marketing mix because the U.S. newspaper industry shrunk by about $4.5 billion between 2011 and 2018, and some print publication giants even ceased their print version. But what you may not know is that in fast growing markets like India, print media is not only dominant, but also growing in all aspects including circulation, readership and sales,
according to Statista, also
the 2019 Ofcom News Consumption Survey, which found that magazines are still the UK’s most trusted source of news, across all generations. Here we want to offer some insightful intel and a holistic view on the values of print and how print advertising can be a powerful tool in your marketing arsenal, while still delivering benefits that online advertising can't!
1. To stand out from the crowd
Being different can be a good thing in marketing your brand, the greater the brand awareness you have, the more your target audience will be familiar with your company and products. Linkedin senior content marketing manager Sean Callahan shares this same sentiment, in his Linkedin marketing solution article “
Is Print Dead? Not So Fast…”, he mentions an interesting thought shared by Peter Weinberg about following trends too closely: “If your marketing strategy is based on consensus opinion — even if that consensus opinion is right — you’re destined to fail. If your competitors are doing exactly what you are doing, then you have no advantage, by definition.” In a time where there is just so much information and content in social media, mobile phone and email on a daily basis, printed media actually helps you stand out in a crowded room.
2. Targetability
Magazines offer a controlled circulation of contacts who belong to a certain demographic profile and are actively interested in it. Unlike website visitors who are anonymous, magazines vet the audience for you, you can be assured that your message hits the right target. With the combination of targetability appealing to a targeted audience and reach, magazine advertising actually creates more consumer engagement.
3. Undivided attention
You just can't compare the touch and feel of reading a magazine to the skimming of an email newsletter. Readers of print magazine will give it almost their whole attention, unlike multi-tasking when you are on your computer or mobile device. There are no pop-up ads in a magazine to steal your attention. The average reader online will spend two minutes on a website and read 400 words, and few will stick with long form articles containing 2000 words or more. In print however, not only it gets the undivided attention, it is also easier to deliver more in depth and complex security product information and functionality to readers through print.
We have noticed major players of the industry are still trusting the marketing values associated with print, along with their existing online presences. When security marketing decision makers invest in print advertising, they’re not only targeting the right audience through a more trustworthy channel, they've also found an effective way to stand out from the competitors and attract audiences. Using print advertising together with your other marketing channels can certainly be the success formula that pays dividend.