HANDS up if you own a tablet, e-reader or smartphone?
Hands up if you use it to access magazines, newsletters or brochures?
Chances are the response rate is pretty high on both counts.
You may even be reading these very words on an electronic device.
With so much virtual material available via the swipe of a screen, is there really still a need for physical printed items?
Has technology provided us with the ultimate gift – a clutter-free office and all the information we need at the touch of a button?
It’s an appealing theory but it’s certainly not the whole story.
Yes, the way in which we access information – and market our organisations – has changed radically over the last decade.
No, this has not sounded the death knell for print.
Instead it has simply created new opportunities.
Web. Video. Social media. E-mail marketing.
All powerful new weapons in any organisation’s communications armoury. Many have seized on them with enthusiasm.
The most astute, however, have used these tools to augment, rather than entirely replace, their offline materials.
This approach is evidenced by some of the country’s biggest brands: an email about your favourite retailer’s seasonal sale is frequently followed up by a “sale now on” postcard through the letterbox.
On a similar note, many company websites invite you to request a printed copy of their annual report or brochure via an online contact form.
Membership organisations often provide potential new members with access to selected electronic materials; paid-up ones get the full suite mailed out to them in print format.
Virtual + physical = increased opportunities for engagement.
Not everyone enjoys reading detailed information on screen.
How many times have you found yourself printing something off so that you can read it “properly”?
The savvy organisation recognises this and gives their clients the choice.
By all means, make your company datasheets available for download from your website. Accept, however, that some customers may still expect you to provide them with a hard copy.
“Sticky” information that people need to refer to regularly should be made available in both online AND print format.
One final warning - organisations should never assume that all of their customers (and indeed all of their staff) have constant and reliable internet or email access.
A significant proportion may not. Putting everything online disenfranchises them.
This is where we get to the emotional part – or the unique selling points (USPs) of print.
Nothing quite competes with the touch or smell of a freshly printed brochure or magazine.
Print appeals to multiple senses and subtly reinforces the style statement or quality impression your company is trying to make.
Concerned about costs, production times or the danger of your printed materials going out of date?
Enter the era of digital print. It’s fast, flexible and capable of handling short print runs at extremely cost-effective rates.
The future of print has never been so exciting