Other Services

Websites

Highlight Printing partners with Avallo Web Development to bring quality custom websites and web applications at affordable prices to our clients. Contact Lisa at Highlight Printing for a quote on your custom website.

7 Reason to Consider Print for Your "Non-Tradional" Content Strategy By Joe Pulizzi  

  1. It grabs attention: Have you noticed how many fewer magazines and print newsletters you are getting in the mail these days? I don't know about you, but I definitely pay more attention to my print mail. There's just less mail, so more attention is paid to each piece. Opportunity? The decisions that magazines like Newsweek are making leave a clear opportunity for content marketers to fill the gap.
  2. It's focus on customer retention: Sixty-four percent of B2B marketers create original content for customer retention and loyalty goals Historically, the reason why custom print magazines and newsletters were developed by brands was for customer retention purposes. In a recent CMI webinar, Carlos Hidalgo, CEO of Annuitas Group, stated that one of the biggest problems marketers have with their content is that they forget to nurture customers AFTER the purchase decision was made (we have a winner!).
  3. There are no audience development costs: Publishers expend huge amounts of time and money qualifying subscribers to send out their magazines. Many times, publishers need to invest multiple dollars per subscriber per year for auditing purposes (They send direct mail, they call? they call again? so that the magazine can say that their subscribers have requested the magazine. This is true for controlled [free] trade magazines). So, let's say, a publisher's cost-per-subscriber per year is $2 and their distribution is 100,000. That's $200,000 per year for audience development. That's a cost that marketers don't have to worry about. If marketers want to distribute a magazine to their customers, they just use their customer mailing list. That's a big advantage.
  4. What's old is new again: Social media, online content and iPad applications are all part of the marketing mix today. Still, what excites marketers and media buyers is what IS NOT being done (can you say non-traditional?). They want to do something different? something new. It's hard to believe, but the print channel is new again and is seeing a rebirth. Could we possibly be seeing a golden age in print, like we are seeing in television?
  5. Customers still need to know what questions to ask: We love the internet because buyers can find answers to almost anything. But where do we go to think about what questions we should be asking? I talked to a publisher recently who said this: "The web is where we go to get answers but print is where we go to ask questions." The print vehicle is still the best medium on the planet for thinking outside the box and asking yourself tough questions based on what you read - it's lean back versus lean forward. If you want to challenge your customers (like Harvard Business Review does), print is a viable option.
  6. Print still excites people: I talked to a journalist recently who said it's harder and harder to get people to agree to an interview for an online story. But mention that it will be a printed feature and executives rearrange their schedule. The printed word is still perceived as more credible to many people than anything on the web. It goes to the old adage, "If someone invested enough to print and mail it, it must be important." We've seen this firsthand with CCO magazine. Contributors love being featured on the CMI website, but they crave having their article in the printed magazine. It's amazing how different the perception is of the print versus online channel when it comes to editorial contribution.
  7. Print lets people unplug: More and more, people are actively choosing to unplug, or disconnect themselves from digital media. I'm finding myself turning off my phone and email more to engage with printed material. A year ago I didn't see this coming. Today, I relish the opportunities when I can't be reached for comment. For example, our entire family does "electronics-free Saturday." This means no computer, no iPhone, no Xbox, no email, no Facebook. We've been doing this since January, and although it's been difficult, it's been an amazing experience for our family. Just two weeks ago, all four of us were sitting in the family room reading books and magazines. We've also done much more together, as a family.  If I'm right, many of your customers (especially busy executives) are feeling the same way. Your print communication may be just what they need. Online content marketing is definitely here to stay. So say "yes" to social media, apps, and the rest of it. But don't forget that print can still play an important role in your overall content marketing mix.