In recent years marketing has undergone a radical transformation and in the process, print has moved up the marketing menu from entrée to appetizer.
Since the invention of the printing press in the 1400s, print has been the main course of marketing and communication. In the past when we had a need to communicate new information about a product or service, we turned to print. Newspapers, magazines, catalogs, direct mail and brochures were at the core of marketing. For over five hundred years print has been the darling of marketers because it is targeted, easily customizable and it appeals to all of our senses. Until recent times print was the only true means of communicating beyond a radio sound bite, thirty-second TV spot or billboard advertisement.
With the advent of the internet, the marketing menu has changed and dramatically altered the role of print. Today, the web has replaced print as the hub of general information. Mobile technology offers us a world of information in the palm of our hand. Social media provides consumers with direct access to their favorite brands and enables them to share with friends. In spite of these new online channels of communication, the age-old challenge facing marketers remains the same…reach new customers, inspire donors to give, and attract new students or members.
As we head into the New Year, no single channel of communication will rule supreme. We will develop highly successful campaigns using effective cross-media techniques by selecting from a diverse menu of marketing channels. The new marketing menu consisting of direct mail, micro sites, mobile optimized web pages, and social media will all be utilized, like a five course meal, to wow your audience and connect.
Print, as always, will be a critical part of the new Marketing Menu, look for it under appetizers…it will wet the palette of your customers and leave them wanting more.
To learn more about the new marketing menu and how we can help you connect, visit our website and email our own Rick Hall.
Authored by Jeremy Freitas, Marketing Solutions Consultant