Contrary to popular belief, the internet hasn’t completely taken over and print is not dead. The internet has simply altered the way society interacts with print and increased the expectation of free news and content.
As print has attempted to adapt to the digital world, magazines have fared better than newspapers. Many publications have gone digital-only, so print magazines can be seen as somewhat of a novelty now and can stand out more than online content. People want to be able to have the experience of holding a magazine in their hands and flipping through the pages. A printed magazine also requires more effort, potentially higher cost variables and an artful curation of content. This does not go unnoticed by readers.
Print magazines are being used by brands as a way of marketing their brand and connecting with customers, too. Well-known brands have been producing their own print magazines like John Deere’s Furrow Magazine, Lincoln Electric’s Arc Magazine and YETI’s Dispatch Magazine. One of our own clients has even begun publishing a semi-annual print magazine as part of their marketing strategy.
Why should you continue including print and public relations as part of your marketing strategy?
1. Market Segmentation
Quality impressions are targeted impressions. Consumers who are interested in boats read boating magazines. Consumers who are interested in hunting and fishing read publications about hunting and fishing. Whether they read these publications in print form or on a screen depends on demographics and preferences, but if there is an article about you in a targeted publication, regardless of format, they’re still reading about you.
2. Credibility
Most subscribers have developed a relationship with their favorite magazines and newspapers. They know what to expect from them. They trust them. When a subscriber opens their latest issue and sees an article about your company, the trust they have in that publication will be passed along to your business.
It is much more difficult to convey trust online with sponsored content and everyone trying to be an influencer, demanding free meals, products and services in exchange for a positive review. In print, you already have much more credibility. The perception is, if you’re in print, you’re real. You’ve got credibility.
3. Multi-Channel Recognition
When you do an online search, you’ll find results from organic search, paid search and even social networking sites. When a story about your business shows up in print, many publications will also publish it online and share it on their social media platforms, increasing the number of people who are likely to see it. You should also make sure to share the article with your audience to help drive traffic to the publication, increasing the possibility of being included in that publication again.
Print is powerful. It should absolutely be part of your multi-channel marketing strategy. (Please also read that as, “You need a multi-channel marketing strategy”). If they’ve read an article about your business (online or in print), you have the advantage. Radio, television, social, web, print, etc. — they all work together — the key is to make them work for you.
