Your Kansas City digital marketing may be effective, but don’t let it replace your print marketing efforts. In fact, if you’re not already combining print and digital for a one-two marketing punch, why not?

It’s important to integrate your print and digital marketing efforts because even though you can get an instant response and solid demographics from social media campaigns, print still more than holds it own as an effective way of influencing customers and potential customers.

For example, the Data & Marketing Association (DMA) recently found that the average direct mail household response rate is about 5.1%. When you consider that email alone comes in at just .6%, online display ads at .2% and social media at  .4%, according to DMA, you’ll realize that print still has power.

The study revealed just how much. It found that the the median household return on investment for direct mail collateral stands at an impressive 29%, despite the fact that people spend several hours on their smartphone each day. (The study also found ROI for email is 124%, 16% for online display and 30% for social media.) In fact, the same study revealed that for every $167 spent on direct mail marketing in the United States, marketers can expect to sell about $2,095 worth of products in return.

This data doesn’t mean that you should shun digital in favor of old-school print marketing. But it does indicate the power and potential of the two when combined. In fact, when they are combined properly, digital and print have the potential to become something far more effective than either one could be alone.

A study by Merkle found that marketing campaigns using both direct mail and one or more digital outlets often experience a response rate increase of about 118% when compared to using direct mail only. Nonprofit PRO’s research showed that direct mail with digital ads yield a 28% higher conversion rate.

Here are some tips for using print and digital media together to help your marketing promotion get more attention:

 

• Use digital media to drive your audience to printed materials.

 

With Facebook and Instagram, you can reach a large audience quickly and effortlessly. You can use social media to gather demographic and other data to better target your audience for a print campaign. You can also use social media ads to ask customers to click through to a website or landing page to collect their interests and address for a targeted print piece.

 

• Use printed materials to drive your audience to digital media.

 

Spreading the word about an event, service or product using print is effective; however, using print and digital media to get the word out is even more powerful. For example, use printed materials to direct the audience to a social media site where they can like or follow your company or product. Use hashtags in your print materials to encourage customers to share information on your social media outlets. Your Kansas City digital marketing strategy should include print.

If you’re not already embracing the power of using print and digital together, now is a great time to start! At Print Time, every print project is a valuable opportunity to spotlight your brand and enhance your relationship with your customers and prospects. Visit us at www.printtime.com and find out how we can help you create a successful print strategy that will complement and work with your Kansas City digital marketing plan.