• 82% of readers trust print ads the most when making a purchase decision
• Print ads require 21% less cognitive effort to process 
• By combining print and digital mediums on your next campaign your success is 400% more likely

  In these unprecedented times print advertising certainly seems to be irrelevant. With many users using their digital devices for pretty much everything these days print media doesn’t really seem to get a look in. However, it’s not completely gone, we see posters everywhere, we still get catalogues and newspapers are still being sold in paper and digital form. So all is not lost. But is print media really still effective? Let’s find out!

Is print media still effective in 2022?

Yes, print media is still effective but not as an independent medium. By this I mean, it works very well as part of a holistic campaign for businesses. People still love catalogues and pizza coupons in their letter box (mostly). We will look at the benefits and drawbacks of print advertising in 2022. The most popular forms of print advertising are newspapers both local and national, catalogues, flyers, magazines and trade publications. 

Source: Pexels.com

What are the benefits of print media in 2022?

The benefits of print media differ slightly depending on where your advertisement is placed. We will mention the medium as well as the benefit to make this a clear guide. 

  1. Community Relationships and Trust

Many newspapers and local trade publications work hard to create a community relationship with readers. When you advertise with print media such as newspapers you can make the most of community ties that the publication has created. Many prospective clients would love to help out small businesses in their area and these publications can remind your customers that you are still around. Not to mention that 82% of readers trust print ads over digital when making a major purchase. 

  2. Appeal to your own demographics

Many magazines are created to appeal to certain demographics. For instance: if you are a golf club manufacturer, a golf magazine is perfect to advertise your products in print magazines and their digital publications. It also makes a more efficient use of your marketing budget to target audiences that are aligned with your product as opposed to a spray tactic which means that you advertise anywhere and everywhere. 

A growing trend in print media is to create a ‘lifestyle magazine’ with your products advertised. This is like a print version of native advertising. And it works, more people prefer the soft sell approach than hard sell tactics, no matter the medium. 

3. Higher engagement

As many print newspapers and magazines are paid for by the reader, they are more likely to read the whole publication cover to cover. According to Finances Online ‘Print readers usually spend 20 minutes or more with their publication in hand, while a typical visitor to a digital news site sticks around for less than five minutes’.

They also state that print ads require 21% less cognitive effort than digital ads. More engagement and less effort from the audience? Sounds good!

4. Choice of placement

Many print publications offer exact placements of your ads. Right side placement is usually favoured as more people read the right side of print publications first. Basically, you get what you ask for. 

5. Incidental readers

When a paper or magazine is sitting in your house you tend to pick it up, no matter if you bought it or not. By advertising in print ads you will expand your readership. It’s one aspect that print has over digital. 

Source: Pexels.com

Now we have covered the benefits of print advertising, let's look at the down sides of print advertising. 

What are the downsides of print advertising?

We will take a look at the pitfalls of print advertising.

1. Circulation figures don’t tell the full story

Much like click through rates don’t always translate to a sale, your circulation figures don’t correlate to increased sales or enquiries straight away.  The old ‘correlation does not always imply causation’ saying applies here.

 However, that's not to say that you can't rely on circulation figures, they just need to be taken with a grain of salt. 

2. Reaction to your print ad can be slow to get going

Print ads traditionally need a bit of lead time to a sale or service opportunity as people are less likely to put down what they are reading and enquire. They want to finish reading the publication first. 

Part of this may be due to the fact they can’t simply click on the ad as per a digital ad, so perhaps including a website or email is a great idea. Most ads will already do this but it's good to keep in mind. 

3. Readership in physical mediums such as newspapers and magazines are down. 

Thanks to the rise of digital media, fewer people are buying physical magazines and newspapers. All across the publishing industry this is being felt.

 I have a slightly unique view on the whole physical vs digital medium debate. I am a trained librarian and my point of view is this: Both physical and digital mediums have their place. I don’t believe that one is superior over the other and I don’t think print media will die out.

We all love the feeling of a newspaper or magazine in our hands, we can take our time with it. However, conversely digital media is handy, reliable and efficient. Different strokes. That’s my two cents!

4. It’s more expensive

There’s no way around this one. Print media is more expensive. According to WebCentral ‘a newspaper advertisement will cost $32.00 AUD to reach 1,000 people, while a magazine advertisement will cost $20.00 AUD. In comparison, Facebook ads cost around just 25 cents AUD to reach the same number of people.’ In this aspect search, display and social advertising has print media beat. Hence the rise in digital marketing.

A way around this is to negotiate a smaller fee for a longer period of time or to keep an eye out for any special deals on advertising that your local papers or magazines offer.

And make sure you get the relevant specs of your ad format so you can avoid costly readjustments. If your ad is over a certain size they may charge for a different size ad. Be aware of the formats ahead of time. 

5. Print media is only consumed by people who can afford it

According to Finances Online, 70% of households of incomes of over $100,000 AUD are likely to read print media. I hear you say, why is that a downside? Your target market becomes limited to one or two socio economic demographics. For luxury brands this is good news. For essential services, you will need other mediums to target lower income demographics. 

Source: Shutterstock

The final verdict

Is print media effective in 2022? Yes it is, as part of a holistic campaign combined with digital advertising. According to Finances Online the combinations of print and digital campaigns will make your campaign 400% more likely to succeed than one medium alone. 

All consumers have their preferences in how they consume their media so when you are considering your marketing budget consider your demographics. For instance some industries will also benefit from advertising in trade publications both print and digital.

If you are a local business with a lot of suburban foot traffic, a flyer letterbox drop is a great way to remind your customers that you are still there.

Lets not forget, a glossy magazine still holds a certain amount of prestige. When you see a glossy magazine lying around, it just screams, READ ME! (or is it just me?)

These are just examples, there are many ways you can combine print and digital media in your next marketing campaign. You may be very pleasantly surprised at your success! 

If you’ve decided to invest in print ads you need to think about what medium you want and what demographic you are targeting. For instance, if you are a local business, you might think about a flyer reminding your customers that you are there. Think about your graphics and discuss options with your local print place. They will also be able to put you in touch with services that can distribute your flyer in the locations you have specified. 

Whatever medium you are exploring, make sure you have the format, size and placement of the ad beforehand. Discussing this with a graphic designer is a great idea as they will have had a lot of experience with all different forms of ads. If you have any more questions visit our vertical on print advertising which has a lot of information on printing costs. 

Also, SavvySME has many service providers that can aid your new campaign. Make sure you explore your options and ask about deals for a lower price for your advertisement.