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Print Advertising NOT DEAD: Your Guide to Print Ads Campaign

11 min read

The marketing and advertising landscape has greatly shifted over the past few decades.

This is especially true with the prevalence of the digital age, as we are seeing more advertisements than ever. Between the internet, TV, and more, research suggests people receive around 5,000+ advertisements and brand exposures per day.

This research further breaks down that people receive around 362 “ads only” exposure, but only around 12 of these make an impressionable impact.

Therefore, businesses need to market to stick out enough to be one of those 12.

Many companies primarily focus on the digital side of marketing these days with how much time people spend online. However, other types of advertisements can still make a significant impression when done effectively, like a print advertisement.

So, what is a print advertisement, and how can it still be an essential part of many company’s strategies?

Let’s take a closer look.

What is Considered a Print Ad?

Before we go any further, let’s answer the question: what is print advertising? A print ad is any advertisement that is delivered in printed media and designed to reach customers. A print ad can come in several types, including the following.

Newspaper: Newspaper ads can still be highly effective, and they are relatively affordable. They offer multiple options for ad size, location, and running time, which makes it accessible for any budget size. Newspaper ads offer significant reach while also being great for targeting a local area or particular audience.
Magazine ads: Magazine ads are a print advertisement example that is perfect for targeting a specific area of interest or industry. Since magazines are released based on a certain topic, the ad will be more likely to reach that target audience. Regular publications mean you can have multiple opportunities to reach out to this audience and create a lasting effect. Magazine ads also offer a broad space for creative ads.
Brochures: Brochures allow a business to put a significant amount of information into a single ad. It is a good method to inform potential customers and establish credibility. Plus, brochures can be easily distributed to many people at once, like at events. Of course, they must still be well-designed and not simply cluttered with information.
Direct mail: Direct mail has been underutilized since the digital space took over. It allows a business to target a specific demographic or location and can reach a large audience. Moreover, direct mail campaigns are cost-effective and have a significant general ROI. According to one survey, direct mail achieves a better ROI than online display ads and paid search.
Flyers: Well-designed flyers can be an incredibly effective method of print advertising. Flyers can be great for promoting a new business opening, new product or service, sales, or holiday events. Even better, offer a discount coupon if the recipient brings the flyer into the store. This offers an incentive to visit, and it helps with tracking the advertising campaign.

Will a Printed Ad Be Effective?

With the prevalence of digital advertisements, some people may wonder: is print advertising dead? Or whether it is on its way out. Well, the answer is no, and far from it.

As expected, digital advertisement is currently the leading form of marketing in the United States, but this doesn’t mean that print advertising is eliminated.

In fact, print advertising offers a few benefits over the digital space, including:

Memorability: Research shows that people tend to have higher rates of recall and retention for print ads over digital. People also tend to read over text slower in print form than in the digital space.
Creativity: Several types of print ads allow for more creativity to flow in creating the ad. For instance, a full-page magazine ad allows a business to let its creativity flow to really impress upon viewers.
Reach many readers over time: Print ads will often reach more readers over time. As a magazine or newspaper is left in waiting rooms or other locations, more people will pick it up. This can lead to additional responses to the ad over time as it continues to be seen. On the other hand, a digital ad typically runs for a certain amount of time before it is swapped with a different ad or business.
Budget-friendly flexibility: So, how much does print advertising cost? The good news is that it’s flexible. The variety of print ads makes them perfect for budgets of any size. A business can take out a small ad space in a newspaper or a full page in a magazine. There are so many opportunities for print ads; it makes it easy to find an option that works within the budget.
Relevance: As mentioned above, many print ads allow for more relevant targeting. Putting an ad in a certain section of a newspaper or an industry-related magazine makes it more likely to reach an audience that will be interested.
Consumer trust: Some studies have shown that consumers tend to trust print ads more than social media and search engine ads.
Creativity: Print ads tend to allow you to employ more creativity and customization. Digital ads are often limited by the website’s layout, the device the ad is seen on, and the space available. With print ads, you have the option of more space and can design the ad the way you want viewers to see it.

Advice for Creating Effective Print Ads

Of course, if you include print ads in your marketing strategy, you want them to be effective.

Here are some tips for designing and implementing effective print ads.

Catchy headline

An attention-grabbing headline is critical to many effective print ads. You want something that will hook the viewer and pull them in to read the rest of the ad. Make it clear and straightforward. Use uncomplicated language that a majority of viewers can understand quickly.

Concise and understandable copywriting

The copy body of the ad needs to communicate the product or service you are advertising clearly. Don’t be verbose or flashy with big words in attempts to seem fancy.

Instead, focus on professional copy that is free of spelling or grammatical errors.

Additionally, don’t send a massive wall of text to the reader. If there is a lot of information, break it up into subheadings for easy readability.

Call to action (CTA) and contact information

Next, make sure to include a call to action that tells the reader what to do next. This could be calling your business, visiting the store, checking out the website, buying the product, etc. It just needs to prompt them to take the next step. Even better, offer a promotion or discount incentive if they use a code from the ad or mention it when they come in.

Don’t forget to add some form of contact information if the reader wants to know more, such as a phone number, email address, or physical address.

Graphic design

Visuals are one of the largest strengths of many print ads, so be sure to use them.

Create eye-catching graphics that draw the viewer’s eyes to the ad. This can be things like brand colors, relevant photos of the product or service, and more.

Hire a professional

If you or your team lack graphic design or advertising experience, it may be a better idea to hire a professional to create your ad.

The last thing you want is to waste time and money on an ineffective print ad. There will be a cost to professional ad design, but it may be what creates a better return in the long run.

You can check prices with professional advertising agencies or look into freelancers, which will typically be cheaper.

No matter which option you are considering, check out their reviews to ensure that previous customers have been happy with their work.

The Final Word on Print Advertisement

At the end of the day, every business is different, and so is their marketing strategy.

The critical thing to remember is not to neglect other effective marketing channels just for digital ads. Digital marketing will likely remain the dominating space, but a multi-pronged approach can round out the overall strategy.

Using effective print ads can help to capture the eyes of those who spend less time in the digital space and create a lasting impression on many people.

Using multiple marketing channels will help a business thrive in the long run. Even if you only use print ads during promotional times, they can help to fill in the gaps of digital marketing strategies.

Looking for a High-Quality Ecommerce Platform?

Printed ads are an excellent place to mention your website or online store address.

If you want to launch an ecommerce store for the first time or in a new space, Ecwid is ready to help. Our ecommerce platform is easy to use and can be integrated with various other digital platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, Amazon, or even your own website. You can even manage all of these platforms from a single dashboard.

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Aug 25, 2023

About the author

Max has been working in the ecommerce industry for the last six years helping brands to establish and level-up content marketing and SEO. Despite that, he has experience with entrepreneurship. He is a fiction writer in his free time.