Print and Digital Marketing: Power Through Reinforcement

Like peanut butter and jelly and superheroes like Batman and Robin, print and digital marketing channels are both strong and effective on their own. Yet, they also work better together. Why? Any time you reinforce your message with multiple touches across different channels, you have a greater chance of getting noticed and moving people to action.

Plus, print and digital play different roles. Email is great when you need people to respond immediately (such as a flash sale), while direct mail offers may have a shelf life of days, weeks, or even months. Email gives you a bump in orders immediately, but those orders will tail off quickly. With direct mail, people tend to hang onto mail pieces longer, and those orders continue to roll in longer.

What does this look like in action? Let’s look at three examples.

·       As each outdoor season changes, an outdoor equipment store keeps its customers apprised of new equipment as it comes into the store. Several weeks after the arrival of new stock, it sends out direct mail pieces with special offers to incentivize customers who still need to make a purchase.

·       A high-end jewelry store uses its email list to inform customers about its new collections. The store then follows up with physical catalogs containing more detailed descriptions and stunning images, highlighting the intricate details in the new jewelry using special coatings and treatments. Email alerts customers to new arrivals, and catalogs give customers the full effect of these pieces' beauty.

·       A boutique clothing store uses email to announce the latest seasonal collections, driving customers to the website to purchase while simultaneously sending out direct mail postcards or physical brochures with detailed images and descriptions of the same arrivals. This approach allows the boutique to reach both online and offline shoppers and increase its visibility in both digital and physical spaces.

There are as many ways to combine direct mail and digital marketing as there are different marketing goals. Which one is right for you?