DATA REVEALS PRINT IS MAKING A COMEBACK

If you ask me…
The news there’s a revived appetite among many brands for targeted, high quality printed materials comes as no surprise. As far as marketing strategies for clients’ and ourselves are concerned, print never left!

In oversubscribed markets quality beats quantity
It is feasible for people in a professional setting to receive in excess of 100 emails per day. From a B2B perspective, this drastically reduces the ability for an email to create a desired impact, particularly if you consider average open rates of 34%*.

Post COVID, the strategy for many brands has been ‘digital only’. If you step back for a moment and consider this, it paints a rather dreary picture. Pity the poor recipient who receives multiple emails from competing brands who look and sound pretty much identical.

Email marketing should be an important element of a brand’s marketing strategy. However, savvy brands are now focussing on the quality of their customer data to mail targeted, high quality printed materials. In particular, there is a desire for exclusive, curated magazine content. During 2024 many big name magazines announced a return to print.

Digital printing for a digital age
The Print Impact Report conducted by RRD found that 94% of US marketing managers interviewed were using print marketing to overcome ‘digital fatigue’.

Today’s digital printing technology offers more than just cost effective, short run, personalised print on demand. The print quality of Jet Presses is comparable to, if not better than traditional litho printing.

Personalisation offers the opportunity to tailor content to individual readers. Popular uses include specific greetings or QR codes linking out to films, unique offers or demonstration requests. In short, a printed magazine should interact with digital communications at every opportunity.

Returning to email open rates, high quality printed material has stickability. Whilst an email can sit unopened, a piece of print will be physically picked up, noticed and can remain for more than 28 days – reinforcing a message for over a month.

Insist on sustainable materials
In addition to Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) certification, every magazine printed by Greensquare carries the World Land Trust’s (WLT) Carbon Balanced paper accreditation.

A paper product becomes Carbon Balanced when the emissions associated with its production are balanced (offset) by the WLT. Contributions to the Carbon Balanced programme are used to protect land from deforestation and degradation, ensuring carbon remains locked-up within these invaluable ecosystems and their trees can continue to absorb CO2. For more information: https://carbonbalancedpaper.com/about/.

Add digital print to your digital strategy in 2025
Operating within crowded marketplaces, brand managers and marketers need creative routes in order to stand out and truly engage with customers. They will achieve this through joined up strategies that include exclusive, curated and sustainably printed communications.

Have you ever thought?
Blazing a trail can be just as exciting for others as it is for you.

Until next time…
Phil Westwood
Creative Director, Greensquare