Naive are those who think print is dead. Quite the opposite is true, really. Especially with the pandemic pushing even more marketers online, resulting in a high volume of information given to customers at the digital level, print will set you apart. Printed content will be seen more as it’s not scrolled past or deleted as we so often do in the digital world. According to a blog published by Colortech Creative Solutions, “print advertising also provides a broader customer experience—this allows for a deeper level of engagement than that of digital materials. Printed pieces can be taken with you and are tangible where digital formats are fleeting. For example, if a potential customer has a brochure in their hand [or a magazine!] they can see the beauty and color of the ad, but they can also feel the texture and smell the ink, experiencing something that’s separated from the digital realm.” The article positions branded content as one of the top marketing trends for 2021. This is content that has been specifically created with your brand vision in mind—it tells your story in a way that is meaningful to the reader.
If you’re not convinced that print has its place in marketing in the digital age, let me highlight some of my favorite qualities of print. I hope you see the value in these characteristics as well.

Print is Credible. Sadly, there is a lot of distrust around information we find online. It’s hard to know if what we’re absorbing has been fabricated to accomplish a certain agenda or exaggerated for the sake of becoming “clickbait”. However, when you read an article in Strictly Business, or any other publication with integrity, you know what you’re reading is true because it’s been responsibly sourced and approved by the person or business the article is about.

Print is Polite. What I mean by this is that people who read content in a magazine or newspaper are doing so voluntarily. It’s not being shoved in their face like a pop-up ad or a commercial on TV interrupting your favorite show. Not to say those methods aren’t effective, but we are psychological people. If we relate annoyance or intrusiveness to a brand, that is going to affect our purchasing decisions. Whereas with print, your audience is viewing your content on their own terms.

Print is Engaging. Consumers (and yes, even millennials) continue to retain a higher level of interest in printed materials. Studies continue to show that students read digital formats faster—but at a cost. They ended up absorbing fewer details, which suggests students are much better off reading print. Investing in print advertising increases the chance that your message will be read, understood, and better yet, not diluted by off-topic comments or other advertising in the sidebar.

Let’s say you’re a business and there’s no one on your team who is good at writing. Not only that, there just isn’t enough time to put together branded content for your business while actually running and operating your business. That is exactly what Strictly Business exists for. We are a marketing partner like no other to local businesses in Lincoln. Why? Our small-but-mighty team works with every single one of our clients, really getting to know each one so that we can best tell their story and convey their mission, values, and expertise to the community. Our writers—Diane, Hannah, and Tegan—are very talented. They can take anyone’s jumbled thoughts and turn it into a well-written article that flows and resonates with the reader—and they can do it in minutes. All the press release, story, and spotlight writing we do for our clients is free with their advertising campaign. We also know how important it is to supplement a physical print presence with an online presence, so we publish all that rich, original content online on our website and backlink to our client’s site. In addition, Strictly Business offers a social media add-on package to take our client’s even further. If you’re interested in learn more about working with our amazing team to share your story and grow your business, reach out to me!