Tougher times call for a print led strategy

The unwelcome news is that marketing budgets are being reduced as a result of uncertainty dogging the world’s economies currently. The good news, according to the IPA’s repeated Bellwether Report, is that spending on direct marketing and on events is edging upwards as it has over several recent quarters. Print is instrumental to both, the one through direct mail and door drops, the other through large displays, literature and collateral that encases a promotional or experiential event. Print is trusted to work in both cases. Brands it seems want to forge closer relationships with customers and print rather than digital goes deeper.

The economic climate also suggests that this is the time to hold on to existing customers rather than go hunting for new business where prospects may be nervous of the risks involved in switching their business to an unknown supplier. Rewards for loyalty should be to the fore. It is after all easier to retain a customer than to find a new one and in uncertain times it makes sense to keep those you know close. All the recent consumer research shows that print through the post is welcomed by recipients and is retained far longer than any email or SMS offer. The effort and cost involved in designing, printing and posting material is taken as respect.

Brands whether international or local need to be reminded of these. Print through the letterbox, with a redemption voucher against a pizza or the cost of a car service, can be popular when cash is tight. These are under pressure businesses themselves and need to be reminded that ignoring print is very much a false economy. During the Covid lockdowns, the businesses that kept in touch with customers using print or phone calls earned gratitude even where there was no immediate business. Printers should remind their customers that when times get tough print really matters.