Mixed Messaging: 5 Methods for Weaving Print Marketing Into Your Business Marketing Strategy
Marketing, for many people, is something that exists purely online. However, it’s important to remember that integrating print into your wider marketing plan helps you stand out, build trust, and create a more memorable brand experience when used alongside your digital channels. When print is planned strategically rather than treated as an afterthought, it can boost response rates, support campaigns, and deliver a strong return on investment.
Printing works best as part of a mixed-media effort rather than on its own. Using print and digital together can result in higher engagement and stronger conversion rates. Below are some ways to integrate print into your existing marketing strategy:
Ensure the Print Aligns With the Brand
Using print essentials such as business cards, letterheads, brochures, and folders should mirror your online identity in terms of colour, fonts, tone of voice, and messaging. This ensures customers experience a consistent brand wherever they encounter you.
Map Print to the Customer Journey
Look at each stage of the customer journey and identify moments where a physical touchpoint could be most useful. A welcome pack or product guide, for example, can add clarity and reassurance, particularly when people are evaluating their options and need tangible proof of your expertise or quality.
Bridging the Offline and Online Journey
This is where NFC tags or QR codes can direct people to specific landing pages, forms, or videos, seamlessly moving them from a tactile experience to an online one. This also allows you to track how many people move from print to digital, giving you measurable campaign insights. You can then use this data to determine whether the print component is delivering value.
It’s also important to recognise that print is not always the right investment for every audience. Understanding who you are targeting is critical, particularly if you are catering to an older demographic, where print may play a more significant role.
Personalising and Segmenting Your Print Campaigns
Modern print technology allows you to vary images and offers for different customer segments. Tailored brochures or direct mail that speak directly to a recipient’s interests are more likely to be kept and engaged with. As a result, these print products often deliver higher response rates than generic mass printing, which can feel unfocused and impersonal.
Align Your Campaigns Across Channels
Designing print and digital promotions together so they share the same core ideas is essential. You might support an email sequence with a catalogue or lookbook, or echo your best-performing social media messages in a postcard campaign. Consistency is key in any marketing effort, and when we set a campaign across multiple formats, we need to ensure that joined-up support becomes the focus.
Over time, print can become a measurable driver of leads, loyalty, and revenue, complementing your digital advertising efforts. To get the most from it, print needs to be considered early, and every piece should have a clear purpose that aligns with your brand. A mixed-channel approach doesn’t have to create mixed messages, as long as your strategy is clear.
Image source: Eva Bronzini via Pexels.
