Written by Bill Michael
eMarketing Manager, Xerox Corporation

Indulge in Digital Bliss Lately?

 
Think about the past 24 hours. How many times can you recall pulling out a device and indulging in digital bliss? Maybe you were checking your Twitter feed while in the elevator, or browsing your Facebook newsfeed while at a restaurant (much to the displeasure of your better half!), or even scanning Google reviews for the best pizza joints right from your phone? We’re all guilty of it! It’s as if we have a never-ending craving for digital experiences, and no matter how many different ways we feed it, the appetite is never satisfied.

It’s difficult to say with any degree of certainty that today’s online-everything world isn’t having an effect on us. In 2000, our average attention span was 12 seconds. In 2012, that number shrunk to 8 seconds. Your pet goldfish, Bubbles, has an attention span of 9 seconds – and unfortunately I’m not joking.

Consider the following:

• This year, Internet use on mobile devices is expected to overtake that of personal computers.
• Each second, the world sees the birth of approximately 4 babies as well as a new member joining LinkedIn.
• The 2013 American spends an average of 2.7 hours a day socializing on their mobile device, or 2x the time spent eating, and 1/3 the amount of time spent sleeping.
• If Facebook were a country, it would be the world’s 3rd largest, with over 1 billion current users.

Need to Reach your Consumers? Don’t Forget About Print!

Our society today is more dynamically-digital than ever before. Reaching consumers has become even more of a challenge because of the increasingly fragmented mediums. Whether you’re a graphic designer working on a client project, an educational institute trying to recruit incoming freshman, or a local automotive dealer needing to promote your latest inventory…print may be one of the last mediums you think to explore – but I’m here to tell you why it should be one of the first.

So you may be asking yourself – with everything turning digital, exactly what future does print have and why should it matter to me, my business, and my customers? The answer is simple: print is a proven communication vehicle that captures the attention of your recipient, leaving a lasting impression that can have a real impact on your business. Today.

Put Yourself in your Customers’ Shoes

 
When you get home from a long day of work, which pile is bigger: the unread emails in your personal inbox or the stack of physical mail brought in from the mailbox? How quickly do you click ‘delete’ on those annoying email updates from that restaurant chain downtown? Do you even bother to open them or do you just look at the subject and trash it?

Now think about thumbing through the mail on your kitchen table and coming across an oversized postcard from that same restaurant, printed on heavy-weight card stock and featuring a mouth-watering entrée with an appealing coupon. Which communication type are you more likely to spend time with before engaging in a behavior, good or bad?

Quantifying the Impact of Print

If you have a message that you need to get in front of a prospect to spur a response, it’s important to know the facts. Email communications have an average response rate of 0.12%. A printed direct mail piece has an average response rate of 4.4%. That’s more than 36 times more effective! Sure, the cost is greater and the reach may be a bit more limited, but the results are proven and can impact your business today.

Despite the widespread adoption of digital technologies, print still holds a firm grasp within the Graphic Design community. Graphic Design USA Magazine performed its annual survey (its 50th year doing so) and found that 92% of professional designers still design for print as part of their work, with 72% of their time being allocated towards print projects. They cited print as helping to communicate brands, messaging, and feelings through its permanence and implied value.

So how do I make Print work for me?

Print surely is not the end-all-be-all. It is not the deciding factor to success, but it can be a key ingredient in the recipe. Is print the same today as it was twenty years ago? Of course not! Despite an uncanny level of effectiveness, the future of print goes beyond ink and toner on paper. It’s about leveraging its unique benefits (think tangibility) in combination with the benefits of the online technologies of today (think reach, virality).

Print can act as the thread running through your various communication touch-points (email, mobile, web, social media), strengthening them and providing a sense of continuity and importance. Partnering with the right print provider can help to make this an incredibly enjoyable, and successful, experience for you and your business!

From talking business cards using Augmented Reality to personalized direct mail campaigns leveraging specific customer data, or even brochures with QR codes driving traffic to company web sites and social media channels – the possibilities are limited only by your imagination.

The real question is: what will you do with print today to take your business to the next level?

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About The Author
Bill Michael is an eMarketing Manager for Xerox Corporation. He received his Bachelors of Science in New Media Publishing from the School of Print Media at the Rochester Institute of Technology, and is currently pursuing his Masters of Science from RIT. When he isn’t at work or school, Bill enjoys running, basketball, football, table tennis, spending time with his fiancée and his energetic dog. Connect with Bill on LinkedIn.