Throughout the years, there have been many changes within the advertising industry. There’s no doubt that the internet has changed the way businesses advertise. With so many options for online marketing, is print advertising still a viable option? In this blog post, we’ll take a look at the pros and cons of print advertising and help you decide whether it’s worth your investment.

What Counts as Print Advertising?

Print advertising pertains to marketing that is physically printed media to reach customers. Some examples of print advertising include billboards, brochures, business cards, direct mail, catalogs, logos, etc. The general rule of thumb is, if it is physical and relies on text and images, it is considered print advertising. 

Why is Print Advertising Important?

Print advertising can still be an effective marketing tool for businesses even in the digital age. Not everyone uses the internet or social media, especially older people, so if this type of person or age group is your target demographic, this may be where you want to focus your advertising the most. However, this type of advertising can also be used to target multiple generations if desired. Print ads are also a great way for local businesses to reach people in their area. This builds brand awareness for the business and is generally cheaper than other forms of marketing, which helps if you are a small business owner. Lastly, as a business owner, you have complete control over the content of your print ads and how you want to present it. 

How Do You Know Print Ads Aren’t Dead?

Print advertising is one of the oldest forms of marketing, and some might be asking if it is still worth putting time, money, and resources into. The easiest way to explain why print advertising is still effective, in my opinion, is through data. Some numbers that might surprise you are:

• 95% of people under 25 years old read magazines 
• 82% of consumers trust print ads the most when deciding to make a purchase
• 70% of households with an income over $100,000 are newspaper readers 
• 80% of consumers act on direct print mail ads and 45% act on electronic ads
• 92% of 18-23 year old find it easier to read print over digital content 

Business owners can also use a combination of print and digital advertising, making their outreach even more effective. An example of this is including a call-to-action within their print ads that directs the consumer to visit their website for more information. 

Pros and Cons of Print Advertising

Everything in life has its advantages and disadvantages. Print advertising is no exception. For you to make the most informed decision possible, let’s go over the pros and cons of print advertising. 

Pros

One main advantage of print advertising is it is highly informative. You can provide a lot of information about your products or services, which is helpful to potential customers. It is also less intrusive than forms of digital advertising because your consumer can choose whether or not they want to read the advertisement. Print advertisements are generally seen as more trustworthy due to being published within other media. These ads can be targeted to a specific demographic and are cost-effective compared to other forms of advertising. Since the decision to read print media is made by the consumer, print ads offer higher engagement. 

Cons

The main disadvantage of print advertising is it can be difficult to measure its effectiveness. Since it is highly targeted to whoever reads a specific publication, it can have a limited reach since online advertising can be seen by anyone with a phone or internet. You are also not able to receive real-time feedback as print ads are not interactive like digital ones are.

Once a print ad has been published, you are unable to make changes to it. If you are environmentally conscious, print advertising might not be for you, as it leads to paper waste. Lastly, print ads are not a viable option for businesses that want to reach an international audience. 

Though you may hear people say that print advertising is dead, this simply isn’t the case. Print advertising can take many different forms, from newspapers to magazines to direct mail. While some businesses have moved away from advertising in print, there are still plenty of good reasons to use it as part of your marketing mix.

When done well, print advertising can be an extremely effective way to reach viable customers and grow your business with a high ROI. 

Thinking about starting print advertising? Check out our direct mail services today and see how Renegades Media can create compelling and relevant print ads for your business.