Last month I wrote a blog explaining some misconceptions of the print industry (did you miss it? If so, you can read it here). As these are all big topics in our industry, I’ve decided that for the next few months I will explore each of these topics a little more in depth. I think it’s important to understand what drives our industry, especially in this digital age. The first misconception that we explored last month was that print and digital are competing. We have already determined that this is not the case, but what we haven’t yet looked at is how they can work together.
You might be aware that content leads to content. There is so much information out there that it can be difficult to determine what should be published and what should not. In other words, what dp your readers want to see? Print is especially difficult. In the digital world if you publish something that your audience is not thrilled about, it’s really not a big deal. It will just get added to the shelf of content that no one will ever look at. When you publish in print, however, you are using resources. It costs money to put things in print. This and it is a more fathomable reflection of your brand. Here are a couple of ways that you can your digital and print content can complement each other.
Your Digital Audience Publishing content online allows you to determine ahead of time what your audience is looking for. For one, you can measure your own personal success with the content you put out. You can study your audience by looking at the content your competitors are posting, testing topics and keyword popularity by following #hashtags, and studying search engine keyword trends. Once you immerse yourself in the digital, it is much easier to be successful in print.
Your Print Audience We know how important it is to have a digital presence. Your goal should always be to keep your audience cycling. The truth is that we now live in two worlds and neither one should be ignored. Rather, you should always provide your audience with a means to travel between the two. What I’m trying to say is that you want to be able to use your print to drive your traffic back to your digital space. One way to do this is to make sure you are printing materials your audience wants to see. If you engage them enough, they seek you out online. It’s helpful if you give them a vehicle back. QR codes, augmented reality, and promo codes all work great. If you are publishing a novel, you could offer them a free digital copy along with their purchase of the book.
The idea? Keep them cycling. Keep them coming back for more. We think that because we are in a digital revolution that we should focus on the digital. We think that because we are printees and printers that we should focus our efforts on print and ignore the digital. In reality, it can be extremely beneficial to get to know your audience in this digital space and it’s good to use your print to drive them exactly where you want them to be. Rather it’s in print or in digital; you want them in your space.
Once you get the two working together, it’s kind of like having super hero powers. Okay, that may have been a little over the top… but, I can’t help it… super heroes are so cool I just want to include them in everything!
Jennifer Grace is a proud to be millennial who works as a Sales & Marketing Specialist at The Dingley Press. Dingley specializes in catalog printing and Jen is lucky enough to be stationed in the manufacturing facility where the presses run 24/7. When it comes to print and catalogs, one thing is for sure, Jen does not lack enthusiasm. To read more of her articles you can check out Dingley’s blog site or connect with her on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
