Digital v. Print Design
With the rise of social media and the sophistication of the cyber world, online marketing is now the dominant medium employed by companies to promote their brand with many opting to focus solely on a digital output. So is there really a place for traditional media in today’s digital world? Absolutely! Not only does print design perform better in some sectors than others, the most successful and powerful campaigns are ones that use both simultaneously for maximum exposure.
Businesses are spoilt for choice when considering which medium to choose for their next campaign with a majority of companies opting for online advertising, email marketing and social media and eliminating printed material such as brochures and direct mailers altogether.
But what they don’t realise is that although they may be cutting the cost of production, they are also reducing their chance of connecting with their customer. The key to a successful campaign is to combine the right channels, at the right time. Incorporating integrated media outputs into your next marketing campaign can create more impact than using a stand alone media channel. Considering your target market, budget and timings will all help to find the right formula.
How to execute the perfect integrated campaign:
1. Know your customer
It is key to have a clear understanding of your customer before approaching any digital or print design. Knowing what mediums they use and how they use them, along with an understanding of their motivations and feelings will all contribute to how you approach your campaign. Consider creating a customer journey map or empathy map to gain these insights.
2. Be consistent
Strong design and branding across all platforms will ensure your company is recognisable by your customers. Keeping a consistent logo, colours and fonts will not only make you look ace, it will deepen your customer relationships. This doesn’t mean you need to bore the pants off your customers with the same design and layout every time. You can be creative and push your brand guidelines whilst still creating strong brand recognition.
3. Integrate
Printed material can help draw attention to your online presence. Include hashtags, social media handles and web links on print advertising to drive your customer to your ultimate target – website, social media, video etc. You can also use customer testimonials or comments on your social media sites to strengthen your printed collateral.
4. Be picky
There’s no use in putting all of your eggs in the one basket but let’s not go overboard and try to be everywhere all of the time. Focus your energies on a few central channels for the one campaign rather than blowing your budget on a million. Choosing the right mediums for your campaign will be crucial to its success, so make sure these are well considered. Getting the right balance can be difficult and unfortunately there is no sure-fire combination that works best.
5. Tracking
Get the proper analytics so you know what’s working where. Knowing how you’re achieving (or not achieving) results will give you insights on how to better your campaign next time around.
Combining new evolving digital design solutions along with traditional print design collateral could be the key to unlocking your next brand awareness campaign. Bright Yellow offers a range of digital and print solutions. To continue the discussion, call us on 07 3367 0394 or visit our Facebook page.