14 Impactful Ways To Supplement Digital Advertising With Print

The internet offers brands countless avenues for reaching target audiences right where they are, which has led to explosive growth in both the number and variety of digital marketing tactics.

When it comes to making digital ads more memorable and motivating for consumers, complementary print media can be a fantastic way to amplify your online messaging while nurturing potential leads from multiple touch points.

Here, Forbes Agency Council members explore 14 of the best approaches to integrate print into an omnichannel marketing strategy.

1. Segment Your Highest-Value Customers

Segmenting your highest-value customers based on lifetime value models with geographic inputs lets you easily optimize your print budget. You can often spend way less and get greater returns. With work from home being the new normal, these customers are also much more likely to flip through catalogs and take advantage of exclusive offers that reward their loyalty. – Jacob Cook, Tadpull

2. Include Online Landing Pages In Print Ads

One of the easiest and most effective ways is to include specific, online landing pages—either stand-alone or built into your website with a short URL—in the print ad. Use Google and Facebook retargeting with consistent messaging for the campaign. People that take the time to visit those landing pages are your best prospects from the print ads, and you now have them in an intelligent, targeted funnel. – Patrick Dillon, WISE Digital Partners

3. Leverage Printed Collateral When Live Events Return

Here’s a use case for print that you can put in your back pocket for when we return to live events: While mobile trade show apps are gaining popularity, printed event maps, at-a-glance agendas and product guides that are clunky on mobile are still great advertising options for elevating your brand visibility and increasing traffic to your booth or meeting room. – Khali Henderson, BuzzTheory

4. Roll Out Interactive Ads Using Augmented Reality And QR Codes

You can roll out interactive ads that will link to your brand via augmented reality, as well as by using QR codes. Yes, QR codes are a great resource now making a return. Print is cheap and sometimes can provide a better return on investment. – Tom La Vecchia, MBA, X Factor Media

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5. Send Direct Mail Postcards

Direct mail postcards are a great option. Companies that are digital natives (think Wayfair) benefit from beautifully done direct mail campaigns that boost brand lift and drive site traffic. The pandemic has pushed older shoppers online. Repurpose sponsored content to create striking postcards that contain coupon codes and easy-to-find URLs to help buyers find you online (and avoid the risk of an in-store experience). – Atul Singh, The Shelf

6. Get Creative With Packaged Mailers

Direct mail is a great advertising augmentation and a more effective and targeted approach than print ads. You can focus your message on the exact people you want to reach. It’s your company message and brand all the way through. Here’s a pro tip: Get creative with packages and packaged mailers for a more appealing reception and a greater chance of being opened. – Ilissa Miller, IMiller Public Relations

7. Make A Freeway Billboard

Make a freeway billboard that clearly drives people to a webpage with consistent messaging. Then, remarket to those people who visit that page with consistent ads. From freeway to webpage to remarketing ads, you will create strong brand awareness around your company both offline and online. – Greg Trimble, Lemonade Stand

8. Offer A Printable Coupon Code

One classic method that still works remarkably well is a coupon code or something equivalent that the customer can print and use at your brick-and-mortar store or if you have a stand at a convention. It will encourage people to want to visit you and make a purchase. Also, because they have the physical paper in hand, they probably won’t forget. It is win-win for both you and the customer. – Jason Hall, FiveChannels Marketing

9. Consider A Corporate Campaign

It’s a sensitive time for people, and being a visible, reliable corporate citizen is a good way to stand out. Run full-page corporate ads in high-profile national newspapers to let people know what you stand for and that you care as well as to bolster morale for your employees, customers and users, both current and potential. – Abigail Hirschhorn, Human Intelligence | H.I.

10. Drive Local Action With Targeted Print

Hyperlocal brands can really benefit from coordinating digital with targeted print that drives an action. For example, a local restaurant may be running a digital influencer campaign and a brand video campaign across social media to raise awareness. They would do well to run a targeted print ad or send a direct mail piece to a defined radius around their location. Unify your campaigns to move people to action. – Tyler Farnsworth, August United

11. Guide Audiences With Two-Way Conversations

I like to think of print and digital marketing as a two-way conversation. Because they complement each other, audiences can be directed between them. One effective example is to advertise a publication on Instagram with a registration offer that includes the first issue for free for new sign-ups. It can be a great way to gather contact information and more effectively market to your target audiences. – Mary Ann O’Brien, OBI Creative

12. Embrace Haptic Print Marketing

Haptic print marketing that triggers the play center in the mind has near-universal appeal and returns some of the highest conversions we’ve ever measured. Using a fidget spinner as collateral is a print form of haptic engagement that combines metasensory engagement with the written word, deepening focus and retention. Plus, they’re so fun to play with that people seldom throw them away. – Elizabeth Edwards, Volume PR & Engagement Science Lab

13. Promote Your Lead Magnet With Print

Having a creative print campaign advertise a lead magnet that has value is a solution that will help complement your digital marketing efforts. Taking the offline conversation online will also allow you to implement a remarketing digital advertising campaign that will help fill your sales funnel. – Adrian Falk, Believe Advertising & PR

14. Adapt Print Advertising To Reach Different Demographics

Adapt print advertising to reach the vastly different demographics that subscribe to print media. According to the American Press Institute, print subscribers tend to be older than 60, whereas younger readers tend to prefer digital. A brand’s voice carries across all of its platforms, but knowing who you’re talking to ensures that you’re addressing the right pain points. – Kathleen Lucente, Red Fan Communications

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Author: Expert Panel®, Forbes Councils Member