Even if you’re running a completely online business you can still get a lot of use out of color printing to promote yourself. Similarly, companies that are primarily based offline can still start up websites and increase their sales by providing people with the ability to shop from home.
Blockbuster is a very good example of a company using both formats to drive up their sales. Blockbuster made a name for itself as a prime source for video rentals. In recent years they moved into the realm of online renting, where you can both rent movies online and view them online. The basic premise of their company is exactly the same, they’ve simply taken advantage of both formats, and it allows them to combine marketing for both by simply promoting a single brand name.
Most retailers these days follow a similar trend. They have real stores and online stores that sell similar products, and often allow you to order online and pick up the item in the store.
Some people greatly prefer the nature of online stores, and these are the people who will care the most about online marketing as well. But they aren’t the only people out there, and color printing can still reach a much wider audience and much more focused audience than online marketing can match.
Postcards can get your message right into a person’s home, and if your website address is prominently displayed on the postcard, people can then turn right around and log on. An email, which is the closest thing to direct mailing that the internet can achieve, can’t ensure as many people will actually read the email.
An email is just like a sealed envelope. A person can’t see anything but a headline, and if it doesn’t interest them, they won’t bother to read it. Whereas a postcard can use images to jump out at a person and help make sure they’ll want to see what that postcard has to say.
Another very important reason to still use offline marketing is simply because many people don’t have computers or the internet. Everyone can get a postcard in the mail, but only certain people are able to get emails. Why cut yourself off from a large pool of potential customers by not using both forms of marketing?
Always use every tool of marketing you have available to you. Each form is best at getting the interest of a different group of people. There’s no reason to lose your chance of connecting to someone just because you didn’t feel like expanding your marketing tastes.
Kaye Z. Marks is an avid writer and follower of the developments in color printing industry and its benefits for small to medium-scale businesses.