Print or Digital?

For the wise marketer, it’s not either/or, but finding the right mix for your business.

You have a fabulous business and you want as many people as possible to know it. You have a website and you’re on social media. Maybe you email out regular newsletters.

There’s no question all those things are important in your marketing mix. We use them too.

So why advertise in print?

That’s a good question, and we’re happy to answer it.

Even if you have a great website, the trick is to get people there to see it. The digital universe is a crowded, noisy place. If a potential customer is searching cold for a product or service, is your website the first one they see, or will they be distracted by your competitors’ sites before they find you?

The role of a good print ad is to provide a favourable introduction to your business, inspiring potential customers to contact you directly, with a call or visit in person or online.

(In a Magazines Canada survey, more than half of respondents reported visiting the website of a business they saw advertised in a magazine, and about 20 per cent liked or followed the advertiser on a social network.)

Unlike digital messages, readers save In The Hills for future reference, and revisit each issue at their leisure over an extended period. And it’s been widely shown that print magazine ads are considered an integral part of the reading experience.

In other words, in the premium In The Hills landscape, potential customers see your ad rubbing shoulders with high-quality editorial content and top-notch design, and assume you offer a similar level of quality.

Your Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts can direct followers to your website, but until you have thousands of followers — many of them committed fans and influencers who regularly share your message widely — your social media efforts may disappoint you. It can take many hours a week away from your core business to devise fresh messaging, upload new photos, cultivate a following and interact with potential customers in a meaningful way.

As for digital newsletters, yes, if you invest the time and diligence, they are an excellent way to stay in touch with existing customers — as we know here at In The Hills. Still, they likely represent a fraction of the potential customers your print ad reaches in In The Hills — more than 40,000 households throughout Headwaters.

With our own social media channels and recently redesigned website, we understand that our digital tools are working to enhance our brand awareness.

But we also know the best marketing we can do for our advertisers is to provide them with engaged readers who continue to spend concentrated time absorbed with every issue.

Learn more about advertising In The Hills >