Are you thinking about mixing print with your social media campaigns?
Many marketers today beat the mantra of “everything is online.”
Right, some of the best opportunities await online. But that doesn’t mean “live” is dead.
From going to live events to print marketing, there are still plenty of good reasons and opportunities to bring the online and offline worlds together in your marketing.
According to Alliance Business Services, direct mail marketing yields, on average, a 13-to-1 return on investment ratio.
Here are eight must-know tips for mixing print and social media campaigns.
1. Be Clear on What You’re Trying to Achieve
There is no connection between your digital and physical marketing unless you create it intentionally. So, ensure that your strategy encompasses details around how these mediums intersect. Ensure that you are aware, at a high level, what you’re hoping to accomplish by bringing these channels together.
2. Include Call-to-Actions on Your Print Materials
Print marketing was traditionally used to build one’s brand or raise awareness for one’s product. But taking a more proactive approach to your print marketing can help you drive traffic, increase opt-ins, and even convert more sales. So, for mixing print, include a clear, focused call-to-action on all your print materials.
3. Get Your Print Materials into The Hands of Your Social Media Followers & Vice Versa
Create a simple message like, “look what our VIP subscribers got from us this month” along with a picture of the print ad, pamphlet or magazine they received. Then, those who want to receive your marketing materials are sure to be enticed to sign up themselves. Likewise, encourage your VIP subscribers to follow you on social media if they haven’t already, and continue the conversation there.
4. Encourage Feedback
Your audience takes an interest in your business, products, and services for a variety of reasons. And, not all of them are immediately apparent. So, encourage them to participate in surveys or questionnaires by mixing print and social media. And ask them to send you an email or get on the phone with you for a quick conversation. So, gather feedback, so you know what your leads are interested in.
5. Get Your Print Marketing & Digital Marketing in Alignment
So, for your print and social media mix to be effective, your team members need to be communicating. So, this shouldn’t be much of a problem if social media and print are being handled by the same person. But that often isn’t the case. So, ensure that your social media and print person are in close contact while planning campaigns.
6. Take Advantage 0f QR Codes & Personalized URLs
Use QR codes on your print materials to direct traffic to your website to help with mixing print and social. And take advantage of personalized URLs to customize the experience for your visitors. These tools should help you keep track of engagement and drive up opt-in numbers.
7. Promote Your Digital Presence with Your Physical Presence & Vice Versa
So, include links to your logo, website and social media properties on your print materials to drive up interest in your online presence. Your physical collateral could include links to promotions and discounts or other freebies. Likewise, use your digital presence to make people aware of your print materials.
8. Track, Measure & Iterate
The best-laid plans don’t always yield results. You need to be tracking your marketing from start to finish. That way, you can tweak and improve what’s not working and keep increasing your conversion rate.
Final Thoughts
As with any marketing, it’s important to know what your funnel is. Ensure that you have a detailed plan explaining what marketing your audience receives from you as well as why and when.
Are you mixing print marketing with your social media campaigns? What have the results been like?
Let us know in the comments below.