With a general desire to be more environmentally friendly and digital media reigning supreme as the main source for fast information gathering, it's easy to assume that printed communications have passed their prime.

The way we consume and demand information has undergone a profound change.

We all know distributing information digitally is the fastest and most accessible way to reach your target audience. E-mails arrive in our inbox at the exact moment the sender intended it to and thanks to the cleverness of our devices the content can be scaled up, down, read back to us or adjusted however we need it to be. It is undeniably the most eco-friendly way to communicate. However, it isn't always enough.

Not all audiences are as digitally empowered as the average office employee and recently we have been up against vast numbers of employees working from home, some never to return to an office again. So how do you engage with the people that aren’t that ‘techy’ or other tricky-to-reach audiences?

Much like the powerful comeback of vinyl records, print media is undergoing its own renaissance. We encourage our clients to capitalise on the power of home mailers - after all, people often make decisions about benefits in the comfort of their own home or after discussing with partners. Home mailers are a versatile tool that can also be eco-friendly - from using fully recycled materials to sending postcards made of seeded paper that grow into fresh herbs or beautiful wild flowers.

Let's have a quick look at what makes print materials so effective.

People like engaging with print materials

Although digital seems to offer a multitude of benefits, people continue to be attracted to and willing to read print media. From magazines and newspapers to flyers or brochures, printed materials remain a very persuasive medium. Audiences tend to spend more time engaging with tactile print media, making it a stronger source of messaging. Reading print media also reduces screen time, providing a sort of digital detox.

Print stimulates more senses

One exclusive quality that print has is how tangible it is. Employees are able to browse through a brochure, feel the paper and even distinguish between certain paper densities and compositions.

Complex information is better absorbed on printed materials than in a digital format. People need to locate themselves in the text when looking at intricate ideas and that is much easier to do on paper than on a screen.

Tangible materials make readers pay more attention to the same content than when it is viewed on a screen. This is because readers have to actively engage with printed content to read it – they have to pick it up, hold it and read it. With digital content, they can passively scroll through it, without having to focus too hard.

Each channel has their own advantages

Each type of content has something to offer and has its own niche of audiences.

How we get the latest news is a perfect example - online news and printed newspapers play different roles. Online sources are widely consumed and are used to keep up to date with the latest headlines, whereas newspapers are the space for in-depth reporting, satire and analysis.

Engaging with print media often leads to online decision making. For example, consumers can learn from leaflets and catalogues before actually making a purchase online.

Print can truly captivate readers

What does print offer that digital certainly doesn’t? An uninterrupted reading experience. This means that there are no distractions for a reader that is committed to finishing an article. Once they start reading, there are no other bits of news, auto-playing videos or pop-ups taking the spotlight off the article.

This means that a reader’s full attention is oriented to that specific content, which guarantees a greater engagement with the content since the reader is more likely to be impacted by it and remember it long-term.

What does science have to say about this?

Neuroscience Marketing have done a study of the effectiveness of advertising in both digital and print mediums and here are some key takeaways:

• Digital ads were processed more quickly.
• Paper ads engaged viewers for more time.
• Subjects reported no preference for either medium.
• Subjects absorbed about the same amount of information from both media.
• A week later, subjects showed greater emotional response and memory for physical media ads.
• Physical ads caused more activity in brain areas associated with value and desire.

What does it all mean?

We have so many options at our disposal that choosing the right starting point can seem like a daunting task. The most effective communications strategy is likely to involve a mixture of digital and printed materials. A multi-channel approach strengthens the key messaging and helps to provide the right information, at the right time and in the right environment.

We take on tricky communications goals and find the best solution for you. Whether that’s announcing a big change in the business or increasing benefits engagement, the road to effective communications starts with a conversation. Reach out today and we’ll let you know how we can help.