Marketing in a pandemic…how the heck do you do that??
A lot of us in the marketing world – including yours truly – have given this question quite a bit of thought since the start of the novel coronavirus. It’s been a crazy, frightening and ever-changing situation that seems to still be evolving more than half a year since it began.
With many Americans cutting down their spending at this time, every blog post, advertisement or social media post might make you feel like Prince John and The Sheriff of Nottingham – the infamous villains in Robin Hood who regularly take advantage of the people of Nottinghamshire. In reality, all you really want to do is get the word out in a way that’s ethical, responsible and connects your product or service to people who feel it will make their life better.
So, how do you responsibly go about marketing in a pandemic?
A printed piece could be your saving grace and we’ve got a few reasons why…
Print is a powerful, responsible and environmentally-friendly marketing channel that offers incredible response rates, higher average order values and is received in a way that doesn’t feel as intrusive as some digital channels. In fact, a Forbes article from 2017 cites that the average person is bombarded with somewhere between 4,000 and 10,000 digital ads per day!
Printed material allows viewers to engage at their own leisure and doesn’t pressure them into having to multi-task as many digital forms of advertising do. There’s nothing wrong with digital advertising, especially when considering that combining digital and print yields a 60% higher ROI on average than just using one or the other.
But the challenge we are all currently facing is this: you don’t want your ad to come across as a money-grab, even as good-natured and well-intentioned as you might be.
This is again why print might just be your brand’s saving grace.
You might find this surprising due to the unprecedented number of people being at home these days, but mailboxes are actually emptier than ever! What you might find even more surprising is that mailboxes are staying empty even as the costs of digital advertising are increasing, while print advertising is mostly level. Here’s a picture we got from one of our sales reps who typically receives a handful of catalogs and direct mail pieces after being in the print industry for more than 25 years.
As you can see, there’s a huge opportunity here for brands to start marketing in a pandemic and get in front of their customers in a way that’s responsible, ethical and still drives results.
We know any type of print program is a big undertaking, whether you’re going all out with a catalog or doing something as simple as a digital postcard. At Arandell, we pride ourselves on being an advocate for our client, not just another vendor. We seek to become an extension of your marketing team and have some of the industry’s most knowledgeable experts who want to help. But don’t just take our word for it. Reach out to us at Arandell.com/Contact so we can get connected.
https://arandell.com/news-events/marketing-in-a-pandemic-why-print-might-be-your-saving-grace/