Social media has to be one of the most conversational and engaging platforms developed in modern society. Everyone loves and wants it. But wait, there’s still print. You know, that traditional method that we all still love (but maybe need some new reasons as to why).

There are many reasons not to give up hope on the printed form. It has been suggested that the technological age has increased our reliance on print. Whether this is fact, I know that as a social media person, I still love to grab hold of a magazine or book and relax. I like take homes from seminars and gifts from service providers that are clever printed products. I also like helping to create the communications concept and message or content for them!

In this article we discuss 5 Key Reasons you should keep printing. Here we go;

1. Print is tangible and tactile. Humans love touch as much as they love sight. A print product is capable of being seen, touched, felt, handled, looked over and even sometimes smelt (think fresh off the press, or ink). Sure, social media is great for visual communications but a printed product provides much more and this fact is important in providing a complete brand experience. It’s not just about what you say. Reaching multiple senses in one hit, backed by other online methods helps to cement your message.
2. Life expectancy. Unlike a newspaper that’s today’s paper and tomorrow’s fish’n’chip wrapper, a printed product can last for years. The Annual Report or coffee table, showcase bound publication is something you just don’t throw out. Or use as a fish’n’chip wrapper. It is designed as a lasting reminder and has a purpose that remains longer than a post on the social medias, or in a newspaper.
3. You can take it home. Or take it with you back to the office and pin it up on your wall. Some of the best printed products I’ve seen have been those that I feel compelled to pin up and look at. Like the marketing campaign with the calendar on the back, or the inspirational message or simply the gorgeous photo that I want to keep looking at.
4. Message reinforcement. There is nothing more concrete than the printed word. With no ability to simply edit or delete and hope no-one saw it, a lot more care goes into what is said, and how.
5. It’s affordable. We forget in this day and age of the free social media that printed products are actually still quite cheap to produce.  OK, they aren’t free, but the long term value we have discussed above is worth the value. A good business card, a message driven postcard, a succinct brochure, a small booklet of ideas, a beautifully bound publication as a gift that represents your brand and provides a lasting impression with the recipient will make you stand out from the crowd.

What else would you add from your own experience with printed items? Of which there are many; banners, posters, flyers, letters, stickers, book marks, calendars, diaries, and books. The list is endless!

Consider these points when you next discuss your communication methods with me.

Thoughts developed in collaboration with Point918