7 Reasons Why Self-Published Authors Should Go Print Too

Online shopping. Email. E-books. It seems that everything we do is now just one click away, thanks to the Internet. As an author, you might have already created your own digital platform to market your book.

But have you ever considered taking your promotional efforts beyond the Net? Try a platform that has cut through the marketing noise for generations? If you have, then maybe you should add print advertising in your marketing campaign.

Yes, print might be an old promotional tool, but there are still millions of consumers who turn to print for information, even in this digital age. Here are 7 reasons:

1. There’s a print ad for every reader.

Ever found yourself engrossed in one magazine ad? If you happen to enjoy it too then chances are, you’re the audience it has been looking for. Yes, that’s right. There’s always a print ad for every type of reader—even for you.

Print has this capability to appeal to a specific audience and this is especially useful when you know how to approach your readers in the non-digital world. For example, you might want to invest in an ad space in Publishers Weekly if you want to promote to librarians who are always keen for updates in the publishing industry.

2. Print is cost effective.

You can use as many marketing platform you like and start as many campaigns as you want without limitations. But this will, at worst, eventually drain your budget and deprive you from talking to the right readers.

With print advertising, you can rest assured that you won’t be throwing your money away because most print mediums such as newspapers have their own target audience and perceived reach. You can use these attributes to create a focused campaign in a workable budget.

For example, you can have a 2-month print ad in your local newspaper when you want to promote your book to coffee enthusiasts within your area.

3. Print is still a relevant reading material.

These days, it’s easy to lose our attention to the mounds of digital content we interact through our laptops and phones. This is why you should also explore other promotional mediums outside the internet too, like print.

When people read on print platforms such as newspapers and magazine, they’re more likely to drop everything and focus on what they’re reading—like an interesting article and even a one-page ad!

4. Anything on print can easily be remembered.

On the Internet, your readers are most likely exposed to 4,000 to 10,000 ads per day.* With that insane amount of content in digital landscape, here’s a challenge for a modern marketer like you: retention.

To overcome this obstacle, you might have to go beyond the Net and try print because it happens to have a higher receptivity. In a study conducted by Temple University’s Center for Neural Decision Making, it was observed that people are more likely to recall a print ad even after one week of seeing it. Print ads triggered a stronger emotional response too. **

5. Print can help your reputation.

When it comes to book marketing, the credibility of your platform will help you maintain a good reputation in the long run. This means that you should avoid mediums that have a controversial history and are plagued with fake news.

Look into reliable print publications for advertising spots instead. There are plenty of publications that have built their reputation over the years and have gained thousands of subscribers. Also, there are still a lot of people who still turn to print for their purchasing decisions. In fact, there’s 82% of them in the US! ***

6. With print, you’re not just reaching subscribers.

Print has this benefit called pass-along exposure. This means that advertising on print platforms like magazines doesn’t exactly limit your exposure to a group of loyal readers.

For instance, a Reader’s Digest subscriber may also share the magazine to his or her co-workers, friends, and family. If the content of the print platform is interesting enough, the pass-along number will surely double and this will certainly help you find more potential readers.

7. Print is tangible.

Unlike TV and internet ads, print ads don’t flash before our eyes and disappear. Print can be touched and felt—and you can use this visually promote your book. For example, you can create a one-page colored ad in Reader’s Digest or in Publishers Weekly to announce your fantasy trilogy.

Plus, with print, your ad doesn’t go to a spam section or get dumped under similar tweets. It can be shared and reread as much as people want.

These benefits prove that print isn’t slowing down. It’s just evolving and that there’s no better time to add it in your campaigns than today! If you’re new to print advertising or book marketing in general, we’ve got the team and the services that can help you achieve your publicity goals. Contact your Marketing at 844.688.6899 to find out more about how we help authors build their readership.

Source:

*How Many Ads Do You See Each Day? (2018, November 20). Retrieved from https://www.gradschools.com/programs/marketing-advertising/how-many-ads-do-you-see-each-day.

** Center for Applied Research in Decision Making: Fox School of Business: Temple University: Philadelphia, PA. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.fox.temple.edu/institutes-and-centers/center-for-applied-research-decision-making/.

*** Marketing Chart: Which advertising channels consumers trust most and least when making purchases. (2016, January 7). Retrieved from https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/chart/channels-customers-trust-most-when-purchasing.