Editor’s Choice
It might not be in every issue, just when I feel I have something to talk about, but it WILL be my very own, self indulgent choice of subject matter! This month, we look at the continued love of print and why we should adopt a ’phygital’ approach ….. I think I have mentioned in the past that we don’t just throw this magazine together, although it might look like it sometimes! There is also always something new to learn, even for one of advancing years, and our own processes have certainly developed over the seventeen years or so of publishing Local People. People From sitting down in the early days armed a piece of paper, pencil and rubber and handwritten lists of advertisers and articles to put our ‘flat plan’ together, we now use dedicated software and can view the whole of the layout on the screen at one glance, move ads around on the screen with the mouse before converting it into a finished file at one push of a button, which we then send off electronically to the printer with another push of another button. Magic stuff ….!
bored indifference when you mention print and insist that digital is the only way of marketing for everyone.
At one conference back in September, I certainly came away with food for thought, having listened to two speakers in particular. The first was the Managing Director of a not-for-profit global initiative called, “Two Two Sides”, Sides members of which are drawn from from companies working in the graphic communications supply chain from the tree right through to the printed word, taking in ink and chemicals, press and pre -press, publishing, printing and postal operators along the way. The common goal of Two Sides is to promote the sustainability of this supply chain and dispel common misconceptions by providing users with verifiable information Over the years, I have got to know many on why print and paper continue to be other publishers of local magazines based attractive, practical and sustainable up and down the country and not only do communication media. we now communicate digitally on-line but They explain and communicate the theory also meet regularly face-to-face, either at and facts behind the sustainability and bigger conferences or in smaller groups. effectiveness of print and paper versus As they say, two heads are better than alternative media because they feel it is one, or in our case, many heads are better vital to separate the facts from the myths. than one! A problem shared will also be a We were introduced to the concept of problem halved because we certainly all “greenwashing”, something I had not tend to have problems in common heard of previously, which is the practice wherever we may be in the country (or of “making an unsubstantiated or sometimes even abroad!). Over the years, misleading claim about the environmental the number of small publishers of local benefits of a product, service, technology magazines, just that I am aware of, has or company practice”. Very interesting! probably grown to between 400 and 500, possibly more. So logically there must be The Two Sides website (twosides.info) a demand for the service we offer and the and that of their associated campaign, results that we see for our individual Love Paper (lovepaper.org), are very informative and full of facts, figures, recent customers. research and insightful articles. Having said that, over the years, we have There is too much to write about in this all been plagued increasingly with the limited space but it is uplifting to read how print sceptics, those who look at you with print remains the preferred medium for 22 20
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magazine and book readers and faced with an increasing number of online challenges, remains one of the most trusted media in the eyes of readers, consumers, advertisers and marketers alike. Apparently, the public’s trust in print is now translating into positive action from brands and marketers and a recent article in the esteemed Harvard Business Review applauded a return to traditional advertising. The main reason cited is the simple fact that print works! Not my theories but great news nevertheless! Digital is not going to disappear though and we will all carry on using it to a certain extent … but Marketreach (the marketing authority on commercial mail and part of the Royal Mail group), states on their website, “Whether you’re looking to enhance customer experience or boost your bottom line, integrating physical and digital can lead to powerful results”. Which brings me nicely to the second speaker from the above-mentioned conference. Paul Smith of Word Gets Around magazine in Somerset has coined a new word, or the concept of “phygital phygital”. phygital In other words, a combination within your marketing methods of both print and digital, working together, each reinforcing and enhancing the other. He has listed 8 reasons why you should continue to use print, alongside your digital offering, to promote your business, particularly locally …
It reaches those potential customers who aren’t on social media It reinforces your digital marketing messages It’s more trusted than digital in an age of fake news It has a higher engagement than digital Print is less saturated than the ’noise’ of digital - so you stand out Print leaves a longer lasting impression Print is more tangible, we attribute more value You are promoting yourself as a local business in all of the above ways
So if you are a business, think ’PHYGITAL’ …. and take a look at the websites mentioned above (which are very interesting even for non-businesses!) and the research which puts all this into perspective.
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