Electron Beam and the Future of Print Marketing

The world we live in increasingly favors digital over physical; movies are streamed instead of rented, the internet has replaced newspapers as the main source of news, and shopping can be done in the comfort of your home. Within the world of marketing, targeting customers online has become the norm. You may be surprised to learn that print marketing still has a place at the table and is one of the most effective ways to reach customers.

According to a Content Marketing Institute study of B2B marketers, print or other offline promotion is the second most utilized method of paid advertising. The only more used paid advertising avenue is search engine marketing. Although the remaining methods are digital uses, this shows that print is still being used and is still effective.

To back up using print marketing as a way to reach and motivate customers to action, a 2014 Nielson survey showed that the top drivers of shopper engagement were circulars. Circulars that were mailed, from newspapers, or picked up in-store, ranked as important or higher than all of the digital marketing methods. The digital methods out-performed by print in driving customer shopper engagement included emails from stores, websites, blogs, and social media.

There are a few driving factors of print marketing that drive it forward, including higher quality printing, taking advantage of product packaging, and working in unison with digital efforts.

Advanced Printing Methods

As the world’s technology has progressed, so has printing technology. Electron beam curing has set the bar high with a top-quality, eco-friendly curing process. The highly cross-linked inks and laminates allow for high gloss or lower matte finishes on anything from packaging to magazines, resulting in a vivid and clear end-product. Electron beam allows one to improve the customer's experience by appealing to their senses with packaging that is not tarnished by handling. Below you will see the difference between a conventional method and electron beam:

Print and Digital Work Together

Although print and digital are two entirely different mediums, they work together as part of the greater whole. A large advantage of digital is that it allows you to instantly reach your customers, while print has the advantage of being physically present as a reminder. Together they coincide and have a place in your marketing scheme.

Using a physical ad, you can point a customer to your website and then let your digital strategy take the reigns. There is also the ability to track if visitors come in from a certain ad, and from there one can tailor the marketing messages to reflect that. QR codes are also a way to convert someone who is looking at something in print and convert them to a visitor to your web properties.

Brands are also using print as a way to reach customers in a "non-traditional" way. For example, web-based company Airbnb sent out a quarterly magazine to their users as a way to share travel stories with great visuals. A well put together print piece can capture attention in ways that a digital piece could not.

Product Packaging Makes a Difference

Even though a lot of shopping has moved online, the end result remains the same; we buy physical products and these items have packaging. Consumers expect what they buy to perform well and be presented in a pleasing way. For items that are bought in a store, its packaging is its chance to sell itself to its target customers.

Electron beam technology used in packaging allows one to customize the look at a low cost. EB offers high rub, scruff, and chemical resistance that are vital in many products' packaging. EB coating is made of 100% solids, with no VOCs or solvents.

Together, print and digital marketing work together to complete a full marketing strategy. With electron beam, your printing can compete with the high-quality visuals people are accustomed to seeing on a computer screen. Energy Sciences, Inc. has been helping companies utilize electron beam technology since 1970 and can help you understand that will fit your business. If you would like to learn more about ebeam technology or try it out yourself, click the button below to request an assessment and speak to an ESI rep.

Electron Beam And The Future Of Print Marketing