Print vs Social Media – there’s no contest
There is a clear answer to this and it may not be what you expect!
You are on a Bee Local Magazine’s website so obviously you are expecting me to say print is the clear winner but no no no that is not so.
The reason there is no contest is because you need both and here is why.
Those Pesky Algorithms – were you happily publishing away and then suddenly your Instagram engagement fell off a cliff. Or have you been posting on your business page and not even your other half has seen your Facebook message?
Show, Show, Show – and tell, tell, tell. What all marketeers will tell you whether online or in print is that you need your message seen multiple times for someone to take action (see I’ll Just Try One) that means that if you used a multi layer approach to your message it will be more effective.
Social platforms love content – Social media platforms like content people engage with, you get rewarded for it and I can show you a handy trick that gets your print advert seen online and your engagement/click rate higher. Keep reading and I will share it at the end.
Speedy – Social media is quick, you can respond quickly to events that happen, you can change your offer and answer comments which is a great reason to use it but your message also disappears quickly and print does not. It can be picked up and put down, cut out, pinned to boards ‘just in case’ and saved for later.
Put it all together – Spending a bit on social media and a bit on print makes sense – you can even alternate the two. If someone has seen a post by you and then sees you in their local magazine their trust and awareness goes up. You set yourself apart from someone’s cousin who was recommended on a group.
Your print advert can contain your social media handles or website. Most people will look at a print advert then turn to online to check you out. Remember though, Bee Local Magazine also reaches a still, very large population, for whom online isn’t a thing! They still have money to spend.
There are 1000’s of digital message in front of people’s eyes but there is only one letterbox and one Bee Local magazine and while sitting, relaxed and reading Bee Local people feel more receptive to what is in front of them. Then when they check you out online they can see that you are engaging with customers, and posting content that is relevant to them it’s a double hit of trust.
Handy Tip
As I said, social loves engaging content, so here is a way of using Bee Local Magazine to get your engagement up and get your advert seen. Nearly every page of Bee Local Magazine has great articles and content. By adding #p= to the end of the online magazine url you can direct people to any page. So pick an article next to your advert and then share a social media post like this :
Have you seen this article about what’s on for Halloween in Bee Local Magazine https://online.anyflip.com/bzzb/agef/mobile/index.html#p=36
Low and behold they click the link – you page has engagement and they see your advert too. Obviously Instagram doesn’t work with links but you can still use the Bee Local Page in a little video story.
Even if you are not advertising this gives you a way of sharing great content that is local and engaging and the algorithms love a click.
If you need any help or advice on how to use social and print for your marketing within your budget just get in touch.
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