Think Outside the Screen: How Print is Bringing B2Bs Back with It

In an age dominated by digital marketing, it feels a bit counterintuitive for print to be making a comeback, but for many, the subversive nature of the recent print resurgence makes it even more alluring. We’re constantly reminded that digital efforts, social media influence, and email campaigns are the future, and yet, print has recently proven that its enduring power and effectiveness are not to be underestimated.

So, why is print coming back despite the dominance of digital? And when should B2B marketers consider leveraging it for their brands? Read on to get the insights and answers you’re looking for — hot off the presses!

Explaining Print’s Headline-Worthy Comeback

At CID, our rule of thumb when it comes to understanding trends is to not pay attention to them. Instead, we’ve found it much more helpful to look closely at what’s driving them.

So, while we could attribute print’s surprising resurgence to recent interest swells in leisure markets or to the decline of more traditional media like newspapers, we think the real driver behind this comeback has less to do with print than it does with the people who are responsible for its re-entry into the spotlight.

In an era of information overload, print offers a refreshing break by satisfying people’s growing desire for more curated, personalized, and tactile experiences. Instead of being lost in a sea of digital ads, emails, and notifications, printed materials give us something tangible and rare — something we can hold, touch, and experience outside of a screen.

Why Marketers Should Consider Resubscribing

Simply put: print is just more personable. A well-crafted print piece makes an important announcement feel special and valuable, which can drive greater interest and engagement. For more high-impact marketing messages like product launches, corporate milestones, or exclusive promotions, print can help amplify the message in a way that feels more intentional and meaningful. In a media landscape littered with soulless ads and tainted by the empty tones of automated messages, that intentionality carries more weight than you may realize.

While no one is denying the undeniable effectiveness of digital content, print offers a range of niche benefits that make it an invaluable addition to any marketing strategy. It can be an especially potent approach for brands looking to disrupt the market by:

Crafting Tactile Experiences: Humans are innately wired to seek out things that look and feel human. Print engages the senses in ways digital simply can’t. The gloss and texture of paper and the smell of fresh ink—these tactile experiences create a stronger connection with the reader and make every interaction feel more personalized. So, dear reader, if like us you’ve been waiting for your sign to flex your real-life creative muscles, bring your passion for zines off the shelf, or indulge in the nostalgic rapture of flipping through a former newsstand fave: this is it.

Subverting Digital Dependence: While digital strategies dominate the modern marketing landscape, print’s “quieter” nature offers an alluring and unique value. It’s no secret that consumers and professionals feel deafened by the constant barrage of digital content. One of the many underrated perks to using print is that it offers a welcome respite from all the noise.

Circulating Credibility: Because of their generation-agnostic familiarity, printed materials are often seen as more trustworthy and credible than online content. The effort required to produce high-quality print experiences adds a level of prestige and personalization that digital platforms can’t always convey, giving them a competitive edge over your intended readers’ subconscious.

Fostering Long-term Relationships: Print materials are highly effective for building relationships with clients and prospects over time. Unlike an email or digital ad that may be quickly discarded or forgotten, when print is used effectively, it builds a strong, lasting impression. A well-designed print piece is likely to stay on a desk, in a drawer, or maybe even in a place of honor in a prospect’s meticulously-curated collage. Wherever it lands, that print piece will serve as a continuous reminder of you and your brand.

We’ll stop burying the lead: don’t underestimate the power of print. Its resurgence is here for a reason, and that momentum is stirring up ample opportunities for B2Bs to elevate their marketing strategies and give their brands the comeback moments they’ve been waiting for.

How Print Is Bringing B2Bs Back With It

Whether you’re designing a direct mail campaign, creating a corporate brochure, or dreaming up some new trade show materials, print offers B2B marketers a new (but also tried-and-true) way to break through the noise and deliver a lasting impression.

We recommend that B2B brands consider tapping into the power of print anytime they’re looking to:

Think Outside the Screen — While droves of new channel challengers are duking it out over scraps of digital real estate and fragments of their screen-fatigued audiences’ attention, your brand could use print to actually stand out by meeting your niche audiences in a space where they’ve been waiting to find you. And, since we are still very much in the print resurgence renaissance, you can win those engagements while forgoing unnecessary spats with a surplus of competitors.

Ramp Up Engagement & Retention — Studies show that people engage with print content more deeply than digital content. A printed brochure, flyer, or catalog requires a person to take physical action, whether it’s flipping through the sleek, chic pages of a magazine or hanging an eye-popping post-card on a bulletin board. There’s a deliberate and delightful sense of permanence to print that digital will simply never be able to compete with. Ultimately, that permanence (or at least semi-permanence) leads to more direct engagement and more time spent with the content. The obvious result? Higher retention.

Bolster Your Digital Efforts — For those worried about “betraying” their digital efforts to pivot back to print, NEWSFLASH: (sorry, couldn’t resist) print doesn’t have to be an isolated strategy. In fact, it can exist in perfect harmony with your digital efforts, working in tandem to amplify your message even further. Combining print and digital creates a multi-channel marketing strategy that maximizes visibility and impact. And quite frankly, it’s just more fun than Google ads could ever hope to be on their own.

Still on the fence? We’ll stop burying the lead: don’t underestimate the power of print. Its resurgence is here for a reason, and that momentum is stirring up ample opportunities for B2Bs to elevate their marketing strategies and give their brands the comeback moments they’ve been waiting for.

Need some help thinking outside the screen? Reach out to our award-winning Branding and Design teams and get ready to set off a creative resurgence of your own.