Print vs. Digital Advertising for the Manufacturing Industry

June 17, 2022
Rod King

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The advertising world is full of various decisions that marketers and small business owners alike need to make. With the rise of digital marketing, those decisions have multiplied and offered many more options for businesses. It’s also started a popular debate — which is better, print or digital advertising?

Differences Between Print and Digital Advertisements

In order to fully look at print vs. digital marketing for manufacturing businesses, one must first understand what each strategy entails and why they’re different. Print and digital advertising differ on a few main points:

Medium: The main difference between print and digital marketing is their mediums. Print advertising is physical, meaning it appears in magazines, in trade journals, on signs and on billboards in the community. Digital advertising, on the other hand, happens in the digital world, whether through blogs on websites or videos on social media.
Scale: Typically, digital marketing is used for businesses looking to cast a wide net. The internet is full of billions of users, so one blog post could reach a lot of eyes. Print advertising is usually more local — think of a yard sign in your town. Although it’s small, it may have a significant impact on your community and your business.
Age: Another difference between print and digital advertising is age. Print advertising has been around for centuries, while digital marketing is still relatively new — it’s existed for only a couple of decades. That means we know a lot about how effective print advertising is already, but we’re still discovering digital marketing’s full reach and potential.

Benefits of Print Advertising for Manufacturers

In recent years, print advertising has taken a hit from the new age of digital marketing. Still, print advertising has its place and could be effective for your business for a few different reasons:

Relevancy: Print advertising can be industry-specific. This is great news for the manufacturing industry, which has dozens of relevant trade journals that many people read. Placing a print ad in one of those magazines could be effective.
Classic: Print has stood the test of time and still appeals to a wide demographic of older consumers who engage with magazines, trade journals and physical mail. If your audience tends to skew older, print advertising will likely be a powerful option.
Local: When you’re looking to target the immediate area around your business, platforms like billboards, yard signs and fliers are all impactful ways to spread the word about your business. Target areas with high traffic to draw attention to your print ads.

Benefits of Digital Advertising for Manufacturers

Although print advertising can be helpful for your business when used correctly, there are a few reasons why digital marketing has exploded in popularity in recent years:

Reach: Everday, millions of people are online, surfing the web and looking for information and services. Digital marketing strategies help to harness that traffic and drive it to your business. With the right tactics, you can start leading people toward your business through helpful information, videos and paid ads online.
Cost-effective: Many businesses love using digital marketing because it’s cost-effective. For the number of people you’re able to reach and the traffic potential, digital advertising is one of the most affordable yet effective ways to promote your business.
Modern: Digital marketing is so popular because it takes advantage of the newest technology. You can reach all types of audiences and spread information about your business quicker than with any other method. It’s the modern solution to advertising and business promotion and is here to stay.

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Other Factors to Consider

Looking at the benefits of both print and digital advertising can help lead you toward the right decision. Still, there are more variables you should consider throughout the process:

Industry: The manufacturing industry is broad in itself. Make sure you’re narrowing that down even further into your specific niche. Then, you can start to look around at your competition and see what kind of marketing strategies are working for them. Different niches will require different strategies.
Budget: You should consider how much of an investment you’re willing to make into your marketing strategies. Some types of digital marketing strategies, such as search engine optimization (SEO), may just require a bit of time and energy — a noteworthy option for businesses looking for a cost-effective marketing approach.
Audience: You can only craft a great marketing strategy by first knowing your audience. Take time to figure out your demographic so that you can cater your advertising to them. Variables like age, gender and location all contribute to how people choose to interact with marketing.

These are just some of the factors you should be aware of as you start making decisions. Be sure to be thorough in your research and decide which tactics would be most effective for your situation.

Print vs. Digital Advertising for Manufacturing

The decision of whether to choose print vs. digital marketing will ultimately come down to your unique situation.

In today’s world, digital marketing offers unparalleled reach and an affordable way to drive traffic to your business. The internet is always growing, and if you can find a way to get a foothold in your niche, you can reap endless benefits.

Still, the most beneficial option may be a diversified mix of print and digital advertising, with most of your budget going toward digital efforts while saving room for print options that will work well in your community.

Again, this choice will come down to what your niche is and the demographic of your audience.

Contact Us at MANTEC Today

Whether you decide that print advertising or digital advertising is best for your manufacturing business, it can be helpful to have a little help throughout the process to set you up for success.

MANTEC can help you put your business on the right track. We’re a nonprofit manufacturing service provider that offers help with sales and marketing, process improvement, manufacturing technology and workforce engagement. Let us help you take your company in the right direction.