Unveiling the Recipe for Seamless Multichannel Campaigns

In this illuminating article, we decode the recipe for successful multichannel campaigns that seamlessly blend print and digital marketing strategies. We'll explore the art of integrating QR codes, personalized URLs (PURLs), and augmented reality (AR) in print materials to bridge the gap between physical and digital realms.

Discover how this synergy amplifies reach and impact, enabling printing companies to drive traffic, track engagement, and measure campaign success across channels. By harnessing the power of print-digital fusion, businesses can create holistic marketing experiences, engage diverse audiences, and capitalize on the unique strengths of both mediums. Prepare to unlock a new dimension of marketing prowess, propelling your clients to achieve unparalleled success in today's hyperconnected world.

What Is Print-Digital Fusion?

While it’s true that people are reading fewer newspapers and books in general, they are consuming more media than ever before. Thanks to the internet and the digital era, information is readily available in our pockets at the mere tap of a button.

Remember the saying, “a picture is worth a thousand words?” Digital media enables people to stay informed in a way that surpasses the confines of the written word by embracing video, audio and visual capabilities. This, thankfully, allows us the ability to incorporate different media in our printed materials. Incorporating digital media with print media can share a richer story, teach a deeper lesson or educate in a way that is more meaningful than print alone.

That’s not to say printed materials don’t have an important place alongside digital media. With print-digital fusion, printed materials take readers on a journey that incorporates sound and sight through the use of their digital devices. By harnessing the functionality of printed material and intertwining print with digital capabilities, print-digital fusion opens the door to new audiences and tells a far greater story than any one form of media can do alone.

Print-digital fusion is still a developing trend, but there are many notable ways to use the power of printed material alongside the flexibility of digital media. For example, QR codes have never been more popular and are great tools to encourage engagement on your website or app.

Personalized URLs provide an easy-to-remember way for audiences to learn more about your organization or company. They can be ideal for tracking online traffic for a new marketing campaign. They allow organizations to easily - and quickly - shift towards the latest trendy colors, like Barbie Pink in the summer of ‘23, or incorporate new marketing styles. Most excitingly, Augmented Reality (AR) can solidify ties with your target audience and help your message leap beyond a page.

QR Codes: The Original Print-Digital Fusion

QR codes are similar to barcodes in that they can scan seemingly indecipherable black lines to easily open a website, make a call, or send a message or email. Rather than having to take a printed piece of material - and running the risk of losing it, damaging it, or having it become faded over time - people can just scan that information onto their phone within a second. The ease and convenience offered by QR codes make it hard for people to resist scanning them.

Business cards with QR codes are extremely popular for this reason. Gone are the days of having an organizer specifically for your business cards, or worse, looking for that important business contact only to find out that it disintegrated in the wash. With a quick scan of a QR code, business contacts can efficiently be added to your phone, where they won’t be prone to being forgotten or damaged. With more information contained in a QR code, professionals can change HEIC to JPG and have more room for additional high-quality photos and other relevant media that cannot be incorporated into a traditional printed business card.

Hospitality companies, such as hotels and tour providers, love handing out printed QR codes to tourists with maps, directions and/or local attractions for their perusal. When tourists can easily grab a card, put it in their pocket, and scan and download the pertinent information directly to their phone, this cuts down on costs in many ways. Companies can reach a wider audience with a lower printing cost as this cuts down on lost printed material. It can help organizations achieve sustainability goals. It also minimizes time spent dealing with requests for additional maps, directions etc, when the originals are forgotten on the tour bus or accidentally dunked in the pool water.

More importantly, QR codes can be used as a way to drive engagement with a new website or webpage. You should consider tracking traffic using QR codes, allowing you to quantify the success of a print-digital fusion marketing campaign or outreach event. Audiences that are not normally tech-savvy will be blown away with how easy these codes are to use. Tech-savvy audiences will appreciate having access to material through their digital devices. It’s a win-win situation for everyone and can be easily integrated into printed material.

Augmented Reality: The Exciting Next Step of Print-Digital Fusion

Augmented Reality (AR) is defined as the integration of digital media in the user’s environment - in real time. Remember reading those Harry Potter books as a kid in the 90’s? In the series, it depicted a magical wizarding world that read newspapers with 3D pictures and interactive videos embedded right in the print! Little did we know back then that this was actually a glimpse of the real future and not some sort of magical charm.

AR is a way to optimize the power of the written, printed word and supplement it with digital bonuses to further engage the reader. Augmented Reality will reach an estimated 1.4 billion users by the end of this year, with a growth rate of 41% predicted for the overall global AR market.

Nowadays, most people consume their news online, which incorporates high-resolution photos as well as videos to keep readers up to date about recent events. However, traditional printed material can also utilize the power of audio and visual capabilities by using Augmented Reality - this is not limited to e-zines or digital newspapers.

Printed material that contains personalized URLS or QR codes that lead readers to AR experiences can deepen your interactions with your target demographic. For example, a printed flier for a home goods store can direct users to an AR website or app. This AR feature can allow them to virtually project potential furniture purchases directly into a room via the camera of a smartphone.

Fitness or fashion organizations utilize 3D through AR to make outfits or workout tutorials pop out of the page. AR walks toddlers through bedtime stories in a far more captivating way. AR also aids travelers in choosing their next destination by providing realistic, virtual tours of hotels and landmarks. These are just a few examples of how AR can be incorporated into your printed material.

Conclusion

Digital media offers so many opportunities to pair with traditional printed material. By utilizing QR codes, personalized URLs and Augmented Reality into your printed material, organizations can really take their messaging to a different level. The fascinating developments of print-digital fusion continue to impress us and we will continue to stay informed of recent developments to keep you apprised of all the exciting promises of this new (and old) technology.