It seems unlikely, but print media is giving mobile commerce a boost. For those who have mastered what’s now being called “multi-channel marketing,” and “augmented reality,” it’s a special sort of marketing utopia. Here’s how to get a piece of the action, even if you’re a small business.
Print Is Dead, Long Live Print
Every few years, you read something about the death of print, and yet print media still isn’t dead. Digital marketing firms want to believe that print is on its way out for obvious reasons. However, many marketers are waking up to the idea that print media and digital media aren’t enemies. They’re actually complimentary.
Why Augmented Reality Revives Print Media
Augmented reality is a concept in marketing where print media interacts with technology to produce either an extension of the physical world or an enhancement to digital product information.
Usually, a user will use an app on his or her smartphone or tablet to bring up supplemental information about a physical product, an advertisement, or some other printed material. The app will gather information about the product automatically and display it on the user’s screen.
The user will see a live camera image of the product on their screen, along with the supplemental information.
But, at the same time, the user has the option to pick up, examine, and analyze the actual, physical, product or ad. It’s not that the printed material became less effective.
Indeed, many companies still buy in from Stinky Ink and use printed ads because it works. At the same time, there’s only so much space available on a sign or product package. And, with augmented reality, basic printed information can be enhanced with spontaneous updates digitally allowing for a more dynamic marketing message which can be customized to the individual user based on various settings and social media integration on his tablet or smartphone.
Developing your own augmented reality app isn’t exactly easy, but it’s more mainstream now, meaning that developers can put something together for you that won’t cost an arm and a leg.
Multi-Channel Marketing Connects Users With Brands In An Entirely New Way
Technologies like QR codes let businesses take their offline advertising online, but there’s more to multi-channel marketing than advanced barcoding. The marketing industry is moving toward a consumer-driven or “choice” model of advertising and sales, where individuals pay for goods or services themselves, either online or in the store and then make choices about how they want to receive their products or services.
For example, a company might allow a consumer to purchase something online and then pick it up in the store today. But, more and more companies will be shifting to purchasing from print ads directly and then having the item shipped to an address the user specifies on their smartphone or tablet.
Another way marketers will be able to make sure of multi-channel marketing is through new technologies like ApplePay, which can be integrated with existing payment terminals but which also can be used theoretically anywhere a merchant wants to use advertising.
Self-checkout kiosks placed next to printed banners or advertisements are becoming more popular, as larger brands start pushing the envelop with technologies that make it possible to buy a hamburger without talking to a cashier.
This approach to marketing and sales still relies on printed media for part of the sale, enhancing it with digital media and perhaps even a digital interface.
John Sollars understands the need for electronics recycling. An avid writer, he hopes to help others by posting his insights online. His informative articles can be found on a variety of websites today.