"Digital marketing has become the way to communicate in the 21st century," says Elaine Fogel in a Pro article at MarketingProfs. "Social media, email, search engine marketing, interactive marketing, blogs, wikis, and knols—the list goes on … to include mobile marketing, podcasting, videos."

But in your rush to marketing's online future, you shouldn't abandon its offline past. Print collateral, argues Fogel, remains relevant.

• Despite the seeming ubiquity of Internet access and usage, many people simply don't go online. She cites a Parks Associates study that found 21 percent of Americans had never visited a Web site, sent an email or used a search engine. Even in highly developed European countries like France, Belgium and Austria, more than 40 percent of the population never uses the Internet; despite high rates of connectivity in countries like Japan and Taiwan, this number jumps—on average—to a whopping 85 percent in Asia.
• Some segments prefer print marketing. Hispanic interest in direct mail has spiked in recent years, according to a Vertis survey, and while 85 percent of women between the ages of 25 and 44 read direct mail pieces, only 53 percent read email marketing messages. "From this," notes Fogel, "we can conclude that if you target women age 25-44 or Hispanics, print collateral may get your marketing messages through over digital options."

The Po!nt: Don't neglect traditional marketing collateral. Says Elaine Fogel, "Even though digital marketing is growing with a vengeance, print collateral can still hold its place in an integrated marketing communications mix, at least for now."

Source: MarketingProfs. Click here for the complete article.

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