With the world going digital, people say there is no longer room for print media to flourish. In the younger demographic, millennials to be precise, 95% follow brands through social media. While that shows how important a social media campaign would be in targeting this age group, it doesn’t mean that print is dead. It’s clear that the internet has certainly had an impact on how print is utilised, but it doesn’t show that print should be — or has been — pushed aside, especially when targeting young adults.

The best campaigns are when print and digital work alongside each other, instead of trying to compete. While a younger audience is more likely to be digitally savvy, they still appreciate a well-thought out hard copy campaign. Here, we look at exactly what benefits print has, and how it can attract customers of any age:

Benefits of print
One of the main benefits of print is the fact that it’s tangible. You can physically touch print adverts, whereas it’s only possible to view them when they’re online. This can help build trust, as often an online ad can come across as spammy. If an ad on the internet asks you to ‘click here’, then chances are you won’t. Compare this to the fact that 82% of internet users trust print ads, according to a survey by MarketingSherpa, and it’s clear that print still has a huge role to play in gaining new customers.

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A printed advert allows you a larger space in which to promote your product or business too, meaning you have a bigger opportunity to impress your target audience. It’s also noted that print marketing has a high response rate, with 4.4% responding to direct mail, compared to 0.12% in email documents. Indeed, direct mail also generates 10% more customers than email, according to findings.

How to attract customers
Of course, it’s not just as simple as gaining more customers because you’ve printed an advert. It must appeal to the user, and this is where you have to really focus on your target audience. Get it right, and it will appeal to the younger demographic.

You must make sure that your brand or product has an identifiable personality. Younger shoppers respond more to brand personality, so it’s very important that they can relate to your product. Of course, not every customer will have the same taste, but research has found that, on the whole, millennials appreciate humour as well as professionalism. It’s important to evoke strong emotions from your audience.

It’s also key to be innovative and embrace your design. Visual appeal is important to young consumers and they are naturally drawn to innovation. If you’re not sure exactly what will appeal to them, work with them. The best way to get onto their level is to listen to their voice. They will be able to steer you in the right direction to create a design and print advertisement that will receive the best response from their age group.

In all, it’s clear that print does appeal to the younger demographic. Leaflet distribution is a key factor on targeting any age range, with the younger generations still engaging with print copy. This is noticeable by the fact that nightclubs are still hiring staff to hand out leaflets to potential customers on nights out to try to entice them into their establishment with offers. Also, university welcome packs often come with promotional materials for new students to take advantage of so that they settle in to a new environment with ease. As reports show that print is 30% more memorable than digital, it appears that the appeal is likely to stay for the foreseeable future.