Select Comments: The Impact of Social Media

We asked about the explosive growth of social media as a marketing vehicle, and how it effects the value or utility of print design and media. Comments suggest that designers are growing more comfortable with the rush to social media, and looking to develop cross media campaigns that tap its extraordinary reach and affordability. Print, they say, can be part of that mix. At the same time, many respondents are skeptical of whether digital advertising really reaches the numbers it claims, whether it is too ephemeral for some content, whether it can be meaningfully monetized and, in particular, whether Facebook advertising makes sense. Selected reader responses follow.

Online marketing has captured most of the budget that used to be allocated to low-end printed items. This is fine so long as printed materials strive to move up-market. Print designers will be more valued by both clients and employers in a world where they create premium items instead of throwaway mailers or collateral.

Social media is just another means of communication in the same way as postcards or sky writing. When creating a strategy for a campaign, all means should be considered in the best way to market a client’s message. Communication is communication.

All media has a role to play and it all works together. Print pieces can organically move to less frequency and higher quality, and still remain relevant.

For us social media is in addition to print, not in place of it. Internet marketing is not the low cost value it once was, and a saturated market is forcing decreased interest.

More people see our ads on social media, but our surveys show that they walk in the door in response to print.

Advertising, design and marketing dollars should be spent where the people are, for the same reason a great billboard has no value in the middle of a cornfield. Over time the money will move; where exactly I’m not sure ‒ though print won’t die in my lifetime.

We advertise with Facebook and Google, but then take that content and share it across all our print collateral. We often offer printed items as a hook within our digital marketing.

There needs to be more social media training/delineation. So much of the messaging looks disjointed and amateur.

Technology has changed the game. Society forces us into trends whether we want it to or not. Especially when clients want to reach the masses. We are in a cyber world that we must adapt to. Adapt or die!

I support and use Google daily so I don’t feel negatively about a shift in media and marketing dollars. I don’t use Facebook, but I do think it is an odd place to advertise.

The power of the internet is strong and people are on those sites everyday throughout the day. But I think it needs to be used along with print advertising for the best marketing results.

It’s definitely the end of an era, but the start of a new one. We just need to discover new ways to make this new form of design creative and stimulating.

Social media is trackable. People ignore print ads. I don’t think print advertising is nearly as effective as it used to be. Times are changing. We have to be creative and change with it.

You can’t put all your eggs in one basket. Certainly social media is a huge area but unless users are being reached at different touchpoints, then the overall impact of those social media ad buys is reduced.

Yes, digital marketing is gaining on traditional print marketing, but at the end of the day, there is so much that bombards us online that a lot of it gets missed or overlooked all together.

Google is justified. Facebook? Time will tell. The numbers around digital media are still not honest or accurate.

Social media is great because it’s free and the ability

to target paid promotions is an asset. However, there is something special about receiving something in the mail. I suggest treating direct mail as a specialty item that makes customers feel valued and special. There is so much noise in the digital world that traditional methods shine brighter

The target audience is easily reachable online. Direct marketing via the USPS does not make too much sense any more and, yes, I am against cutting trees, just so 90% direct marketing can end up in the trash.

Google and Facebook are readily available and inexpensive options for promotions, especially for start-ups and those with limited advertising dollars. Money is almost always at the root of these decisions, especially when ROI is most-easily obtained through analytics they provide.

Social media is definitely something to be embraced and not feared. With as many eyes as there are on these sites, it would be foolish to ignore it. Print can still be used though, for sure.

I understand that most people, millennials especially, are on social media, but print should not be overlooked in marketing. Touch can have a greater emotional impact on brand experience.

The same was true for television years ago. While these new forms are generating a lot of spending, they are quite disposable in the minds of consumers. Print provides permanence.

Social media marketing has its place but I do not believe it can effectively replace traditional marketing and advertising.

The great news is that dollars keep increasing, and all creatives should be expanding their skills in any and all ways needed.

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