We live in a digital age and it is easier than ever for businesses to communicate their marketing messages. Put a post on social media and you are instantly exposed to thousands, if not millions of people from around the world.

You can connect with people directly through instant messaging and your reach is only limited by your budget and the time you are willing to put into your marketing campaigns. However, even though the digital world has its benefits, the old way of doing things is sometimes better. 

Tangible marketing is an important concept that all businesses should be aware of, but many overlook it in favor of digital methods. Tangible marketing refers to anything that has a physical presence through touch. In short, anything that is an item that you can pick up and hold. But why is this so important? 

In the digital age, there is a certain nostalgia for tangible objects. Take the resurgence of vinyl records, for example. Although digital streaming options are still popular, people still find comfort in physical items. There are a lot of options for tangible marketing like print adverts, direct mail, business cards, branded items and pretty much anything else you can think of that uses physical items to promote your business. 

Understanding the benefits of tangible marketing and how to use it alongside your digital efforts is the key to creating a well-rounded marketing campaign. These are some of the big reasons why tangible marketing is so important for modern businesses. 

Durability and Longevity

Celebrities that have been involved in a scandal because of an old tweet will tell you that digital messages last forever. But in marketing terms, they’re gone in a flash. People have a constant stream of content on their feed and as soon as you post something, you’re already fighting for their attention.

In a matter of minutes, hundreds of new posts have appeared on their feed and your marketing message is lost in the crowd. Even if you get a lot of engagement on a post, it’s only working to spread your brand message for a very short period of time.

Strategies like content marketing can work for you over a longer period, but tangible marketing can offer durability and longevity that you don’t get in the digital space. 

Tangible marketing items like branded goods are built to last and they’ll stick around for a long time. If somebody has a flash drive with your logo on it, for example, they’ll see your logo every time they use their computer. People have a stronger attachment to well-made tangible items, so they’ll keep spreading your brand message for years to come. 

Visibility 

When was the last time you paid attention to a banner ad or a pop-up? How often do you open and read marketing emails? Most people use ad blocking software and spam filters so a lot of digital ads hardly ever get seen.

Even if they are there, people tend to naturally filter them out and focus on whatever content they are actually interested in viewing. All of your hard work fades into the background and you won’t see much of a return on that investment. But tangible items have much better visibility.

Take a business card, for example. If you send somebody an email or present them with an ad linking to your website, they may not even notice it. However, if you hand them a business card, it will go in their pocket or sit on their desk.

If you make it stand out by using a gold foil business card printing service and come up with an eye-catching design, people will take notice of it. They’re far more likely to head to your website or give you a call because your brand is a lot more visible. 

Credibility 

Credibility is so important in marketing. If people don’t trust you and your message, they won’t become customers. Digital marketing methods have a big credibility issue because there is a danger of cyberattacks.

People are cautious about opening emails that they don’t recognize and if they go onto a site that is covered in ads, it always looks suspicious. The problem is, associating your business with potentially malicious online activity can erode trust.

There are also issues with credibility where content is concerned. Misinformation is a huge problem online so unless people are willing to spend the time checking the information you have given them, it’s likely that they will take it with a pinch of salt. But studies show that people generally think that tangible marketing materials have more credibility.

A print ad, for example, is usually considered more credible than an online article. Whether that is true or not, there is a perception that more stringent fact-checking etc. is required before something is printed. There is also a larger financial investment in a print ad, so people immediately view you as a more successful business. 

Engagement 

Engagement is a buzzword that is associated with digital marketing. The level of engagement you get on your posts is so important and you will see a much better return on your investment when people are commenting and sharing your posts.

However, engagement is tricky online because there is so much going on. The amount of people that will read half an article or post before moving on is staggering. But we are far less likely to do that when engaging with tangible marketing.

If you are reading an article in a magazine, you don’t have a constant stream of sidebar content or other posts to distract you, so levels of engagement are higher. This makes tangible marketing especially good for businesses that are trying to deliver detailed informational content. 

Tangible marketing is an important concept that many businesses overlook. Although there are many benefits to digital marketing, tangible marketing materials are just as effective as ever.

In many ways, general cultural trends towards nostalgia mean that people actually prefer to engage with tangible items over digital information. So, in order to create a well-rounded marketing campaign, it is important that you incorporate tangible marketing.