Printed Vs Digital Brochures

When it comes to printed vs digital brochures, both are effective marketing tools and can be suitable for different industries.

Printed Brochures

Printed brochures add another dimension to your marketing. The fact that they can be held in the hands of your clients makes them a tangible piece of material. They can be displayed in your organisation or in your client’s organisation where they can catch the eye of a potential customer.

The downside of printed brochures the shorter shelf life they have. Once they are printed, they must be used and distributed before the product line changes or new information is available. Because of their format, digital brochures can be re-released quicker.

Digital Brochures

Digital brochures can be viewed online or downloaded. Because they are digital, they can include elements such as videos or animations. They can also include links directly to your website or online shop which is important for conversion tracking and can justify an ROI. There is also no print or delivery cost as they can be sent via email or downloaded from your website.

The downside of digital brochures are the potential lack of face-to-face visits and customer touch points. They also require a device to be accessed, they will not be out on display to constantly remind your client that you exist in the same way a printed brochure would be.

Integrating Print and Digital Brochures

To cover all bases, it is best practice to invest in both printed and digital versions of your brochure. This way you can appeal to all types of audiences.

Print and digital can be integrated; the use of QR codes means that a reader of a printed brochure doesn’t have to miss out on any digital aspects.

The QR code could link to a web page with more information or to a video for the user to watch. This is a great way to integrate print and digital.

Offering a “order a printed brochure” button within your digital brochure could be a great way to ensure that your audience received your brochure in the format they want.

Printed Vs Digital Brochures – Considerations

When considering which route to take when it comes to printed vs digital brochures there are some considerations that may help you decide.

Your audience

What do your audience want? Depending on how your target market operate, only offering your brochure in one format could be damaging. It might be that some of your clients require a printed brochure for a sign off procedure when ordering. Or that they prefer to flick through a physical brochure rather than a digital one.

It could also be that your client has a paper free system meaning they require a digital brochure and a printed copy could end up in the bin.

It’s important to understand your audience and try to appeal to their needs and requirements when it comes to brochures and other marketing materials.

Your business

what sector are you in? For some industries printed materials are still of high importance and not having a brochure could be damaging.

It could also be that you have thousands of products to put into a brochure making a printed version very high cost and impractical for a client to use because of the size.

Your Intention

The main intention of any brochure is to sell more products, but, thinking about how you want to get it to your clients – what is your intention? Where are you going to use it? How is it going to enhance your sales pitch? If you’re planning on taking it to an exhibition, then printed versions may be the way to go. Handing something physical to the clients you speak to makes you more memorable. It also reduces the distribution cost.

If you want to send a brochure to a lot of clients at one time, then digital may be the best option. This will lower the cost as you can email a link to download. This will also generate more leads as you can track who downloads your brochure and target them with more direct marketing.

Brochures from Bubble

In conclusion to our opening question “Is it worth having a printed brochure in 2023?” yes and no. Find out what your audience require and go from there.

In recent conversations with clients we have found that printed brochures are becoming more popular. Could it be that we’ve had enough of digital media? And we want to go back to more personal aspects of marketing? What are your thoughts?

At Bubble we specialise in designing marketing material including brochures. We can design all types of brochures no matter what your industry and target market.

We offer digital and print options and integrations where you see fit. Contact us for more information and to discuss your project!