Is print advertising dead? Hardly.

First, we had the internet revolution, then the inbound revolution. Each of them was screaming that print B2B advertising was dead and buried. Yet, when I walk into our media room here at the agency, I encounter a wall of monthly trade publications. There are thousands of skilled editors carefully managing their production all for what? For nothing?

Not at all. These trade pubs (I think of them as direct mail) go to certified lists of buyers in one tech-related industry or another. Their circulation lists are a “honey hole” for buyers in an industry…computers, chemicals, life sciences, software apps, you name it. What these B2B companies make is exquisite technology to give us all in some way a better, safer life.

Are these print pubs dead?

Flip through any issue; let the pages of B2B advertising speak for themselves.

Quality trade media has been THE marketing communications staple of B2B for a century. Without a doubt, the internet has had an impact. Buyers can’t have their noses in a trade pub and on the internet at the same time. And despite the number of times we ask for more, there are still only 24 hours in a day.

Print recognizes this. So they’ve established an online presence of their own. These realities should go into your B2B advertising algorithm with the goal to deliver the market impressions your brand needs to maintain your preferred position.

Is print advertising dead? Far from. But it now has a powerful and effective counterpart – digital. That’s why it’s imperative to integrate both print and digital advertising into your marketing mix. Cover all your bases and expand your approach to reaching your target market. Integrate online and offline B2B advertising methods together. The editors of those trade pubs aren’t managing their production for nothing!

All marketing tactics should be thought of as part of a larger whole, rather than separate pieces. By strategically integrating all marketing tactics, the marketing programs become more effective and cost efficient. As a B2B agency, we developed B2B 360 Integrated Digital Marketing to meet this improved performance need. To learn more about B2B 360 and how it will benefit your business, download our free eBook: B2B Top-Tier Tech Marketing.

Joe Schubert founded Schubert b2b in 1978 to raise the performance of tech marcom to new heights. Before falling in love with B2B marketing, Joe started his professional career as a computer engineer out of Villanova and University of Pennsylvania, and worked for companies including Unisys, IBM and AT&T.