Tracking Print Ad Data: The Metric You Forgot About

How’s the saying go? “What goes around comes around.” That works for karma and trends of all types. Vinyl records, flared jeans, and print advertising have seen their heyday, decline, and glorious comeback. 

Print advertising took a gracious back seat to the flashy new abilities of digital marketing for several years, but slowly and surely this tried and true method is inching its way back into marketing plans. 

Consumers are growing to appreciate the tactile quality of printed physical materials, be it magazines, catalogs, mailers, or newsprint. But now that many business owners have had their taste of digital options, the question does arise, “How can we track print advertising efforts?”

Since tracking response rate is a crucial part of any advertising campaign, small business owners need to understand how to track non-digital marketing efforts. 

Call Tracking 

Call tracking has proven to be an effective method of tracking print advertisements. Call tracking involves establishing unique phone numbers on different advertising campaigns or specific ads. This allows you to track the volume and quality of calls coming in from each ad. This will provide you with immediate data to consider. 

Call tracking is also an effective way to test different ad designs or company logos if you’re just now getting started with your marketing efforts. This information will help to customize your advertising plans for the future. There are several types of call tracking software available as well as call tracking features in Google Ads.

Tracking Coupon Redemption Rates

Print advertisements that include a coupon or coupon code are another easy way to track. Not only does this metric give insight into how many customers are interacting with your ad, but it also provides sales data as well. 

Coupons are also a powerful way to learn which incentives appeal to your particular customer base. This gives you the opportunity to customize your offers for the greatest effect. 

Tracking Social Media Engagement

This is one way that print and digital marketing overlap. When business owners include media handles or social hashtags on their printed materials or advertisements, it encourages the individual to interact with the business via social media platforms.

Directly following the launch of a print campaign you should be monitoring social media engagement. If there is an uptick in views and engagement, you can safely credit that to the printed  material.

The ideal marketing plan is a balanced blend of both print and digital. This creates a comprehensive approach to marketing.

Tracking Website Traffic 

Similar to the way social media engagement can increase following a print campaign, website traffic also may see an uptick. Using QR codes with your print ads is one of the fastest ways to get print readers to your website. You can create trackable QR codes as well that will deliver actionable data. 

This is another example of creating comprehensive marketing campaigns that hit both print and digital demands.  

Customer Feedback 

Customer feedback is the tried and true gold standard of tracking marketing efforts. Using surveys, reviews, and referrals are all ways you can track interaction with your printed ads or other types of printed marketing materials through the direct feedback of your customers.

NTH Media partners with business owners to provide print advertising, content marketing, digital display ads, and search engine optimization, Newnan. Are you ready to grow a comprehensive, balanced marketing plan? Contact us today.