Print marketing is alive and well in the digital age, according to a recent Pitney Bowes survey that found 76% of small businesses say their ideal marketing strategy encompasses a combination of both print and digital communication. Meanwhile, traditional direct mail still has a 43% share of total local retail advertising. A recent Marketing Profs article listed several reasons that printed marketing communications continue to thrive. For one thing, technology has expanded the power of print, from variable printing's ability to create complex personalization of text and images, to QR code and NFC (near-field communication) technology that make it possible, via mobile, for print media to directly connect customers to a website. And don't forget the omnipresent integration of social networking into printed pieces. With noisier digital spaces and less cluttered mailboxes, printed materials have a competitive advantage over digital; they have a better chance to stand out and receive more time and attention than their online brethren. Today's printed materials also go beyond flat pieces of printed paper to encompass dimensional direct mail and printed promotional items boasting lower average cost per impression than online ads, such as magnets, stickers, pens, or even apparel such as T-shirts. A 2010 Direct Marketing Association study found that $1.00 spent on print advertising can generate an average of $12.57 in sales, and print's high return ratio was found to be universal across all industries. No wonder small businesses, and big businesses, are keeping print marketing and direct mail in the mix! For more, see the article at http://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2014/24084/print-marketing-will-thrive-in-2014-and-beyond