Reviving Traditional Print Media

Print media is not exactly a new media channel. Print media has been around since 1440 when Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press. One could argue that print media also includes anything handwritten dating it back even further. Today, we see the print media industry taking a big hit financially. Newspapers are shutting down. Bookstores are closing. Phonebooks are used more for structural support than reference. Print media has seen better days. However, I believe this traditional media channel can come alive once again.
How can print media reinvent itself? New technology allows printed material to act as a springboard to other media channels. For years now companies have been adding their website URLs to their business listings and other advertisements but it wasn’t until recently that consumers could access the Internet anywhere anytime. Mobile devices allow us to check out that website immediately. We no longer have to wait until we get home, having to bring that printed material with us all the way. Imagine you are flipping through a magazine in a waiting room somewhere. You see something interesting and you want to investigate further. You can’t take the magazine home with you. You don’t carry a pen or notebook to make notes for later. But, most likely, you do have your phone, and if you’re part of the growing statistic, it’s most likely a smart phone (if not, surely it will be soon). Now you can go immediately to that website, bookmark it, like it on Facebook, follow it on Twitter and anything else they offer.
Scan-able codes like QR codes are making it even easier. Consumers can now use their smartphones to scan a code (like a barcode scanner) and be instantly taken to the webpage via their phone’s web browser. The usual bag of tricks found commonly on the Internet can all be incorporated into this plan. The codes can link to websites, forms, videos, podcasts or anything else you can put online. Getting the consumer to scan the code becomes the call to action for the printed media, extending and enhancing the print media experience.