Online marketing is the way of the now and the way of the future. I know this, you know this, your customers know this but, deny it if you will, print still makes a valuable contribution to the marketing mix.

I know people think of print as "old school" and "how we used to do things" but I love to touch and feel a piece of collateral; shiny new brochures, wafting ink, it gives your product a certain gravitas.

A lot of time and effort (most of the time) has gone into that piece of collateral and I respect that. It's when time and effort isn't spent that you notice!

I love creating brochures, annual reports, flyers, something you can touch and feel.

Beautiful stock, stunning backgrounds, an eye-catching headline, a considered layout; collateral can be truly beautiful and bring joy to my day. In fact, I have a section in my (old school) filing cabinet reserved for pieces of collateral I like. Pinterest in my desk drawer if you will.

Think of all the pieces of paper you encounter over a week: from (literal) junk mail to newspapers to glossy magazines, how much time do you spend interacting with them and their contents as opposed to the ads that appear on websites?

I suppose, like everything in marketing, it comes down to your target audience.

Can you afford to ignore the old school in your marketing mix?