Growing Your Business With 'Dead' Media

In the rush to master the latest digital marketing trends, it's become common to hear that old-school media is dead. But reports of its death have been greatly exaggerated. While everyone else is fighting for attention in crowded digital spaces, a smart few are finding incredible returns by going against the grain.

Consider a local marketer who stuck with newspaper inserts while his competitors abandoned them for digital-only strategies. He consistently gets back $8 to $11 for every $3 he spends—a return on investment he can't touch online. By staying with a supposedly “dead” medium, he doubled his ROI. This isn't a fluke; it's a powerful lesson for any looking for an edge.

The Unsung Hero: The Print Newsletter

Of all the offline tools declared obsolete, the printed and mailed customer newsletter gets the most flak. Bloggers and social media gurus love to pronounce it dead, but they're wrong. For my own businesses, print newsletters have been the foundation, the central point around which everything else revolves. They are the main reason my companies enjoy a Total Customer Value that is two to twenty times higher than my competitors.

Well over half of my most valuable clients come directly from my newsletter subscriber base. It would cost a fortune to find them any other way. And this isn't some unique, unrepeatable model. Thousands of entrepreneurs in all sorts of fields—from consumer goods to B2B services—have seen huge improvements in customer retention, repeat business, and referrals after launching their own print newsletters.

Take Shaun Buck at NewsletterPro.com. His company creates and mails over 1.5 million custom newsletters every year for small businesses like dentists, spas, and retailers. These businesses invest real money every month, and with a 98% year-over-year client retention rate, they're clearly seeing results.

Why Physical Mail Still Works in a Digital Age

So why are so many smart business owners still printing and mailing things when digital distribution is free? Because a physical newsletter arriving in the mail has positive effects that simply can't be replicated online.

1. : Customers recognize that you’re investing real money to communicate with them. This simple act engages the principle of reciprocity; you’ve given them something of tangible value, and they feel a natural pull to give back.
2. : People value what they can hold. One survey found that over 80% of people consistently read print publications they receive from businesses they know, while the read rate for digital newsletters and blogs was only about 20%. You can't make an impact if your message gets deleted without being read.
3. : How often do you go back and read emails from three months ago? Almost never. But it’s common for people to save a print newsletter and read it weeks or months later. One financial advisor landed a new client with over $9 million to invest from a newsletter issue that was four months old. That one conversion paid for five years of mailing his newsletter to his entire list.
4. : Featuring your customers in print is far more meaningful than a social media shout-out. It makes people feel seen and valued, which is a powerful way to build loyalty and encourage referrals.

How to Create a Newsletter People Actually Read

Of course, none of this works if you commit the ultimate marketing sin: being boring. When , your newsletter should never be just a technical manual or a sales catalog for your products. Instead, look at what makes popular magazines successful.

• : Share your own adventures, spotlight your customers, or connect celebrity stories to what you do.
• : A newsletter should contain —new, unusual, and interesting tidbits that people will want to share with their friends.
• : If your personality is part of your brand, people will be interested in your ideas and philosophies. Shared values build deep trust.
• : Give your readers practical “how-to” advice that solves a problem for them, whether it’s how to relieve a headache (from a chiropractor) or ready a car for a road trip (from an auto shop).

The High Cost of Dropping the Ball on Follow-Up

At a recent major internet marketing conference, one of the main speakers took the stage to reveal the “biggest new thing” in the industry: direct mail. The idea of generating a lead online and immediately following up offline was presented as a novel strategy. This highlights a massive gap in how most businesses operate.

Think about your daily routine. You open your email and are flooded with 121 new messages on average. You delete most of them without a second thought. In contrast, the average household receives just four or five pieces of physical mail per day. By using direct mail, you’re not fighting for attention—you’re marketing in a vacuum.

This isn't to say you should stop using email, but relying on digital alone means you're leaving money on the table. A lack of follow-up is the number one reason leads don’t convert. I once inquired about a $10,000 trade show booth, had one good conversation, and then never heard from the salesperson again. In another instance, a Disney timeshare salesman misjudged my ability to buy and gave me a rushed, dismissive presentation. He lost an immediate cash sale because he failed to ask basic questions and never followed up effectively. Even the best companies get this wrong, and it costs them dearly.

The Patient Path from Lead to Loyal Customer

People looking for often want fast results, but the reality is that most prospects aren't ready to buy right away. Statistics show that 82% of prospects take more than three months to make a buying decision, yet 44% of salespeople give up after just one follow-up call.

Years ago, I was looking to buy a franchise and was about a year away from making a decision. I requested information from dozens of franchisors. Within six weeks, all but one had stopped contacting me. The one that persisted sent me a fantastic print newsletter every single month. It was filled with success stories from other franchisees and built excitement for the business. I felt like I got to know the franchisor and the community. This consistent, relationship-building follow-up convinced me to buy a franchise six months earlier than I had planned. The newsletter was the vehicle, but the relationship was the reason. This is how you turn a .

You've Made the Sale. Now What?

The purpose of making a sale isn't just to complete a transaction; it's to gain a new customer you can serve for life. This is where most entrepreneurs miss the boat. They either fall silent after the first purchase or, even worse, bombard their new customer with nothing but sales pitches. This is like that one relative who only calls when they need money. You don't want to be that person to your customers.

When , focusing on retention is one of the most profitable things you can do. A 5% increase in customer retention can boost profits by 25% to 125%. The single best tool for building the relationships that lead to that kind of loyalty is a monthly print newsletter.

If you’ve tried it before and it failed, you probably made one of these common mistakes:

• : Your newsletter was all about your business, not about topics your customers find interesting.
• : You chose the free option, which customers perceive as low-value and easily ignore in a crowded inbox.
• : You sent it quarterly, which is not often enough to build a real relationship. You can't become close friends with someone you only talk to four times a year.

For any , the path to long-term growth lies in building real relationships. While digital tools are essential, integrating them with a proven, tangible method like a print newsletter can be the differentiator that glues customers to your business for years to come.