Printed customer magazines in the marketing mix of corporate communications.

Analog, B2B, Print, Text

Corporate Media

Customer magazines are an indispensable element of corporate communications in the technical industry. Why is that?

Lesezeit: ca. < 1 Minute

Print is dead, long live the print magazine. As the saying goes, those pronounced dead live longer. This applies perfectly to the printed customer magazine in the B2B sector. The tangible format offers compelling advantages. Many companies with technical product worlds leverage this potential strategically. Printed customer magazines are the hub of value-based communication within the marketing mix of the overall strategy. Online customer magazines and hybrid magazines, which combine digital and classic articles, are becoming increasingly popular.

Advantage 1: Topics for an industrial magazine

“We don’t really have that much to report!” Really? A new machine, self-developed software, a tailor-made solution for a demanding customer, a development project with all its ups and downs, improved service, social commitment, or environmental issues: upon closer inspection, a true treasure trove of topics can be found in most companies. They ensure that the many facets of a company are made visible to the customer—and provide a targeted, emotional way to address them.

Simply putting together a few images and texts is not enough to inspire readers for complex technical products. Customer magazines require a specific editorial structure and categorization to make the reading flow exciting and clear. Planning is everything. Often, only the tip of the iceberg is visible.

High-quality text is like the tip of the iceberg. Most of the work is invisible, but essential for success.

Sounds like a lot of work? We create your customer magazine with passion and experience. Our specialist editors research technical topics thoroughly in dialogue with the respective experts. We assist in finding topics, provide suggestions, ensure the right tone, and deliver clear, target-group-oriented texts.

Advantage 2: Content is King – especially in print

Outdated? Even in the digital age, the importance of a classic print magazine should not be underestimated. This medium offers ample space for detailed content and a variety of journalistic formats. It perfectly complements fast-paced channels like social media. Engaging technical articles, user reports or case studies, exciting interviews, or editorials on current specialist topics: these stylistic elements convince customers of a company’s expertise and build credibility and trust.

Tip – Keyword Thought Leadership:

Utilize the expertise of your specialists and executives on current industry-relevant topics. This allows you to establish your company’s thought leadership and expand it over time.

But couldn’t all of this also be done in a digital customer magazine? Isn’t that more sustainable and cost-effective? We are, of course, familiar with these arguments from many customer discussions.

An overview of the advantages of printed and digital customer magazines:

Print

  • Quality: classic, high-end
  • Credibility, journalistic standards
  • High depth of information, better retention in memory
  • Reading behavior, haptics, high reading duration
  • Exclusive content, high image value
  • Push approach: occupying topics

Digital

  • Flexible, up-to-date
  • Always available on mobile
  • High breadth of information
  • SEO relevance, better ranking
  • High reach, measurability
  • Linking with social media
  • Pull approach: being found and attracting readers

Advantage 3: Tangibility: the haptic effect of a customer magazine

Not to be underestimated: your customer holds a high-quality print magazine in their hands, perhaps even personally handed over by a sales colleague. Your customer can flip through and browse it at any time and engage extensively with your company, ideally during a relaxed moment with a cup of coffee.

Advantage 4: A worthwhile investment – economical and target-group-oriented!

Teuer und viel Arbeit? Klar, zunächst ist ein Magazin eine Investition. Aber auch Werbung kostet viel Geld, und ihre Wirkung verpufft vergleichsweise schnell. Die Einsatzmöglichkeiten eines Magazins sind hingegen vielfältig und nachhaltig – ob im Verkaufsgespräch, auf Messen oder Veranstaltungen oder beim Recruiting neuer Mitarbeiter:innen. Ein Anwenderbericht über Ihr Produkt im Einsatz beim Kunden ist ein viel überzeugenderer Beweis als ein Werbeflyer oder eine Anzeige es jemals sein könnten. Die Streuverluste sind – im Gegensatz zu Anzeigen – deutlich geringer: Jeder Leser ist ein (potenzieller) Kunde. Und aufgrund der regelmäßigen Erscheinungsweise – am besten ein- bis zweimal im Jahr – bleiben Sie kontinuierlich im Kontakt mit Ihren Kunden.

  • Print wirkt x10. Eine Studie vom Verband Deutscher Zeitschriftenverleger e.V.

    Studie ansehen

Advantage 5: The printed magazine strengthens internal communication

By the way: the magazine also reaches your own employees. Credible information and knowledge transfer increase their motivation and identification with the company.

Advantage 6: Cross-media communication: generating leads with the customer magazine

The customer magazine alone already offers many advantages. However, the greatest benefit—also regarding lead generation—can be reaped, last but absolutely not least, from the cross-media networking of content. View the magazine as a building block or a resource pool within your company’s media mix and network the content digitally. A digital version as a flipbook, posts on social media, repurposing in the corporate blog—ensure a content mix with other formats. The content can also be utilized in PR or advertisements, making the communication mix diverse and vibrant.

Screenshot of the digital Liebherr customer magazine Evotion

Conclusion: A classic, reimagined with digital benefits

The impact and effectiveness of both media can reinforce each other. The key is to bridge the gap between analog and digital by linking to content such as landing pages or videos, or conversely, by teasing the magazine on social media. One thing is clear: digital communication does not mean the end of the printed customer magazine.

Jörg Schroer

Managing Partner

We will be happy to advise you.

Would you like to leverage the opportunities for your company? Together, we will develop the right solution.

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