ARTICLE
Booklets are an inexpensive marketing tool that brings positive results in the areas of growth and profit. When properly used, these valuable little gems can create customer loyalty, top of mind awareness, and new business.
Customer Loyalty
Everyone loves to get a gift, and if the gift is valuable to the recipient, they will remember the giver fondly. In this same way, when you give a booklet to a customer which contains valuable information, that customer will think of your business with gratitude each time they refer to it. Giving a booklet to your customers helps you to establish a relationship with them that will last for years to come.
Most of us have, at one time or another, received a free gift from a company. Maybe it was a pen, a key ring, or a magnet. Or, perhaps it was something a little larger such as a t-shirt, visor, or coffee mug. Whatever it was, unless it was a recent gift, you probably no longer have it. Why? Pens run out of ink. People already have a key ring and it’s too much trouble to take the keys off and put them on a new one. Magnets get tiresome to look at on the fridge and get taken down. T-shirts get spotted or worn out. Visors get confiscated the by the kids, and coffee mugs become garage sale fare when people get too many. So, though the customer may be grateful for the gift, the impact doesn’t last.
Booklets are a better marketing tool because they outlast other promotional items. People don’t throw away information that is of value to them. Even if they don’t feel it has value for their own life, they’ll usually pass it on to someone else they think will benefit from it. When was the last time you threw away a book? The same can be said for a booklet.
Because booklets are long lived in the hands of your customers, they are able to create customer loyalty. You’ll be set apart from your competition in the minds of your customers because they’ll be reminded that you care.
Top of Mind Awareness
In order to keep your company at the forefront of your customers’ minds, your booklet should have your company’s information printed on the front cover. Without this vital piece of information, your customers may be grateful when they refer to the booklet, but in time they’ll forget who they are grateful to.
A nice way to remind customers who gave them the booklet is to add the words “presented to you by” above your company information and below your title. You should also add your logo to the cover for quick recognition. This way, whenever the customer sees the cover of your booklet, even if they aren’t referring to it at the moment, they’ll quickly be reminded of your company.
Staying on the top of your customers’ minds is an important key to having them return to you, and with your company information promptly displayed on a booklet cover they’ll easily remember your company when they need you.
New Business
Booklets have a tendency to travel from the recipient to the hands of others who find the information valuable. A misplaced booklet will quickly find a new home. A carefully placed booklet, such as in a doctor’s or dentist’s office waiting area, will also usually be picked up and taken home.
An original booklet recipient’s friends and family members may come to you seeking a booklet for themselves after seeing the booklet or getting advice from it.
These things happen quite often and it’s wonderful when they do, but you have little to no control over making them happen. They just do. There are many ways, however, in which you can use your booklet to gain new business. One way is to advertise the booklet as a free gift to new customers who try one of your products, open an account, or just stop into your place of business. Another way is to offer the booklet to established customers who refer new customers. You can make the booklet available for sale to all of your customers, bringing in some extra revenue for your business, and offer it free as a thank-you gift to those customers who bring in referrals.
A booklet which is filled with useful information and displays your company name and logo on the cover can be an asset to your business for many years. It is a small investment that will bring a great return in the form of growth and profit.
