Why You Should Use Brochures and Booklets for Your Marketing

In today's digitally-driven world, it's easy to think that digital marketing is the only way to go. We look at the surprising advantages of including brochures and booklets in your business strategy.

It’s too easy in a digitally-focused world to believe that this is the only route to successful marketing.While there’s no argument that digital channels need to be part of a marketing campaign, the downside is that there is so much “noise”, how do you make your product or service stand out from the crowd?

You may see an ad on social media and instantly feel that it’s a “must have” product – but the chances are that unless you order it immediately, it will soon be forgotten.

Research certainly bears that out. Royal Mail has commissioned extensive insights into the effectiveness of using a printed product and the results speak for themselves. Not only are printed assets more targeted but, when used as part of a campaign, market growth is likely to be three times more effective. So, what are you waiting for? What marketing materials should you create for your business?

There are plenty of marketing materials that you should use for your business, but brochures and booklets are a great place to start. There’s no doubting the impact that eye-catching and imaginative print collateral can have on a business and investing in flyers, booklets or brochures is money well spent.

Why should you use brochures and booklets for your business?

1. Brochures and booklets are affordable to print

Brochures and booklets do not cost the Earth! It’s worth looking into your marketing budget and splitting it between digital and offline marketing. Covering all bases is the best way to capture all of your audience, and it doesn’t cost maybe as much as you would think.

2. Reinforce your brand identity

Whether you’re a new, small business or a larger, more established business, reinforcing your brand identity is crucial. Sending booklets or brochures to your target audience can help remind them of your core values. Present your services or products, send a new lookbook showing off a new collection or provide your customers, or potential new ones, with information about how you started as a business.

3. Capture your audience who prefer offline marketing

They give your marketing longevity – it’s not gone in an instance like a Facebook ad – and it also is a great way of introducing customers to a wide range of products that you are offering, opening up the way to further sales. Again, Royal Mail research has highlighted that printed materials have a much longer retention factor and is also a call to action. While you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s an older audience which would be more responsive to receiving something tangible, in fact 45 per cent of 15 to 24-year-olds are reported to have interacted with brand as a result of direct mail.

And it doesn’t stop there. Scientific researchers who analyse the brain’s response to different stimuli revealed that a direct mail product is not only interacted with but is “nearly twice as likely to receive the recipient’s full attention than an email.”

4. Provide existing customers with information about further offers

How about providing a booklet or brochure to flag up to existing customers what else you have to offer? You could be a hairdresser who has had a client coming in once a week for decades for a blow dry, but does she know that you also offer beauty services, spa treatments or holistic therapies? A booklet can do the job for you and it’s a great way to engage with someone whose loyalty you already have, but who you might never have upsold to.

5. Distribute them in person for a personal touch

You can read more below about how to distribute booklets or brochures, but one tip could be to distribute them in your local area in person! This way you can chat with potential customers or catch up with some existing ones. The personal touch is one that people appreciate, now more so than ever.

Implementing the AIDA model through print marketing

Now we know our customers are a sophisticated bunch and if we say the word Aida, you’ll immediately think of Verdi’s opera set in ancient Egypt. In this instance however what we’re actually talking about is the AIDA model, which is also known as “the hierarchy of effect” model.

Now don’t be too scared of that – what it REALLY means is a series of steps a consumer goes through before they make a purchase and it’s an invaluable asset when using brochures or booklets to market your business. AIDA stands for Awareness, Interest, Desire, Action – and print is an excellent way to achieve these various steps and result in a sale.

An eye-catching brochure will help elevate brand awareness and in turn create interest in your products or services, encouraging them to engage with you and what you’re offering. Your brochure should highlight the fact your products are simply something they can’t do without, raising their desire which in turn will become a call to action -and result in a sale.

It’s a tried and tested formula which marketing experts all over the world have used and it’s a process which can – with the right materials – help your business grow and thrive.

How do I make brochures and booklets stand out from the crowd?

It might seem like a daunting prospect, but actually, it’s a lot easier than you might think! What about producing your brochure or booklet in an unusual size, use different coloured paper or a different shape? Curiosity will get the better of the recipient if you create something eye-catching and different and you’ll not regret the investment.

At the same time, you could include a special offer code or bonus in your brochure which can be used when placing an order. This will not only incentivise customers but will also help you track how effective this kind of marketing is for your business.

How to distribute brochures and booklets

Once you’ve got your materials, of course, it’s important that they get to your target audience. If you have regular customers coming through the doors, then obviously it makes sense to have them in a position where they are easily noticed – perhaps you can even create a POS display unit to put them in?

If you have a much wider audience then why not look at direct mail options? It could cost less than you think and you could be part of a shared distribution which would keep the costs down.

Targeted marketing can be really effective rather than a scattergun approach of sending your brochures out blindly and can help you ensure that they get to real, potential customers.

At WTTB, we can help you from the beginning to end process of creating booklets or brochures, no matter what stage of the journey you are at with your business.