Booklet Marketing: A Lost Art

Booklets represent one of my favorite marketing tools, but it seems many other small-business marketers do not share my sentiment. In the digital age, many marketers will err on the side of caution when it comes to initial investment rather than pursue marketing channels that will yield a higher net profit. Simple math tells you that a 3 percent return on a $5,000 investment is far more than that same return on a $500 investment, and it begs the question: Why waste so much energy on low-yield marketing when high-ROI marketing is within your grasp? Why eschew booklet marketing for, say, email marketing when the two will yield the best possible ROI in tandem?

I think the reason many marketers have strayed from booklet marketing is because it doesn’t give them a return – and for good reason. Most of the booklets I see today have a B2B perspective, even when they’re meant for consumers. While benefits and features are important factors when making purchasing decisions, simply printing them in a booklet meant for B2C marketing is not going to turn leads into sales. That’s why I believe booklet marketing is a lost art.

The best possible way to generate an excellent ROI and a loyal lifelong customer base with booklet marketing is to give your customers value. And value is exactly what is missing from most booklets I see today. If you want to print booklets that give your customers value, brand your business, create solidarity with your customers, and motivate direct sales, try one of the following three approaches:

How-To Guide

Print a booklet that tells your customers how to do something. A hairstyle product company might print a booklet that shows customers how to style their hair like popular celebrities, for example. They can pepper the text with products that are needed to achieve certain looks and include a coupon page for direct sales. Of course, their branding will be evident on every page.

Maintenance Log

Home and vehicle maintenance are important, not only for investment longevity and operation but also for resale value. A mechanic could print a booklet as a maintenance log so his or her customers could keep track of vehicle servicing. The booklet would include helpful tips for maintaining the vehicle, reminders for important routine service milestones, and coupons for oil changes, coolant flushes, tire rotations, and more.

Self-Improvement Challenge

Many companies cater to self-improvement, and they could print a booklet that issues a self-improvement challenge and includes helpful advice for goal-setting, goal-tracking, and goal-achievement. A perfect scenario would be for a weight-loss supplement company, which could print a booklet that challenges customers to lose a certain amount of body fat over a given time. Customers could track their progress, and they would be encouraged to purchase products to help them achieve their goals.

If you want to engage customers for the long haul, value-added booklets can prove to be powerful marketing tools. Make your booklets useful, valuable, and productive, and you can earn the type of customer loyalty that leads to word-of-mouth marketing and a lifetime of profits.