Some might say that print marketing is outdated in the age of PPC, email marketing, and social media marketing. However, this is not the case. Print marketing remains a highly effective marketing strategy utilized by millions of businesses worldwide. The statistics speak for themselves — a study by Quad/Graphics found that 82 percent of millennials would engage with print literature. Furthermore, another study found that direct mail averaged a 4.4 percent response rate, compared to just 0.12 percent for emails. For this reason, booklet printing should not be underestimated.
Printed booklets are a highly effective way to increase sales and create brand awareness. A well-designed and expertly printed booklet will communicate your brand message to your target customers in an information-rich, visually appealing format.
Click here for more information on how to print your booklet.
Contents
What Are Booklets?
A booklet is a small, bound book with a limited number of pages and a paper cover. They are sometimes referred to as brochures, pamphlets, or handouts. More often than not, booklets are staple bound, a method where sheets of paper are stapled together along one side. Although this is not the most luxurious binding method, it is one of the cheapest and it works perfectly for booklets.
How to Create Your Booklet
Now that we’ve explored why booklets are essential in your marketing, it’s time to find out how you should go about creating an impressive booklet that effectively markets your products and services. You can create a booklet design using free and paid platforms:
1. Microsoft Word
You can create booklets in Microsoft Word using the program’s pre-built page settings. Many use Word for its most basic functions, but they don’t realize the platform’s full potential. Once you’ve designed your booklet in Microsoft Word, the program’s Book Fold feature allows you to set your booklet up for printing to ensure that the pages are in the correct order ready for printing.
2. Adobe InDesign
One of the best platforms for creating sleek, eye-catching booklet designs in Adobe InDesign. The platform is the market-leading graphics editing and designing software used by millions of people across the globe. You can create booklets to showcase products and services using the platform’s sophisticated tools and templates. However, you must subscribe to the Adobe Creative Cloud for a set monthly fee to use the platform.
3. Canva
The graphic design tool Canva offers dozens of free, customizable booklet templates. However, if you require access to a bank of stock photos, illustrations, fonts, and editing tools, you may want to consider paying for a monthly subscription, as many advanced features are only available with Canva Pro.
Integrating Booklets into Your Marketing Strategy
Booklet printing has various benefits for businesses across all sectors. Well-designed, eye-catching booklets create brand awareness, brand recall and allow you to build a personal connection with your target audience. Furthermore, a booklet with a high-quality, luxurious feel will also give readers the impression that your product or service is professional and highly reliable. Finally, booklets are easy to distribute at events, in shops, or through postboxes, meaning you can market your product or service to a large number of people in a short amount of time.
Types of Marketing Booklets
The type of booklet you print will depend entirely on the nature of your business. Below are a few booklet marketing ideas to inspire you.
- Product Booklet: A product booklet acts as a catalog, showing prospective customers the products on offer using high-quality images and informative product descriptions.
- Educational Booklet: If you’re looking to educate prospective customers on your industry, you might want to consider creating an educational booklet that contains instructions, advice, and anecdotes. Educational booklets have a dual benefit: they allow you to provide customers with helpful information and advertise your products or services simultaneously.
- Newsletter Booklet: A newsletter booklet is a must if you aim to create a community around your industry or business. Include stories, product features, testimonials, interviews with industry professionals, and other similar content to get your readers invested in the topic and, by extension, interested in your business.
- Portfolio Booklet: Businesses that work on visually appealing projects, such as interior design and construction companies, might benefit from a booklet outlining the success of previous projects. These booklets act as a portfolio, outlining the project brief and, most importantly, showcasing the result.
How to Print Your Booklet
Once you’ve created your booklet design, it’s time to send it to a booklet printing service. Today, printing a booklet is easy, as many businesses offer booklet printing online. In addition, many printing businesses will offer fast turnaround times and a wide variety of customization options.
There are several customization options for booklets relating to size, paper type, paperweight, color, and binding. In terms of size, choose from a range of options, including A4 through to A7, DL, or square in several sizes. Regarding binding, most booklet printing services allow you to pick from staple, perfect, or wire binding. Additionally, choose from a landscape and portrait orientation and pick the best-suited paper type. Most booklet printing services will allow you to choose between a variety of paper types, including silk, gloss, uncoated, recycled, or natural paper. You will also choose the weight of the paper in your booklet. Please note that a thicker paperweight, between 170 and 200 GSM, is recommended.
The Effectiveness of Marketing Booklets
The creation and distribution of printed booklets remain an essential tool in a businesses’ marketing strategy. Creating a sleek, sophisticated-looking booklet will set you apart from your competitors by connecting with your customers on a personal level, creating brand awareness and brand recall. Furthermore, booklets give prospective customers an easy way to learn about your products or services without trawling through a website — all the information they need is in front of them, spread across a few sheets of paper. By using the right design tools and a reliable booklet printing service, you can showcase your products or services to your target audience in an affordable but compelling way.