Make Your Own Booklets in Three Simple Steps

Page for page, booklets represent some of the most efficient marketing tools in any industry. Done correctly, booklets are interesting, which gives you a captive audience. They also establish credibility and authority, so you can build your brand name in no time. Finally, they're a perfect avenue for direct sales, and they're incredibly cost effective to print. Here's how to make your own booklets in three simple steps.

1. Write booklets for your customers and brand your business

The first step in making your own booklets is to develop a title and working theme. Approach this from your customers' points of view: What information would they like to know that you can provide? This might be something as simple as how to groom a specific breed of dog to as complex as search engine optimization. It all depends on your customer, and how you can tie your products and services - and expertise - into answering their questions. Once you have a working title, your booklet's body copy should be completely informational and not a sales pitch. Write with a journalistic style, and your words will be sincere. Your business will also be branded as customers begin to trust you. You will establish credibility and authority, and by the end of your booklet your customers will know who to go to when they're ready to take the next step in the purchasing process.

2. Get direct sales by adding value

Your booklet body copy shouldn't be an overt sales pitch, and it should not mislead; however, when you make your own booklet you should definitely include boxes, charts, graphs, and other data that highlight your products and services. Let's say, for example, that you're an attorney and you've written a booklet on estate planning. One of the topics in your booklet will undoubtedly cover wills. Within that section, you should include data from reputable third-parties that demonstrates how much property is forfeited to states because people do not properly make out their wills. You should also include a box that highlights your will writing and will review services. At the end of your booklet, include a discount promotion page with coupons or coupon codes for discounts off of your services. Using our attorney example, you would include a coupon for, say, a $100 will review. In this manner, you can create desire, solve a problem, develop an offer and motivate action all at once.

3. Print booklets for distribution

Once your booklet has been written, designed and laid out it is time to have it printed. There are several booklet printing options to choose from, and it is important that you choose only premium quality paper stock in order to properly brand your company. Cheap, shoddy booklets won't bode well for your company's image. However, that doesn't mean you have to spend an arm and a leg to take advantage of the power of booklet marketing: you can print 100 eight-page booklets for less than $250.