Pocket Folders Are Cheap When Printed in Bulk

Pocket folders are some of the most fantastic tools in your marketing arsenal. Cornucopias of bountiful sales material, pocket folders keep everything together so you can deliver a convincing presentation that yields results. But for some small businesses, the cost of printing pocket folders is prohibitive. It doesn't have to be, since pocket folders are cheap when printed in bulk.

The big picture

Everything that is good and different about your company, products and services is funneled to your potential customers via one channel: Presentation. If your presentation is spot-on, you will be successful. Others may tout the importance of features, benefits, offers and calls to action, and these things are certainly critical - but the only way you can deliver these concepts to your customers is via presentation. That's why a great presentation folder makes a powerful impression, and why it's so critical to have one.

Success breeds success

Pocket folders should be printed in bulk. You must plan for success - make appointments, attend conferences and trade shows, host seminars, plan a direct-mail campaign - so that you have highly targeted avenues for pocket folder distribution. Then print enough to go around, and fill them with brochures, sales sheets, case studies, press coverage, business cards, CDs or DVDs and anything else that motivates a response.

Print many to save money

It's no secret that pocket folders take a lot of press set up and finishing work. They have to be die cut, folded and glued. They take time and resources to produce, and printing companies charge for them. When it comes to offset printing, one-time press fees are applied no matter how many pieces you print. This is why pocket folders can seem expensive: When printed in small quantities the setup costs comprise a significant percentage of the price. When you print in bulk, however, the press set up becomes less significant and your price per piece is dramatically reduced. Let's say you want to distribute 9,000 pocket folders to potential customers. If you decide to print in three runs, your cost per run (at 3,000 apiece) might be around $2,000 (around 66 cents per pocket folder), for a total of $6,000 to print all 9,000 pocket folders. If you print all 9,000 at once, however, your cost is going to be around $3,500 (around 39 cents per pocket folder). By printing pocket folders in bulk, you would save about $2,500. Remember that marketing is a long-term investment. Sales cycles can be long, even for traditional retail products, and therefore projecting and measuring your budget and return on investment months out is more accurate than short-term projections and measurements. The more visible your company, your products, your services and the more powerful your presentation, the more likely you are to yield a high return on investment that achieves the profit margins you're after.