23 Jan 12 Inserts as Special Tools for Small Businesses during the Economic Downturn

Inserts have been in the marketing industry for many years. Although they are often overlooked, flyer inserts usually found in custom brochures and catalog printing can be one great way to upsell and continue selling to your clients and customers. These clients already know about you that they would likely be encouraged to try out other products in your list.

Small businesses can also use inserts to promote their products and services. You can talk about other products that your clients may be interested in and even give special discounts through the inserts which you can include inside the envelope with the brochure templates.

No matter that you're a retail business or a service-oriented one, your business can benefit from inserts. You can just send them along with your other marketing paraphernalia to give your clients an idea of what other services you offer.

So when you decide to use inserts as your promotional tool, here's how you can make it an effective one:

1- Make sure you focus on one product.

It's an insert so try to NOT fit everything in that one page. You can only use up a very limited space so make sure you optimize that page with a product that would get your target clients interested. Keep it simple and make sure you concentrate on one product or service to eliminate overwhelming your target clients.

2- Be sure to stand out.

Use colors and design to make you stand out. A good design would always get attention; but a good one can keep your target clients' eyes glued to your marketing collateral. If you can, apply bold, bright colors and fonts to your design so you can catch the attention of your prospects right away. It won't do you any good at all if they don't even look at it and worse, throw it right away in the trash.

3- Be visible.

You want your target clients to see you so be sure to be right there in the open. Don't let your insert be buried in the bottom of your envelope or even the package you sent. Before they could even see what's inside, they should be able to open and read your insert first.

4- Be sure to provide a complimentary product or service.

This means giving your clients a view on other products and services that can compliment, as well as match the product they already purchased from you. Your goal is to offer them a product or service as soon as they open what they purchase to complete their set.

Inserts are one of the most overlooked marketing tools in the industry. If you're a small business, inserts can be your ally to help you keep your clients coming back for more of your products and services.