The automobile has replaced the horse and buggy. Google search is much faster than even the reference desk of the New York Public Library.  And though radio has its place, who wouldn’t rather watch the Super Bowl on a high-definition TV?  But sometimes the old fashioned way of doing things can still make a lot of sense, such as real people answering phones, using metal forks instead of plastic and … paper brochures.

What are some of the attributes of paper brochures that make them timeless? Brochures are:

Substantive. To some extent paper brochures are like paper newsletters: they have a physical presence you can’t completely ignore.  They make great leave-behinds after you’ve made your pitch. They slip easily into envelopes for delivery with invoices and insurance policies.  You can display them in your office in racks or on a coffee table. A few motivated people may come to your website looking for the kind of detail presented in a brochure, but you can vastly expand the reach and scope of your prospect audience with paper brochures.

Targeted. They can focus on particular topics or products, such as annuities, disability insurance, how to save on homeowner’s insurance or critical illness insurance.  Unlike capability brochures, which to a large extent have been replaced by the company website, the goal of product brochures is not to promote your brand, but to do the tactical work of selling the product.

Detailed. Product brochures allow you to go into greater detail than you probably would in other media, even newsletters.  When people are considering a product purchase, they want detail.

Persuasive. A good brochure follows the famous AIDA formula for successful advertising copy:  it captures attention, maintains the reader’s interest, excites demand and prompts action, such as a phone call to you.

Credible. A professionally written and designed brochure will create in the reader’s mind a perception of trustworthiness, competence and authority.

Smart’s has just completed a set of product brochures that reflect these marketing principles. These are useful marketing tools that can help you sell a number of popular insurance products. To see samples of our brochures, click here.
 

Do you own an Apple Computer shirt from 1977? Or a Dell mouse pad from 1983? If so, your booty may be worth something as a collector’s item. I’m not saying that Main Street Benefit Specialists’ water bottles or ABC Insurance Brokers’ calendars will end up on eBay someday.  But there’s no denying that the permanence of objects that display brand names can keep paying dividends a long time down the road.  Advertising specialties, as they say, is the “medium that remains to be seen.”

So should your agency take up a mascot such as a duck, a stag or a beagle? That might work for insurance companies. But your insurance marketing should be more pragmatic. Cute and cuddly mascots may be memorable, but they don’t usually communicate to a broad audience. Focus on items that get repeated use and frequent public exposure: beer and coffee mugs, water bottles, shirts, hats, pens, calendars, golf umbrellas, and so on.

To some extent, your choice should reflect your corporate culture. Calendars and pens are always a safe bet, especially a very nice pen for a special client.  Water bottles, beach balls and t-shirts are fun. There’s an entire line of eco-friendly products that are very popular now.  On the other hand, though we’ve seen it done, we don’t recommend putting your business name on condoms.

What are some of the occasions  when you can use advertising specialties in your marketing strategy?

• To reward people who give you referrals
• To give to new customers
• When you participate in trade shows or consumer fairs
• To use as giveaways at seminars you give or at events you sponsor (like golf tournaments)
• To use any time you want to say “thank you” to customers, prospects, vendors, tradesmen you deal with day to day, or anyone else.

One last thing: You should never feel that using advertising specialties is in any way unethical. As long as the market values of the products you give away are nominal, you should have no worries. People will not be obligated to do business with you if you give them a water bottle.  They take it for granted that you are giving them something they will find useful, and in return they are giving you something you find useful: publicity

P.S. f you’re curious and want to check out some ad specialties that might work for you, click here
 

Advertising specialties — products that contain your company’s logo and message — are a valuable part of any insurance marketing strategy.  And they have been for more than 150 years.  It’s said that the first recorded use of an advertising specialty was in 1845, when an insurance agent in New York came up with the idea of putting his agency name, address and message on calendars and distributing them for free to local businesses to display in their stores and offices.

Schwag. If you’ve ever been to any kind of trade show, from an electronic trade show like Comdex or PC Expo, to a national or state insurance conference, you know that advertising specialties are as popular as ever today.  Why do insurance companies and big brand names like Apple and Yahoo still give away things like t-shirts, coffee mugs, pens, bobble heads and, yes, even calendars?

Because people like them. They like to wear them, drink out of them, write with them, display them at their desks and put them on their walls.  And it’s totally win-win.  They have the fun, and the sponsor gets the publicity.

Trivial pursuits? Some agents may resist using advertising specialties because they think they’re trivial and that putting your business name on a pen or a Frisbee somehow demeans your professionalism.   I think using ad specialties has quite a different effect though.  These fun and often useful free gifts humanize you and your business.  Frankly, insurance products lack an emotional dimension.   A health insurance or auto policy, as essential as it might be, can never elicit the emotional response of a new car, an espresso machine or even a computer.  When you sell insurance, you are at a distinct disadvantage in this respect.  That’s what makes using advertising specialties all the more important for insurance agents.

Plus, consider the research. Baylor University did a study of the attitudes of customers who received small, after-sale gifts, such as a pocket calculator.  They compared them with customers who, after the sale, received only a thank you letter.  The study showed that the customers who received the gift rated the ability of their sales people 34% higher than the customers who received only the letter.

Another study found that the customers of a dry cleaner who received promotional products patronized their dry cleaner 49% more than customers who received coupons instead.

There’s no doubt that advertising specialties should play a role in your insurance marketing plan, whether you use calendars, pens or some of the more unusual and fun premium gifts available.  We hope you’ll visit our promotional products website and let us help you.

In my next post, I’ll mention some of the occasions appropriate for using advertising specialties.