Using Presentation Folders to Strengthen Your Marketing

Getting your message to your target audience is tougher than ever. Between do-not-call, do-not-fax, Tivo, spam filters, and online ad-blockers, how are you reaching your audience?

Print advertising, and especially direct mail, is still one of the best mediums to reach your target demographic. A postcard is a great way to get a targeted message to certain individuals, but it only contains so much space for your message. Perhaps you have different sell sheets or brochures based on your target demographic. Or perhaps you want to be sure you’re perceived as the high-end option in your market. Enter the custom presentation folder. You can design almost anything you can imagine - special die cut shapes, windows, extra flaps and pockets — the possibilities are endless. Create slits for your business cards or even design an area for a sample of your product to be embedded in the folder itself. Include a custom, variable data letter to the recipient, 8 x 10 photo prints, special brochures and info sheets, or whatever you feel will get your message across. One popular technique is to create “stepped” pages, where each sheet is slightly shorted than the one behind it, with headlines at the top of each sheet. This way, your recipient can look at what’s most important to her.

Designing a pocket folder isn’t as difficult as it sounds. If you’re a graphic designer, one method is to create a mock-up on paper, measure it, then draw it in Illustrator. But if you’re having trouble getting started, try downloading one of these free pocket folder templates to give you some ideas.

I hope this has sparked some creativity for your next advertising campaign. The more unique your piece is, the higher your return on investment (ROI) will be. As long as people prefer to flip through a paper brochure over scroll through a PDF, you’ll find great success in keeping pocket folders and presentation folders in your marketing tools bag.

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