Thankfully, the digital world abounds with examples of leave behinds. One of the best places to gather ideas for leave behinds is Pinterest. Print marketers may have more examples of their materials in Pinterest than in their portfolios online simply because high quality digital photos eat network space.
Trends may be increasing faster than you can say TikTok but one leaving a lingering impact is the trend of hardcopy books. During the pandemic, book sales reached what one analyst called “eye-popping” levels. The sales of books overall took off during the pandemic, lulled in 2021, and then rebounded since then. And importantly eBooks make up only 21% of those sales.[1] In 2021, 825.8 million books were sold, for a total of $27.9 billion, with a B like book, in sales. These statistics breakdown in interesting demographic ways, ones that may be important to marketing. Significantly, the breakdown in reading, and most likely paper reading, is significantly correlated to income. “On average, people who earn more than $1,080 per week spend almost 90 minutes per week reading for pleasure.”[2] And there was one really interesting aspect to this statistic across all demographics. Sales of print books (hard copies, paperbacks) increased by 8.24% between 2020 and 2019 with nonfiction leading the charge. This trend continued in 2021, with an additional 8.9% increase, with a turn towards fiction. While eBooks and audiobooks are expected to rise by 30% in the near future, the long and short of it is, people like paper.
If people like paper, then you may want to ask yourself about how paper your marketing is. That is, how are your marketing materials holding up to others? In the world of marketing, the leave-behind shouldn’t be left out of your marketing planning. In fact, there is growth in this area. Towards the tail end of the height of isolation of the pandemic, luxury brands began to return to physical marketing. As Vogue Business reported “luxury brands are leaning into traditional analogue marketing as a way to cut through the noise online and connect with consumers at home.”[3] The theory of these high-level luxury brands is that direct mail and branded books help them stand out to a customer slogging through a slew of digital materials. “Chanel, Dior, Prada, Loewe and Alighieri sent books or other physical items that offered a closer, more intimate look at their collections to top spending customers, who are increasingly expecting brands to come to them.” If your ideal client wears or follows luxury brands and makes purchasing choices based on that, they may also want to interact with you, their financial advisor, in a similar way.
Digital marketing appeals to many not only because of its lower cost, but also because of the ease of updating materials for compliance or branding purposes. Who wants to continue to give letterhead to the kids when partners leave or streets are renamed? No one. Print and digital can come together harmoniously through the use of QR codes. Many consumers now find their online purchases to come with paper inserts with QR code links, allowing the manufacturer or seller to continuously update their materials. Advisors can incorporate QR codes on high quality print materials in a similar manner. That allows for changes needed for compliance or succession (or any other small detail) to be made seamlessly.
Leave behind materials can boost the implied quality of your services, by increasing connections to expensive, high value or high wealth companies. They can also drive leads by helping to build relationships. “A leave behind is also important for relationship building. When you have your customers in mind, it makes them feel valued. It makes them know that they have an incredible influence on the success of a business. They also know that the business they are researching may have the services or products that will make their lives easier. These special circumstances can result in forging mutual relationships that can last for years to come.”[4]
Thankfully, the digital world abounds with examples of leave behinds. It may not spring immediately to mind, but one of the best places to gather ideas for leave behinds is Pinterest. Print marketers may have more examples of their materials on Pinterest than in their portfolios online simply because high quality digital photos eat network space like a 16 year old line backer devours grandma’s mashed potatoes: no survivors.
[1] https://www.tonerbuzz.com/blog/book-and-reading-statistics
[2] https://wordsrated.com/impact-of-covid-19-on-book-sales
[3] https://www.voguebusiness.com/companies/prints-not-dead-post-pandemic-return-to-physical-marketing
[4] https://www.bidcreative.com/mastering-the-art-of-the-leave-behind-to-increase-leads
These articles are prepared for general purposes and are not intended to provide advice or encourage specific behavior. Before taking any action, Advisors and Plan Sponsors should consult with their compliance, finance and legal teams.
Before leaping into the unknown, we recommend a thorough examination of your plan. Because we are experts in the field, we know the marketplace and know what your existing vendor is capable of offering. Through this examination, we can help you optimize the service you receive.
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