Despite the cry of doom that “print is dead” – a declaration made by pundits when digital readers and the internet technology quickly flourished, this isn’t true. At all. Millions of people still prefer the tactile sensation of reading a book or magazine – rightfully giving blue-light-tired eyes a needed break.
Considering presenting promotional/logoed books will showcase your ability to be imaginative in helping your clients achieve the goal of being remembered in a positive manner. As you know, left on their own, most clients tend to follow the herd – thinking of the top identity products – pens, mugs, t-shirts.
Therefore, you will likely encounter clients who still cling to that myth that print is the way of the dodo bird – extinct.
Doug Greenhut at The Book Company explains that with the rise of e-books, many people believed that sales of print books would dramatically decline. In fact, the opposite has occurred. “Print book sales have increased and outpaced the sale of eBooks every year since 2013,” he related. “In the promotional products industry, we’ve seen a steady growth of print book sales as more distributors become aware of two facts: that they have wholesale access to every published book, and with millions of book titles available, there is a book to match almost every promotional theme, audience and budget.”
For further proof that print is alive and well, simply walk into any supermarket, pharmacy, big box/club stores or convenience store, and the latest issues of popular magazines are on display – and many have books too, typically presented on carousels.
There’s just something about a book, what it does for the psyche. This is an engaging and compelling sales factor: people of all ages love to learn, when we learn something there is a spark, a momentary “high” because we achieved something. Learning is a self-esteem booster.
Books for entertainment, such as fiction and comic books, allow for the nourishment of the imagination. When the ability for imagination is strengthened, so too is the individual’s ability to apply creativity to problem solving.
Reading is indeed fundamental.
It’s commonplace now to see kids as young as toddlers with tablets, swiping. But toddlers likely have coloring books and other children’s books (print) in their own rooms; they are being familiarized with both forms. Coloring books offer tremendous value, says Patrick Broun, director of sales and marketing for Coloring Book Solutions/LivRite Line. “Our coloring books are budget-friendly, wholesome, safe (not an imported toy from overseas that may cause initial concerns for your clients), and can help educate children about your clients’ specific businesses and/or whatever initiative or message they want to convey to their audiences.”
For example, in the case of a fire department: coloring books educate children with the message that all firefighters are focused on teaching fire safety. A coloring book for fire departments teaches children not to play with matches or lighters, what to do in the event of a fire, escape plans, etc. “Children love the act of coloring and a print coloring book continues to be a great way for children to learn and have fun – all without the aid of any electronics,” he adds.
The Book Company has sold books as promotional products for more than two decades, Greenhut points out, and has worked with hundreds of distributors to get millions of books into end-users’ hands. It’s not a difficult sell, he emphasizes: “Successful book selling always starts with client communication. Customers don’t even consider that their promotional product distributor can sell them books, they go to the internet or to a local bookstore to buy them. And they surely don’t even consider that books can be customized with a company logo and personal page -- this fact alone excites many distributor clients, as they realize that books offer space on a custom page for personal letters, marketing messages, advertisements, meeting agendas and more.”
Coloring books can be great tools to expedite business transactions when parents bring their children along, says Broun. If you have a car dealership customer, children often come in with their parents for the auto buying process. Kids can become bored and impatient in these situations – which can disrupt your client’s sales process. Help your client achieve sales by offering a coloring book to keep kids preoccupied. “Similar situations are often related by insurance agents and banks, where the transaction process may be lengthy. Consider dentists and other doctors’ offices as giving kids coloring books for the waiting room will help alleviate some of the apprehension they may have about their appointment.”
At the other end of the age spectrum, Broun explains, coloring books for adults and large-print puzzle books make excellent giveaways in nursing homes and elder care businesses, or to have during kidney dialysis, blood donations, during a recovery stay in the hospital, or waiting room areas. In another area, he says, how about adult (and kids’) coloring books for tire shops. “Your tire shop customer can offer something for the customers to do (and take home) while waiting for that new set of tires put on their car or having their oil changed,” he says.
The realm of books is expansive. Greenhut asserts that “almost every business in America buys books at one time or another. They use books for employee motivation and training, as client gifts, as takeaways from themed events like wine tastings and golf tournaments, as giveaways to promote products and services, and more.”
He adds that he sees health insurance companies buying health and wellness books, banks buying books to teach kids about money, tech companies buying business books for educational meetings, grill manufacturers buying barbecue cookbooks to promote Father’s Day, and non-profits buying children’s books to promote literacy. Customized city and state books are given to promote local pride by banks and sports teams and given as gifts to top salespeople to provide lasting memories of a fun incentive trip. Clearly, there are very widespread opportunities to present promotional books for marketing and visibility campaigns.
The Book Company, says Greenhut, is the only supplier in the industry to offer every published book, blank and customized. There has been an increase in sales of top business books as more companies focus on employee retention and use books to teach new ideas to keep pace with today’s fast-changing business landscape. “We’ve also seen a dramatic rise in the use of children’s books to promote literacy by many non-profit and other organizations looking to reach families,” he reports. “Children’s books are a meaningful, safe and impactful choice for consumer-facing promotions.”
Coloring Book Solutions, says Broun, offers hundreds of titles that apply to a very wide and diverse array of end users -- dentists, eye doctors, pediatricians, car dealerships, insurance agents, banks and credit unions, pharmacies, waste management, police departments/law enforcement agencies, paramedics, fire departments, retirement communities, nursing homes, and many more. They can serve as educational introductions to the business, which can forge a strong bond with the patient, customer or client.
Although reading levels vary, there is indeed a book, or two, for everyone. There are no downsides for any business to purchase and use promotional literature.
CASE STUDY:
Patrick Broun, director of sales and marketing for Coloring Book Solutions/LivRite Line: “Adult coloring books have been extremely popular on college and university campuses. Books are being given out as stress relievers for students as they enter college and also as mid-terms and final exams approach. Recently, he reports, adult coloring books were used on campus for students at an East Coast university. One of the books made its way to the alumni association office, and one of the development officers decided to use adult coloring books and colored pencils as a thank-you gift to donors. An initial order for 750 students turned into an order for 10,000 books for alumni.”