Statement insert printing, or statement stuffing, is when you accompany additional advertising with the invoices your company sends or those companies that you feel can complement your marketing.  There are several things to keep in mind when trying to decide how to plan and design your statement stuffer printing.  With a few simple tips, and the cost effective option of an online printing business like Conquest Graphics, you can easily maximize readership. 

Never pass up an opportunity to include statement stuffer printing with your own direct mail— If your business does any sort of billing by mail, or sends account information and statements to customers at home, there is no reason to not include additional advertising.  Even if your customers are already subscribers or members there is always another service you can offer them—whether it’s an upgrade to their credit card, or other magazines sold by the same publishing house, or even advertising an in-house eye frame sale with an optometrist’s statement. 

Consider cross-promotion— Sometimes it’s beneficial for companies to pair with other businesses to include their own advertising with the billing or account information for a separate product or service—especially if you don’t currently reach many customers through direct mail.  Statement insert printing is very common with credit card companies in particular because they are generally pretty selective about whom they partner with and they have such a broad customer base.

Implied endorsement is one of the perks— One of the most exciting parts of statement stuffing when you pair your advertising with another business is that you get to benefit from their reputation as well.  When possible try and choose a partner that will complement your own advertising.  If you’re going with a business like a credit card company then this may not be relevant, but if you offer a medical service then try to pair up with a related product or service. 

For instance, dental work could ride along with food advertising, a magazine subscription to a beauty magazine, or a recurring cosmetic payment for makeup or specialty shampoo.  Make sure if you go this route that you choose a company that’s reputable and you can stand behind.

Be smart about your graphic design— As usual with all forms of direct mail marketing it is vital that you make the most efficient use of space and do so in a way that’s attractive and easy to read.  When it comes to printing statement stuffers you should always keep in mind that potential customers are very likely to open the mail but you still have to attract their attention!  Don’t rely so heavily on the draw and relevance of the statement itself that you forget to put the necessary care into the design of your insert.  The customer service staff at Conquest Graphics can help you with any questions or concerns about these decisions online or over the phone.

For more information and resources for all of your printing and mailing needs, please visit www.conquestgraphics.com

Americans receive a staggering amount of direct mail every year.  The benefit to this is that it is a familiar, comfortable method for consumers to process and evaluate advertising—customers expect to receive printed direct mail marketing and they are accustomed to checking each piece for relevancy and interest level.  Of course, there is a tendency for people to skim through quickly and make a fast decision on whether it is right for them.  So it is vital that companies that use strong images in their direct mail marketing and know how to choose images that will set them apart.  If you don’t capture the attention of consumers during that brief two second window when they review their mail, then your print advertising efforts are a loss (at least at that home).

Make sure that your text and graphics always match up to send out a cohesive message – When advertising uses multiple approaches to direct mail marketing, such as pictures and words side by side, it creates an opportunity to allow them to loop back into each other to reinforce branding.  If your text is a slogan then the slogan should direct relate to the logo, if your text is a promotional offer then let the image reflect that product or service; a coupon for dinner should sit next to a picture of a sample meal, and a special for car customization should wrap around a picture of sample body work. 

Holidays are always an excellent chance to catch the eye of consumers – Research shows that on holidays, customers are in better moods, more relaxed, and more willing to shop and spend money.  Many people even have time off of work and are out and about and looking to try new restaurants and attractions and pick up fun accessories and necessities to maximize their enjoyment.  Bakeries should always seek to remind consumers that big baking holidays are approaching, toy and electronic businesses definitely make sure to make note of gift giving celebrations far in advance, and gardening/outdoor suppliers capitalize on days like Memorial Day and the 4th of July.  Remind consumers of holidays and you remind them to feel relaxed and happy and you are sure to become a part of their event planning.
 
Be smart about including personalized pictures of employees – Many businesses, particularly those that are local and customer-service oriented such as real estate companies or salons, like to include images of their owners or staff in their direct mail marketing.  This can be a wonderful tool for catching consumers’ eyes—but be sure that you choose pictures that reflect the right image.  For instance, if you are distributing postcard printing for a string quartet that performs for weddings then pick a photo that would coordinate with that theme.  Instead of candid photographs, a string quartet could elect to invest in professional pictures in which they pose with their instruments in an elegant, classy setting that would put off the sense that the quartet is elegant and classy as well.
 
Images are incredibly powerful in direct mail marketing, as long as they are used wisely and sparingly so that they have a punch and a zest that draws the eye to them without appearing cluttered or messy.  Use personalized, relevant, local imagery that is time-sensitive and attractive, coordinated well with your text, and consumers will always respond better to your direct mail marketing.

Once you have selected the right image, the next step is to get it printed by a high-quality commercial printer.  Also, look for a printer that can help you with the mailing to save both time and money.  Conquest Graphics offers both printing and mailing services with pricing that is extremely low.  They do great quality work and you can order on-line to save even more time.  Check out Conquest Graphics at www.conquestgraphics.com.

The purpose of a tri-fold brochure is to convey information about a product, company, service,  organization, event, design…well, almost anything, and to do so in a certain format which is easy to use. If there is such a thing as a “typical” user of a tri-fold brochure, it could probably be described as someone who: 

• wants to provide essential information in a concise manner wants to use text and illustrations efficiently in get a reader to want to know more wants to provide this information in a form which is highly versatile in the way it can be used.

Of all the various brochure designs available – and Conquest Graphics uses them all – the tri-fold is the most commonly used one.  
 
The tri-fold design is also known as the letter fold. Tri-fold brochure is slightly misleading, as there are actually only two folds, resulting in three panels.
 
These are some of the reasons that make the tri-fold so useful:
 

• A tri-fold brochure can be slipped right into a standard Number Ten envelope. 
• Tri-fold brochures can be put inside a large presentation folder.    
• Tri-fold brochures can be put into boxes and shipped along with other items, such as booklets, letters or products.
• A tri-fold brochure, if designed correctly, can be used in holders on counters, in waiting rooms or in other displays. The key is to make sure that the front graphic is strong and that the header is high enough to peek out above the holder (typically extending up a couple of inches from the bottom).
• A tri-fold brochure can be slipped into a pocket or a purse – fits perfectly there as well.
• A tri-fold brochure can be read panel by panel, or it can be expanded so that the viewer can get a view of an illustration or graph which extends across several panels.
• A tri-fold brochure can be seen as a very inexpensive “platform” which launches the reader into other media sites. By showing your various website addresses and by the use of the increasingly popular QR codes, a reader of the brochure can be sent off in several other directions in search of more detailed information about your product, service, organization, etc.

Clearly this is a very versatile marketing option, but as with all marketing pieces, it is important to know what the use of the tri-fold brochure is, where it is going to be used and the audience to which it is targeted. A well designed brochure is key to being read.

Whether your need for brochures is for a very small project, or the largest of the large, Conquest has the capabilities, the equipment, the software programs, and the experienced staff to handle your job. Contact us today.

If you are designing a brochure and want to make your life easier, then consider using a template.  But be aware that there are two different types of templates available – a creative template and a print template. 

A creative template is a pre-designed layout that usually shows you where to place the photos and text. This type may also give you colors and designs to choose from but may handicap you by limiting the amount of text you can include or lock you into a specific type of font. 

A print template’s main purpose is to provide you with the actual size of the piece and layout the margins, folds, gutters and trim lines.  This gives you more leeway for creativity while giving you the borders in which to work.  On-line print companies, such as Conquest Graphics, print millions of brochures each year so can supply you with many different styles of templates for use on your project.   Just look for the library of available templates before you begin designing your piece.  Here are some tips to consider when working with a print template:

1)  Think about the size of the brochure you want to create before looking for a template.  Take a look at our last blog on choosing the right template for your project. 

2)  Look at the template to see which will be the front panel (or cover), inside pages, and back cover before starting your layout.  Again, it helps to take a copy of your template and actually fold it into the finished size so you can more easily visualize which panel is the cover and how the inside pages look after folding. 

3)  Place the photos, graphics and text within the margin area.  Keep everything you want your potential customer to see within these lines or you will risk getting some important information cut off in the final piece. 

4)  Watch the margin lines near the folds (this is also called the gutter).  If you want to have any photos or copy bridge over the gutter area, be aware that cracking may appear during the folding process.  This happens more often on heavier weight paper stock.   Also, look at tip #1 again to be sure you don’t have a photo that starts on the cover and folds onto the back page.

5)  Consider using a “bleed” when you design your brochure.  A bleed is when the ink extends past the margin area as opposed to a white border that runs outside the margin area.  A bleed can be solid colors or the non-important part of a photo that is trimmed off in the final product.  Look at the trim lines on the template as an estimate of where the brochure will be cut.   Do not put any copy or pictures into the bleed area that you want a customer to notice.

If you have any questions, it is always best to ask the experts.  On-line printers such as Conquest Graphics have a lot of experience printing different styles of brochures.  They can help you decide on the right template may work best for your particular project and answer any questions you may have about printing the brochure. 

To view some print templates, go to http://www.conquestgraphics.com/Help-Center/Brochure-Templates to get an idea of the wide variety available.  

If you are designing a brochure then consider using a print template. A template is a pre-designed layout that allows you to more easily upload the photos and text into a standardized layout that a printer will use to turn it into the finished product. Unless you are an experienced graphics designer that wants to create an unusual piece, a pre-

formatted template can save you time, money and frustration. In fact, even experienced designers often work from templates for common layouts.

An on-line print company, such as Conquest Graphics, will usually maintain a collection of several different templates for various sized brochures with several types of folds. The key is to choose the right layout for your project before you get started on the details.    

So how do you pick the best template for your project? Here are 5 questions to help you decide on the layout:

1. Do you own a restaurant or need to list many products and prices? A take-out menu layout is pretty standard and lists the information in columns like this:

                                   Kung Pao Chicken      $7.95

                                   Hunan Beef                $9.95

                                   Seafood Delight         $8.59

If you need to give your customers two key pieces of info (Item and Price), then this template would be best for you. The usual size is 8.5 x 14” which folds down to 4 to 8 panels for easy distribution. If you have lots of items that you need to list, then this is a good template to use.

2. Do you plan to mail your brochure and want it to fit into a standard (#10) envelope? If so, the tri-fold is good for that purpose. A tri-fold brochure is the most common format used by a wide variety of companies. This is usually a 8.5 x 11” piece of paper that is then folded twice to form 6 panels. This design fits easily into a standard envelope. There are other options to this piece which involve a gatefold layout (a gatefold is as it sounds – two panels open up to reveal the center spread of the brochure). A gatefold uses a larger piece of paper (8.5 x 14”) and gives you more room to communicate your message. There are many different layouts available for this size brochure so you want to look for one that best fits your needs (i.e. more pictures, less text or room for charts and graphs, etc)

3. Are you marketing new homes, a large product or need room to show charts and graphs? If that’s the case, consider a vertical tri-fold template from Conquest Graphics. These sorts of wide-angle designs and configurations work best with a brochure that allows the reader to see panoramic views or to see data spread out over months or years – in either case with captions underneath – all in a highly readable layout.

4. Do you want your brochure to be more elegant, impactful or unusual? A gatefold design can offer a more elegant look than a traditional tri-fold. A Z-fold is a bit different than found on most brochures so it can help you make a bigger impact because it is less common. For any of these type of designs, you can contact your printer (or Conquest Graphics) to learn more about these types of layouts and how you can use them in your next print piece.

5. Do you have your design file in a standard program such as AdobeInDesign, Quark Xpress, Photoshop or Microsoft Publisher? You’re in luck. Conquest Graphic templates are standardized to work with the major software programs. You upload your file into our secure website, and we can take it from there.

It’s easy to see that with decades of experience and with millions of brochures ‘under our belt’, we at Conquest can put together a design that meets any design, size and budget need. Call or contact us today and let’s get started putting a brochure together that will help you.

To view some print templates, go to http://www.conquestgraphics.com/Help-Center/Brochure-Templates to get an idea of the wide variety available.