I know print is far from dead, but it has certainly taken a bit of a backseat to online marketing.

At this moment, though, print is still very much alive. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t include print marketing as part of this series on content sharing and repurposing.

For certain products or services, it’s best to reach out to people where they live or work right through their mailbox.

I recall one business that called me and said they were having good success marketing online. But they realized that some of their ideal prospects had no idea to be looking for their services. These were upper-level prospects who probably didn’t have time to be online for their own pleasure much less looking online for a service they didn’t even know existed.

So, they knew they needed to go the print route. There are obvious choices you can use here if you have a lot of information to share. Magalogs, newsletters, bookalogs, slim jims, special reports, sales letters, brochures… they can all can carry great content that you’ve already created.

And that’s the key… great content. We’re so used to only focusing on a sales message that we sometimes forget that compelling content is just as important in print as it is online.

While larger pieces like magalogs and reports can carry lots of custom content, don’t overlook something as simple as a postcard.

Let me give you an example. You sell dark chocolate and you’ve written an article on your blog about the 12 health benefits of dark chocolate.

Each month, you send a postcard to a prospecting list outlining one of the benefits. Somewhere on the postcard, label it “1 of 12”, “2 of 12”, etc. Labeling it like this gets people to be on the lookout for the next in the series if it contains information they find useful or interesting.

Because you want to encourage people to visit you online whether they want to order your chocolate right now or not, you give them a reason to get more of your content on your site. Maybe it’s a video showing how your chocolate is made, or a free, longer guide on the benefits of dark chocolate. There are many possibilities.

The point is, whether you’re using a magalog, a postcard, or something inbetween for your print marketing, you can leverage content that you’ve already created so it’s working extra duty on your behalf.

Other articles in this series:

Content Sharing and Repurposing – Your Starting Point

Content Sharing and Repurposing – Twitter

Content Sharing and Repurposing – Facebook

Content Sharing and Repurposing – LinkedIn

Content Sharing and Repurposing – Google Plus

Content Sharing and Repurposing – Guides & Reports

Content Sharing and Repurposing – Books & eBooks

Content Sharing and Repurposing – Guest Blogging

Content Sharing and Repurposing – Article Banks

Content Sharing and Repurposing – Blog Hubs

Content Sharing and Repurposing – Magazines & Newsletters

At the end of the day, after walking the aisles and talking to people, I look at the collection of handouts I received – flyers, brochures, inexpensive trinkets – and find a lot of it lacking, or not much different than everything else I’ve dumped on the hotel bed.

I can partially understand why most material is the way it is. There’s a thought that you have to hit the high points fast before the prospect moves on to something else.

But if you’re at a trade show that is really targeted to what you do and your audience, I think there’s a better opportunity to stand out from the crowd.

So let me tell you why magalogs work in these situations.

1. A magalog stands out because it’s different than about 90-95% of the printed material you get at a show. You can test this for yourself with your own mailbox at home. If you subscribe to magazines, don’t they stand out from the other mail you get when you look in your mail box? They’re larger and thicker. For a trade show, that extra bulk stands out even if the physical height/width is the same as other flyers or sell sheets. Standing out in the pile is half the battle.
2. A magalog lets you tell your story better than you can with other marketing material. Brochures, flyers, and sell sheets have to take a more “bullet-point” approach and hit the highlights because there’s not room for much more once you toss in some photos. Having easy to read bullet-points is great, but you can include that in a magalog. That’s the best of both worlds… easy to read bullet points for those who want it, and a deeper story for those who want more.
3. A magalog continues the brief conversation you probably had with the prospect as they walked past your booth. Because of their nature, trade show conversations are often brief. If you’re lucky, you’ll get a business card to follow-up on after the show. But why not have your magalog do some extra sales work for you as well? By the time you get to that call, your prospect will have a much better feel for you and what you offer. And if the prospect doesn’t want to give you any contact info (that happens a lot), your magalog may have to carry even more of the sales load. Try putting that sort of pressure on your single-sided sell sheet. The other printed material simply throws some facts and figures at people. A magalog tells a story and makes a deeper connection, while still having plenty of room to include those facts and figures.
4. A magalog makes you stand taller than your competitors who aren’t using magalogs. I’ve mentioned this point a lot in the past and I believe it 100%. Magalogs take effort… effort that a lot of your competitors simply won’t do because they feel it’s too hard, too expensive, too… whatever. Perception counts for a lot. If you’re perceived to be the leader in your niche, you may get the call that your competitors won’t. Magalogs give the perception that you’re a successful and confident company. Any company can run off a bunch of homemade brochures and flyers. That’s not the case with a magalog.

Is a magalog perfect for every trade show? Not always. I’ve been to some consumer trade shows in the local mall and my general, gut feeling is that a lot of stars would need to line up before I’d use a magalog in that environment.

But industry or B2B trade shows? That’s a different story. The right trade show will likely have your ideal prospect. That being the case, you don’t want to let those opportunities go to waste. You want to put your best foot forward with those folks.

And let me mention another option for trade shows: Publish a book. (Or a bookalog, a variation of the magalog idea.)

I do book layout for some of my clients who have them professionally printed. But these days, you can do some small-scale self-publishing for an incredibly reasonable cost.

You’d only print the number of books you’d need. So you don’t have to worry about buying a huge number and then being stuck with a lot of extra copies.

Think how that would go over at a trade show when you’re handing out a book while most other vendors are handing out a tri-fold brochure and fridge magnet.

As for book content, you probably already have it. For my book, Increase Sales & Build Deeper Connections: How To Get Prospects To Pay Attention To The Story They Want And Need To Hear Before They Buy, the basis for part of the material was articles I wrote for my blog.

If you have a blog or great case studies, re-purpose that material for a book.

Again, it’s a matter of finding ways to stand out so you’re getting the first crack at prospects, not your competitors.

If you haven’t done so already, take advantage of the free magalog resources I offer. They’ll explain why magalogs can be so efficient as part of your lead-generation and sales process.

And if you have questions, contact me so we can setup a time to talk about where you’re at right now and how we can get you to where you want to be with your marketing material.

Not true. Not by a longshot.

Postcards, sales letters, brochures, e-mail, direct response TV… they all have their place. In fact, I also do layout work in some of these other areas.

So I don’t want to come across as “Magalogs or nothing!”

For example, while I have my own magalog for my business, I’ve recently been using postcards.

Why? Well, I’m wanting to do a quick promotion/introduction of some free resources I offer. While a magalog would certainly stand out, it’s overkill for this purpose. A postcard for this particular offer and mailing list is what’s best for the goal.

Because of their cost, I never suggest sending out a magalog to any old list you come up with. Yeah, you might get some sales, but you’re leaving too much to chance, in my opinion.

This goes back to something I’ve said numerous times… a good, solid list of prospects or clients is foundational to a successful marketing effort. If you don’t have that, stay far away from magalogs unless you have a virtually unlimited budget.

Instead, save your magalog for previous customers, or prospects that you’ve researched that are likely to be a good match with your product or service. Or save them for marketing opportunities where you’ll be meeting with people in person, such as trade shows.

Every magalog client I’ve ever worked with has been specific with who is going to be receiving the magalog. And they have never, ever only depended on magalogs for their marketing.

A magalog is just like any other marketing vehicle: Use it at the appropriate time to get the maximum return on your investment.

For the record, I have great eye sight. No glasses necessary. But this brochure was painful to read, even with great eyes.

The main copy in the brochure and “room description” insert card appeared to be Monotype Corsiva. It’s a common font and one you probably have on your computer. Used sparingly in specific situations, this can work. But for lots of body copy? Ouch!

Go ahead and try it… take a Word document that’s at least one full page, select all the text, and then convert the font 11-point Monotype Corsiva. (Or can click this link – Readability lessons from a B&B that got it all wrong – to read this article in Monotype Corsiva.)

As you read the text, think of the potential customers for a B&B…it’s going to be all over the map. You’ve got young couples, older couples… just about the entire age range who may want to read the brochure, not to mention people from other countries where English is not the primary language.

To be honest, I never even read the whole brochure. It wasn’t worth my time.

But it got worse.

The insert card which listed the rooms and the rates also used Monotype Corsiva for the body copy, but now the font size was smaller because they were trying to pack in a lot of information. For the heading for each room, the room name was listed using a font that I had never seen and couldn’t even come close to identifying.

I’m not making this up… it looked like a font used in one of the Star Trek movies from years ago. Maybe it’s Klingon.

Compounding an already bad situation was that fact that they came up with clever names for their rooms. So between words that were partially made-up and a font that seemed from another galaxy, it was extremely difficult to read the room names.

Why would anyone do this? My guess is that someone thought the “fancy” fonts added a touch of class and elegance to the brochure and would make their B&B appear the same. Yes, it’s just my opinion, but that someone was wrong. This is a common case where the design is getting in the way of the message in the copy.

I had to laugh at the statement they included, showing what I owed. Did it use fancy fonts? No way! You don’t want people to be confused over what they still owe, right? So my statement was a mixture of a more traditional Times New Roman and Arial. While I had no idea what the name of our room was based on the insert card, I sure as heck knew how much I still owed for that room because that font was perfectly clear.

I highly doubt you’ve ever done a promotion in a challenging font like this. But the situation isn’t always as easy to diagnose as my example.

Sometimes companies go a little nuts using a mish-mash of fonts, or they don’t properly understand the best use for certain fonts. The result is that some readers will give up long before they reach the call for action. But my guess is that you’re not willing to lose even one sale if it can easily be avoided, right?

If you’re using a layout professional, you can probably breathe easy… that person will take care of things for you, using appropriate fonts.

If you’re doing things yourself and you’re not sure which fonts to use, at least invest in a consulting session with a professional who can give you some advice based on your specific needs and audience. That will be far cheaper than sending out a piece that a certain percentage of readers aren’t going to waste their time with because it looks like a visual chore.

Back to our B&B example: To be fair in this case, the bad font choices for the B&B brochure may not be hurting their business much. But I’d be willing to bet it’s not helping them either.

For most direct marketers that I’m aware of, something that’s “not helping” is going to be categorized as “hurting.” And there’s simply too much money invested in mailing campaigns to take chances.

For any type of layout project – magalog, sales letter, book, brochure, etc. – your designer likely is using some professional-level design tool like InDesign, QuarkXPress, Photoshop or Illustrator.

When he/she sends you a proof, it’s usually a PDF that’s easily viewed on just about any computer. Sending you the actual source (or native) files from those professional level tools would be pointless if you didn’t have that software yourself. You wouldn’t be able to easily open the files, if at all. And most projects are made up of many source files.

That’s why PDFs are so great… one file to see the completed project. That makes your life easy.

Print shops sometimes want to print your project from source files. Other times they’re just as happy with a press-quality PDF. It depends on the printer and the project. Designers are happy to provide the printer with source files if required. (If they’re not, they’re not doing you any favors. Consider finding another designer.)

But quite a number of designers will do just about anything not to hand over source files to the client. This is a very controversial subject and I don’t make many friends in the design community when I discuss it because I’m very pro-client on this.

Why some designers don’t want to give you source files

Some designers are afraid that if you have the source files, you’ll simply do future projects yourself, or hand over those files to someone who will work cheaper. By having the source files, it may save another designer lots of time creating similar projects. Personally, I don’t want clients to feel they have to work with me. If a client doesn’t see any of the extra value I bring to a project, we’re probably not a good long-term fit anyway. So if it’s just a single project and they’re going to use that as template for years to come without using me, so be it.

Other designers fear that the client will muck up the files and create a mess that either makes the end-result look bad (with the blame being unfairly placed on the designer), or cause the designer extra work to fix the mess. To be honest, that’s a valid point; I’ve seen it happen. My personal method of dealing with that is to be clear what the results may be if the client does alter files. If they insist on tampering with the files and causing me extra headaches, I simply stop working with them. (I value my sanity.)

And then there are designers who are happy to hand over the source files… for a price. That’s not something I do – I give them to the client for free if they want them – but charging extra for source files is very common in the industry. It’s a discussion to have with your designer before the project starts and have that included in your agreement.

How I came to my “You can have the source files” policy and why you should care

Unfortunately, “stuff” happens. Real life experiences opened my eyes to why clients should get their source files.

Let’s say you have a magalog that’s working great for you, but you change your company’s phone number, address or a URL. If you’re still working with the same designer who created the magalog, no problem.

But what happens if the designer went out of business and you can’t get in touch with him? (Freelancers going out of business is an unfortunate reality.)

What happens if you have a falling out with the designer and they refuse to talk to you or do anything to help you? (That happened to a client of mine with his previous designer.)

What happens if you’re unknowingly working with a designer who has a terrible back-up policy? Computers crash, files disappear. Happens all the time. I’d like to say that most freelancers are good about making regular back-ups. Experience tells me that not everyone does. How safe are your files with your designer?

What happens if you want to print more copies of the magalog with a new printer, but your designer is out-of-business (or not speaking to you) and you have nothing but a low-quality PDF proof?

Well, here’s what happens: A quick, inexpensive change turns into a brand new project for a new designer. That costs you, the company, more money and takes extra time.

It didn’t have to come to that if you had the source files to hand over to someone else. Or could hand them back to your original designer if something bad happened on his end.

The argument that should cause you to consider finding a new designer

If a designer ever gives you the old “Well, does a restaurant give you the recipes for meals on their menu?” argument for not handing over source files, kindly remind them they’re not a restaurant. But if that’s how they want to be judged, ask them if you’ll get “free refills” on certain design services or get “Happy Hour” pricing.

It’s a silly argument and any designer that uses it on you should be embarrassed. Consider whether you want a long-term relationship with a designer like that.

Here are some things a designer may not be able to hand over

1. Fonts – Most fonts have copyright restrictions of some kind. It’s usually OK for the actual fonts to be packaged and sent to the printer for printing along with the source files. But sending you, the client, the fonts with the source files can be a legal no-no. Your options are to simply take the source files without the fonts, or get a list of the fonts used by your designer and buy them yourself.

2. Unique creations – For this article, my focus is really on copy layout projects. I am, however, sensitive to designers who create logos or other unique pieces of art. But designers can “flatten” an image so that you can still have the source file, but are prevented from editing the pieces that make up the final result.

A logo is a good example. You may need to give that logo file to another designer for a different project. Having the flattened source file allows that designer the maximum flexibility to add the logo to a letterhead, banner, business card, or some other project that the logo designer doesn’t handle. Most logo designers understand that and will provide you with the appropriate file(s).

3. Plug-ins – Plug-ins are software extensions that designers can add to their design tools to help automate tasks or create some unique design element. It’s likely that the plug-in has copyright restrictions that prevent the designer from handing it over to someone else. That might mean that while you have the source files, you can’t edit some portion of the project, or even open it, because you don’t have the plug-in. That’s another case where you may need to buy the same plug-in assuming you have the same design tool your designer is using.

There may be other valid reasons, but I simply want to make you aware of some common situations where it truly is an issue.

Beyond that, it’s always in your best interest to get source files and store them in a safe place on a company server or back-up DVD.

Boring, I know, but essential.

So it wasn’t any surprise to see about three pages of answers whittled down to six paragraphs in the published article. However, it occurred to me that some marketers new to magalogs would find this information useful. Since the interview was done via e-mail, it’s an easy task to copy/paste the magazine’s questions and my answers here on the magablog.

So, you’ve been warned… this will be lengthy. But if you’re new to magalogs, I really believe this will be helpful.

What is your definition of a magalog?

When I get that ‘definition’ question, it usually comes from marketers who have experience in other areas, but not with magalogs. They’ve already heard that it’s a combination of magazine and catalog, but for whatever reason, that doesn’t seem to create a clear picture for everyone. So, to keep things simple, I tend to describe it as a sales letter on steroids. Like many sales letters, a magalog will start with a big idea or promise headline, include graphics and charts, some sidebars and an order form to go along with the main body copy. But with the magalog, we’re usually creating something with a stronger visual appeal, much like you’d notice in a magazine or even a high-end newsletter.

Magalogs also remind me of theater actors who have to project and make bigger movements so people all the way in the back can see and hear. In this case, the magalog has to stand out from the other mail that people get and that’s why you often see bold headlines and large cover photos.

They do contain advertising, correct?

Primarily, yes. But it’s not always as direct as “Read this magalog about our product, then order the product when you’re done.” For one client, the thrust of their magalog was to get people to go to their site to take a quiz. Obviously, once the quiz is complete, their intent is to sell their products and services, or at the very least get contact information. But there wasn’t an order form at the back of the magalog where you could actually buy something.

I’ve also been contacted by individuals, primarily consultants, who feel that a magalog would give them a vehicle to contact their current and potential clients throughout the year without it coming across as a blatant ad. Again, the ultimate goal is to sell a product or service they offer, but they want to provide more than just sales copy…perhaps some inspirational articles or tips related to the industry they target. Their hope is that people won’t throw the magalog away as junk mail…they’re hoping the reader will find the articles useful and keep the magalog or pass it on to others so their name is visible throughout the year.

Is the term synonymous with bookalog?

Not completely in my mind, but we could debate the point where one becomes the other. Some would say it’s physical size, some would say it’s page count, some would say it’s the binding that’s used. (At a certain point, saddle-stitch might not work so you’d use perfect binding and thus slip into bookalog territory.)

Personally, I don’t spend much time on terminology. I try to listen to what the client is wanting and give it to them. Whatever they want to call it is fine with me.

Which industries are among the biggest users of magalogs?

Health (normally alternative health) and financial products like investing newsletters, by far, are the most popular topics for magalogs that I see. And for a couple of reasons this makes sense. First, those two areas have to deal with a lot of skepticism. So having a long-form magalog allows you the space to “build your case,” so-to-speak, and include all your supporting information…testimonials, charts, graphics, etc. And in the health field, large, full-color photos of healthy people enjoying the benefits of your product look better in a glossy magalog. (Of course, all sorts of paper types are used in magalogs…they’re not always glossy.)

Do you see use of magalogs growing?

I think I see it evolving and that will really determine whether it grows, stays the same for a while, or drops in popularity. One reason is the new postal rates where mailing a traditional magalog is more expensive. Generally speaking, a magalog isn’t cheap to produce to begin with when you factor in copywriting, design, printing and mailing. So with a rate hike, you really have to consider if it’s cost effective.

What I have seen in just the last couple of weeks is magalogs in smaller sizes, like 5.5 x 8.5, or full-size but folded in half to fit into a 6×9 envelope. That’s not a totally new idea, but I think you’ll see more of it if marketers find it’s less expensive, yet still generating a good response rate.

I do feel strongly, though, that there will always be a need for long-form marketing pieces like magalogs or bookalogs.  But it won’t be for marketers who casually jump from one marketing method to another. I think a lot of people jumped on the magalog bandwagon when they probably shouldn’t have.  Those people won’t find increased costs very attractive and will likely move on to something else.

Those who continue with magalogs or start using them will really need to feel confident not only in what they’re offering and the premiums they offer, but also in their mailing lists. With the costs involved, mailing to a weak list is probably going to lead to disappointment.

Earlier I mentioned consultants and I think that is a potential, albeit small, growth area for magalogs. The people I’ve talked to want to get away from a traditional brochure or sales letter and they don’t feel their target audience has the time or the desire to be visiting a website to get information.

They want something similar to a magazine that will be kept and handed around or left on a lounge-room table because there is useful information included, not just a list of their products or services.  But because these people are not always a large business with lots of money for marketing, they may only do a small print run of their magalog. The downside for them is that it will be a bit more difficult to track the effectiveness of their magalog because there might not be an “order now” offer that would tell them immediately if the magalog is a success.

What makes this an effective format compared to, say, a brochure or other type of printed promotional piece?

In the beginning, the magalog’s newness is what made it effective. All of us do a pretty good job of filtering out the noise in our lives, including the attempts to sell us something. So when something new comes along, it takes us a while to put up the barriers to ignore it. And to a certain extent, as we sift through our daily mail, a magazine-size magalog, or a thick bookalog, seems a bit more important than a regular envelope enticing us in some way to open it.

If a magalog is a self-mailer and looks just like a magazine with a great cover, a strong headline, or some interesting bullet points to pique interest, there’s really not much effort involved for the reader to thumb through it. At that point, any number of things could catch their eye and entice them to invest more time reading it, and, hopefully, placing an order.

While brochures and other printed pieces can be self-mailers, quite a lot of the “junk mail” we receive has to be opened because it’s in an envelope. If you’ve got a stack of mail and you see something in an envelope that appears to want to sell you something, it gets an even lower priority rating than the bills you get.

Also, a magalog is well-suited toward people who really want to be convinced to buy a product or service. We tend to think that all people hate all advertising, but that’s not true. If I’m interested in alternative health, for example, I’m willing to read a lot of copy – far more than you could fit in a traditional brochure or other promotional piece – to get information that might help me be healthier.  I want to see charts and graphs in full color and I want to see people who look healthy and are having a good time.  It doesn’t mean I’m a sucker for every marketing piece that comes my way, but because of my interest in the topic, I’m willing to invest the time to see if the product might be right for me. So a magalog typically allows a marketer far more space to build and support a case for a product or service compared to other methods.

What would be three to five general dos and/or don’ts to keep in mind when designing a magalog?

I’m not sure any one idea is more or less important than another because if you drop the ball on one of these points, it could bring the whole magalog down.

A quick summary would be:

DO talk with a printer early on in the process. Because of a magalog’s complexity compared to some other print pieces, it’s really important that the printer is part of the discussion (along with the designer and copywriter) right from the start.

DO spend lots of time on the order form. It needs to be as complete as possible so that if, for some reason, it gets separated from the rest of the magalog, the customer can still place the order and know exactly what they’re getting.

DO spend a lot of time on the front and back cover. Depending on how it arrives in their mailbox, either the front or the back cover is what the customer will see first. If you don’t grab them at that point, the inside of the magalog won’t get read.

DO highlight the word FREE anytime in your copy. Despite our inclination to be skeptical about such things, FREE still has power.

DON’T think that photos on your website are high enough quality for print. Traditionally, website photos are smaller and set at a lower resolution so they load quickly. That usually means they’re not going to be appropriate for print.

DON’T get overly fancy with fonts. Fonts are a whole world unto themselves, but more people have been sunk by using some fancy font that they thought would help them stand out or look clever, when all it did was make it hard for people to read the copy.

DON’T proof a magalog design on the screen. Print it out and look at it because that’s how your customers will see it.

Are magalogs typically big-budget items?

Relative to many other methods of print marketing, yes.  But with variables such as page size, page count, color usage, mailing costs…the price can be all over the map. And since magalogs usually have more content than other marketing methods, that would mean your copywriting and design costs will be higher. (That’s assuming you’re not doing that work in-house.)

Magalog marketers also like to make the offer enticing, so you’ll usually see a variety of premiums added which will also add to your costs to some degree. It might only be a downloadable bonus report, but someone still has to write, edit and lay it out.

I have been approached by some online marketers to design magalogs, but not for use in print…they want to try them as a PDF download. That cuts down on the printing and mailing costs. I’m not convinced that’s a great route to go, though. Online is more about instant gratification in a number of ways and I don’t think many people want to download a PDF when the same information can be presented in HTML or Flash.

Who would not be a good candidate for magalogs for business-building purposes?

In theory, if you have a solid product and the right mailing list, I’m not sure there’s anyone who wouldn’t be a good candidate for a magalog, but I think you’d want to ask a lot of questions up-front if you’re a first-timer including:

1. Why am I doing a magalog in the first place? I’ve run into people who want to do a magalog simply because they’ve heard it’s popular or someone they know had success with one. From initial idea to mailed piece, magalogs can take a relatively long time to produce and mail compared to a brochure or traditional sales letter, so it’s not something you do on a whim.

2. Do I have a list that I trust? I think so much rides on the mailing list. Because of the costs, you just can’t afford to send magalogs to any name you come up with, unless you have an unlimited budget. You’ve really got to feel you have a list of solid names and that you understand what motivates them to buy the product or service you’re selling.

3. Am I confident with our sales copy? Design is certainly important, but the copy needs to make people want to turn the page to keep reading.  Like a great action movie, you want to start with a bang right on the cover and keep the excitement and interest high on each page. By the time the reader gets to the order form, the case for buying needs to be air-tight and that takes a skilled writer to pull off.

4. Am I willing to test? Most successful marketers test like crazy, including their magalogs. This includes testing cover copy, the bonus offers, the size, certain design elements, and even the price of the main product. So it can take some time and money to find something that works.  Not everyone has that kind of patience or budget.

So a short answer to your question of who might not be a good candidate is someone who lacks patience. (Lacking money is kind of obvious.)  It takes time to get things set up for any type of print marketing, but magalogs, I believe, are at the higher end of the time scale. And if you’re committed to testing, multiply that time schedule by the number of different tests you plan to run.  That’s quite an investment.

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And now you know why the magazine had to edit out so much. But as mentioned, it’s useful information if you’re considering magalog marketing.