Engage With Readers With Promotional Bookmarks

The word bookmark has taken on a very different meaning in modern culture. Ask your average teenager if they have one and they will say start listing of a range of websites that they have marked for future reference on their laptops. Perhaps they even have more digital bookmarks than they do books. This means that the bookmark, the physical form of page maker, can seem a little old-fashioned. As a result, it may not seem like the ideal marketing tool to use to try and boost a brand or an event at first. It all depends on how different you want to be and your intended audience.

What are you selling and does your audience like to read?   Some businesses will struggle to make the most of bookmarks, it all depends on whether your target demographic are readers or not. Naturally, these tools can be really helpful for bookstores, literary festivals and academic institutions. Not only is the bookmark a great, attractive memento of where the reader got their new novel or reference book, it reminds them of the business when the time comes to buy another or to look for related goods.

Cafes and food retailers can also benefit if readers uses the promotional bookmark during a coffee break or in a well-used recipe book.  The other great thing about the permanent nature of the bookmark is that you can be a bit more subtle with the design. You don't need to throw a ton of information in their face for those brief moments where you have their interest. This means that attractive images, logo and color schemes can be used to great effect with less need for any brash call-to-action statements insisting that they but anything. Some suggest using some of the space for discount codes or coupons that can be redeemed at a later date. This can be a great idea for bookstores and cafes. A reader could open their book at their marked page and see they have a discount for a free coffee, or remove it on finishing the book to see a coupon for money off their next purchase.

Bookmarks are unusual in a world of disposable flyers, but these items can be used as a quirky, effective alternative.  Hand someone a standard flyer and they immediately know they are being given an advertisement. They may give a nod of thanks and stuff it in their pocket, but they may not read it. Hand them the stiff, oddly-shaped card of a bookmark and they are more inclined to take a moment to read, use it and to continue to engage with the business as they read.