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Should packaging inserts be part of a brand’s loyalty strategy? It might be hard to make the connection between this feature and brand strength at first glance. However, experienced marketers know all about the inertia created by inserts. The best part is that getting started with adding “extras” to packaging is extremely easy. Take a look at five tips for inserting inserts into your marketing plan!

What Are Packaging Inserts?

Packaging inserts are little “messages” that brands leave for their customers inside the packaging. They offer opportunities to get the eyes and hands of customers tuned into your brand. Inserts are usually made of high-quality paper material. However, brands can certainly get creative with the designs they want to use.

The best thing about packaging inserts is that they are “nearly free” marketing tools. Why should they be looked at that way? So much of what brands pay for marketing comes down to delivery costs. This applies when things are being sent in the mail, served up in digital ads, or deployed to paid lead lists. With custom packaging inserts, you’re allowing marketing materials to piggyback on purchases. What’s more, you’re actually marketing to a target audience that already expressed interest in your brand. Investing money into a repeat purchase can be a smarter move than “cold” marketing because a second sale can quickly lead to a lifetime of purchases if a brand plays its cards right. Next, take a look at great ideas for packaging inserts that boost your return on investment.

1. Add a Special Note

Do you know the best way to make your customers feel like what they just purchased was a gift instead of something they actually paid for? Provide a personalized note that reads like a gift note. This is how brands pamper their customers without actually pampering their customers. A simple note of appreciation can be enough to create that personal touch that’s going to make a customer feel connected with a brand. In addition, providing some extra details on what makes the product or brand so uniquely elegant can also boost the customer’s perception of their experience.

The big thing to remember when deciding to do a custom note is that the design must be impeccably branded. It’s important for customers to know exactly who they are hearing from. In addition, a person is simply more likely to hold on to a gorgeous, high-quality insert that looks like it was made just for them than they are when it comes to something that looks generic. In fact, a customer may not even bother to pick up any type of insert that looks generic because they are likely to assume that it doesn’t contain anything of value.

2. Include Some Product Education

An insert can be a great tool for educating consumers on the benefits of a product. While a customer may have been impressed enough to make a purchase, they may not be aware of all of the value offered by the product. Providing this information is going to allow customers to feel confident that they’ve made the right choice. They may also find the benefits compelling enough to share with other people. Consider adding information regarding the benefits of using a product for a person’s health and well-being, your brand’s commitment to sustainability, the quality of the parts or ingredients used, or any other details that reinforce that a person has made a smart purchasing decision. If there are some tips and tricks that can actually enhance the performance of a product, be sure to include those on the insert!

3. Introduce a Special Offer

An exclusive in-package offer may be exactly what a customer needs to be enticed into making a second purchase. During a time when so many people hunt for coupons online before making any purchases, it can feel exciting to be handed a coupon without doing any work! Product offers can include things like:

• A percentage off their next purchase.
• An invitation for a percentage off a future purchase after signing up for emails.
• An offer for a product that works with the product that was just purchased.
• Presale invitations for upcoming products.

Brands have nothing to lose by offering a coupon or discount offer! Free shipping is also another good option if you want to get a customer’s attention. Research shows that shipping is one of the most critical aspects of keeping online shoppers happy.

4. Ask for a Review

Yes, brands really can ask for reviews in plain, simple language. Most brands do little more than hope that customers will be excited enough about a product to feel motivated to go online to leave a review. Customers are more likely to take the initiative if they’re asked to do it. Simply provide clear instructions for where to leave a positive review. This can be anywhere from your brand’s website to Amazon.

You also want to build a contingency plan for unhappy customers. The last thing you want to do is direct them to a review platform when they are ready to spew their dissatisfaction with their most recent experience. There’s a great workaround for this. Simply address the issue when you prompt customers for a review. Here are some ways to do that:

• “Not fully satisfied with your purchase? Reach out to our customer service email account right away!”
• “Something wrong with your purchase? Tell us about it by calling our customer hotline now!”
• “If you aren’t completely in love with your purchase, please reach out to let us know. Our team is standing by to get the issue resolved.”
• “Let us know if there’s anything we can help you with before you leave a review for our product. Making you 100% satisfied is our top priority.”

A brand can use any type of spin they want. The goal is simply to intercept a bad review by getting a chance to fix the issue before the customer starts typing. According to data cited by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, 85% of customers read online reviews before making a purchase decision. Get ahead of what’s being shared about your company online with custom inserts!

5. Throw in Some Irresistible Free Samples

Free samples can be attached to packaging inserts to pamper and delight customers! When people make purchases, free samples help to make them feel like they got an incredible value by getting something for “free.” In addition to boosting a customer’s impression of the product they just purchased, samples introduce a second product that they can potentially buy. There’s not a better way to get a buyer into the flow of your brand. The reason why samples are such effective marketing tools is that they allow customers to try products without risk. A sample also allows a customer to get used to using a specific product for a short period of time. This can do wonders for conversion because a customer often feels like they are already “invested” in a product even though they haven’t actually paid any money toward it yet.

Start Thinking About How Packaging Inserts Can Turn Your Packaging From a Necessity to an Experience

Custom packaging inserts enrich the unboxing experience for customers. This is truly one of the best ways to “have a conversation” with your customers as they are opening their packages. What’s more, this is a very low-cost marketing tool that doesn’t require brands to fund extra postage, buy ad space, or pay for lead lists to attract new customers. Marketing to someone who is having a fresh experience with your brand can be one of the best ways to get a repeat sale at a fraction of the cost that it would take to get a new sale. What’s more, your brand also stands to benefit from a repeat customer’s positive word of mouth regarding your product.

Where do brands get started with custom packaging inserts? Experienced packaging vendors can create stunning, brand-specific inserts to help your brand make it happen. Here at Mid-Atlantic Packaging, we help brands in all categories engage with customers through packaging inserts for brand loyalty, repeat sales, and glowing reviews. Book a chat to get your free custom packaging quote today!