Designing a Good Brochure

Key Points for Effective Brochure Attention The most important thing for a brochure to be effective is getting the attention of a prospective client. Color and creative graphics do this the best. Do not make the front of your brochure wordy. In fact, keep it to one or two main headlines. The headline should be brief and effective. The headline should be simple and must strike home with someone who has a hard time budgeting their finances. Remember, at this point you are just trying to get their attention. If you overwhelm them right away with tons of text they will not want to bother picking up your brochure much less reading it.

Interest While getting a prospect’s attention may be the most important thing, keeping their interest is the hardest. This is where most brochures fail, thus losing the prospect. People tend to read marketing material in a “What’s in it for me?”. In other words, you need to quickly show that you understand the reader’s problem. Once the reader can say, “Hey, they are talking about me,” you have peaked their interest in your product or service. Then show them ways that your company can better their situation. Keep your text light and easy to read. Too much text can clutter your piece.

Demand An appetizer is a small taste of something to make you crave the main meal. Your brochure should be treated the same way. Give the prospect just enough information so they crave more. Leave some things unanswered so they have to call and find out more information. Touch lightly on the main topics--do no let the brochure tell everything. A mistake people often make is designing their brochure to be a sales representative. A brochure is not a sales representative. A brochure should simply get people excited enough to want to inquire for more information. It should wet a prospect’s appetite, not fill them completely.

Action If your brochure has done its part up to this point you should have legitimate prospects wanting to learn more about your company. You must now tell them clearly how they can go about taking that next step. Also, do your best to provide a variety of options they can take advantage of. For example, provide a phone number and a Web site address. Or print a form for them to fill out and send in for more information. Bottom line, make it as easy as possible for them to take that next step such as a toll free number, a prepaid business reply form, or directions to a form they can fill out on your Web site. All of these can help expedite turning prospects into customers. Lastly, you only need to print your company’s contact information once. Why? Because it is more professional and prospects don’t need to be blasted by your phone number all over the piece or printed in a large font. After all, a brochure is just one piece of paper, not a billboard that people are passing at 60m.p.h. If they are interested they will find your number.

Copy or Text is the key Anyone can write copy, but only a skilled copywriter can write easy-to-read, strong sentence structures that articulate your company’s message. Think of hiring a copywriter like trusting your lungs with a family doctor, wouldn’t you rather go to a specialist?

Question Everything No matter who is writing your copy, make sure the headline on the front of the brochure is in the form of a question. This question should make the viewer want to open the brochure to learn more. Try to focus on a problem that is most common in your target industry then tie it directly to a solution you provide your clients.

Color Matters Stay in tune with your corporate colors. This will help keep an overall brand image in tact as well as strengthen the brand.

Type Issues Typography should be relevant and thought out. Type is so strong that it can make or break a brochure. Stay away from typical fonts and try to stand out from other brochures in your field.

Picture This If you do not need pictures to articulate a message, then do not use them. Most of the time people are prone to use so many pictures in a brochure, they don’t realize they are clouding their message and making their brochure ineffective. Pictures are great, especially when relevant, but they draw reader’s eyes away from the copy which you have spent so much time perfecting. So, use pictures with taste and if at all possible, don’t use them at all.

Brochure Details The brochure can do one or all of the above with careful planning. Here are some more functions of the brochure: Provide product and service information Support trade shows and conventions Provide news (about products, services, company, industry) Build company identity Educate prospects and customers What are you trying to accomplish? Once you decide, you’re ready to start putting your brochure together. What Goes in a Brochure? Following are some common subjects for three areas brochures cover most: products, services and corporate or organization capabilities. / Introduction / Products / Services / Features / Benefits / How It Works / Markets / Applications / Specifications / Testimonials / FAQ / Company history / Call to action / Client list / Mission statement or business philosophy / Awards / Contact info