Despite an increasing digital presence, offline marketing is still alive and well. A brochure is still an effective marketing and information tool for a business to produce. Many people still prefer to look through a physical brochure rather than having to keep clicking the mouse to turn the page onscreen; brochures have a permanence that digital versions lack. A hard copy brochure is also much easier to distribute at trade events than having to tell someone to look it up on a website. But how to create an effective brochure? Follow these simple steps…
How to create an effective brochure: step by step
1. Determine the objective of the brochure
This means establishing what you want your brochure to achieve. It’s important to remember that a brochure is not a leaflet, which is a much more simple relay of information.
Ask yourself how much you need to convey. If you simply want it be informative, telling readers about your business, the services you offer and their prices, then a printed leaflet i.e., a double sided a4 folded, could be sufficient.
Alternatively, do you want your printed product to be a non-stop call to action, at every stage encouraging the readers to get in touch? If the latter is the case, a multi page brochure is on order. These decisions will affect the wording of your brochure, so make sure it is clear to yourself what your brochure objective is.
2. Develop a narrative
When it comes to answer the question ‘How to create an effective brochure’ you must consider the total picture. Once you are sure about the objective, you need to decide how your story will help to achieve the objective. A brochure is more about words than pictures, so the text and wording is very important.
The brochure should read like a story, with a beginning, middle and an end. Draw the reader in with a brief history of the company, then move onto the products or services on offer. Craft the ending with details of your successes, perhaps the awards your business has won. Anything positive about your company will encourage your readers to respond to the call to action that you place at the end of the brochure.
3. Focus on the positives
Throughout the wording of the brochure, it is essential to focus on the benefits that your business offers. It is no good just saying what you do; a reader wants to know why it will be good for them to use your services. The classic golden rule of marketing is: offer solutions to problems.
For example, will your product or service save the reader money or time? Will it make them healthier or thinner? Customers are always attracted by benefits and any marketing material that highlights these is on the way to success.
4. Consider the tone of voice
It is essential that you know your target market before you begin writing the brochure; you must achieve the correct tone of voice for your potential customers. If your target market is attracted to, rather than offended by, very bold, in-your-face sales language, then use it, but refrain from this tactic if your customers appreciate a softer sell.
It should also go without saying that you should avoid using any language that is in bad taste or offensive to any sector of the public.
5. The design
As mentioned before, a good brochure will combine words with pictures, but avoid overloading the design so that it appears stuffed with either. A busy brochure layout runs the risk of looking amateurish and as if it were created in a hurry. Opt for an elegant, pared-down design, and use effective, informative, but concise language. Allow for areas of white space around the pictures and the words to keep the readers eyes a rest. Finally, always check the copy for spelling mistakes and poor grammar.
Written by Joanne Serellis