Don't rely on a simple face-to-face pitch, exchange of business cards or an e-mail message to help you make a sale or land a new client. Even if you have a successful business meeting with a client, when you walk out the door you should be leaving more than just a business card behind. As a giveaway handed to clients or prospective customers, or as part of a direct-mail package, the brochure can be your key to sales success.
Brochures help restate the selling points of your product or service in an easy-to-read format. They can also be passed along via your point-of-contact, so that the actual decision-makers or purchasers can get a sense of the pitch as well. Below are some tips for designing brochures as give-aways or as part of a direct-mail package. Brochures as give-aways Brochures are perfect for trade shows, events, meetings or just to carry in your briefcase or purse just in case the opportunity to talk about business arises. For a compact format that packs a lot of real estate try the right-angle half-fold brochure. Some more familiar formats are the half-fold or letter-fold brochure templates. With any format you choose, it's best to include a perforated panel inside the brochure, so that folks can tear out and mail in a postage-paid reply (4.25-inch by 6-inch is the standard postcard size). Try borrowing a direct-mail trick and include a formal letter on the first spread of the brochure. Get a headshot and a digital image or scan of your actual signature to include with the letter. This will give the brochure a more personal touch. Brochures in the mail Every brochure template can also be turned into a mailing, simply by using one of the outside panels as a mailing and postage surface. Talk to your printing vendor about doing part of a brochure print run with a mailing panel and part without. This will give you the ability to use the printed brochures in either fashion. If you are including a brochure inside of a larger direct-mail package, keep in mind that there's already a letter and a reply device in the mailing, so you do not need to include these elements in the brochure. Printing in a full-color format ensures that your brochure will be eye-catching. It also helps to include a lot of product images or other relevant artwork to draw readers in. Some folks may skip over the direct-mail letter, so reiterate all the product or services' selling points in the brochure as if it's the first time the reader is hearing about it.
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