According to the dictionary a brochure is “a small book or pamphlet, often containing promotional material or product information.” The truth is brochures can be large and their contents must vary depending on the situation. Even in this age of cyber marketing, brochures have not gone out of fashion. Businesspersons still like printed brochure marketing for the personal touch they offer in communication with clients. Customers or would-be customers can read about the company and its products at their leisure. Brochures are excellent print tools that give customers all the relevant information they need before making a purchase. Apart from attracting new customers, a brochure helps a business organization to stay in touch with its existing customers, build loyalty and reinforce credibility. In order to be effective, a brochure must satisfy certain conditions in terms of both content and design. A hastily prepared brochure without proper planning can drive customers away. To stimulate the desired effect among customers, a brochure must be attractive-looking and contain all of the relevant information. A good brochures contains all of the following:
A brochure is supposed to convey a direct message in a visually attractive manner from a company to its customers. The success or failure of a brochure is determined by the quality of information it includes.
It is human nature to look to some visual cues first. In a brochure, a reader will see the pictures first, then the headlines, charts and graphs, captions, before finally moving to body text. Therefore, a brochure must be laid out so that a reader can have an idea of the content by just having a look at the pictures and the headlines. The essence of the main points you want to let people know must be conveyed by the headlines and captions.
Brochures mostly cover three main areas: products of a company, services and the capabilities of the organization. These can be divided into a number of sections in a logical sequence such as introduction, products, services, features, benefits, applications, specifications, testimonials, frequently asked questions, company history, call to action, mission statement, awards, contact details, etc.
If the cover of the brochure is not attractive enough, customers may be put off even before opening it. Make the cover visually attractive. List the merits of your products or services on the cover itself. Make your customers open it: Use a teaser offer such as “ valid for a limited time only” or “look inside for coupon.” If you use your logo on the cover, make it smaller so that it doesn’t become the focus.
After the cover, the introduction section should give a brief account of the company, its products or services, its objectives etc. Products and services sections will contain a brief description of them. The above mentioned sections and those relating to features, benefits, applications and specifications are included in most brochures for the benefit of customers.
Including testimonials in a brochure is extremely important. Readers will definitely be influenced and willing to try a product or service when they read those comments made by satisfied users.
A Frequently Asked Questions, or FAQ, section is essential for the success of any brochure. This section should answer common questions a customer is likely to ask regarding your product or service. If your company does quotes, it is better to have a separate questionnaire that the customer can fill out and send to you.
Remember that if your brochure only says why your company is great, or why your products are the best, people will throw it away. To make them keep your brochure longer, you should include general information that would be useful for them. If your company deals in computers, for example, you can include in your brochure a piece on “how to improve your computer’s performance.”
Don’t forget to include calls to action such as “Act soon,” “Log on to our website to order now!” or “Contact immediately.” A brochure is effective only if it brings business to your company. For better results, you can also include your offer and a response mechanism on each page of the brochure.
Never forget to include your address, phone and fax numbers, website and e-mail at convenient, easily visible places throughout the brochure.
If you follow these easy steps to building an effective brochure, you will find yourself more respected and having a better conversion rate for sales.
Have you found a need for brochures or a different way to market your products and services?
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