Printed marketing materials put your brand in a customer’s hand. A business card is a great way to give contact information and a visual for your brand. The right banner can draw the eye from across a busy trade show. A brochure is a unique opportunity to provide more information about your products or services directly to the people who want to know more.
As with all types of marketing, there are ways to do this that are more effective than others. Let’s look at how to create a brochure that will work for your business.
Use Brochures for Both New and Loyal Customers
Most often, we see brochures created for the new customer. This is a solid strategy. It gives you the opportunity to introduce your brand, your offerings, and provide more thorough information on what you have to offer. You will likely use this brochure to tell an audience about your most popular offerings.
You can also create brochures for your current customer base. Why would you do this? These are customers who already trust your company and are comfortable doing business with you. How much do they know about what your business offers? Do many of them work with you for one main service? It’s time to tell them more about the other services or products you can provide. Create a brochure specifically to distribute to your current loyal customers to introduce them to your other offerings.
This can bring in more repeat business and strengthen your relationship with this customer. Moreover, the brochures will be easy to distribute, since you can include them in the bag or package with their next order.
Creating an Effective Brochure
You’ll first need to know your target audience for your brochure. Is this for a new or repeat customer? What is my audience interested in hearing from me? What do I want them to do once they’ve read through this brochure?
Then, it’s time to create an effective page that will communicate this information.
Keep in mind that a beautifully designed brochure will say a lot about your business, but so will a poorly designed one. Create a professional image with a sharp design and professional printing. A common brochure mistake is to hire a graphic designer to keep your branding smart, and then use a home printer for the final product. Commercial printing services are cost effective and have more options for smart designs than ever before, so don’t skip this step.
When designing your brochure, keep your brand in mind.
Use engaging graphics that draw the eye.
If you hire a designer, they’ll tell you to make use of white space so the most important images and text will be emphasized. You don’t want the customer to be overwhelmed and look away from the page. You want their eye to easily follow the flow of the page and take in the important information.
Your text should be formatted for easy scanning. Make use of bold headlines and bulleted lists were appropriate.
Keep your copy brief and smart. Figure out what your main marketing message is and nail down the most important words. You are giving more information in this brochure, but you don’t have to tell them everything. Enough so that they are informed on the key points and feel empowered to move forward down your sales funnel.
Include contact information so they know how to get in touch for more information.
A smart call to action is essential. What do you want your ideal customer to do once they’ve read this brochure and gotten excited about it?
Your brochure is a prime place to include promotional offers or QR codes that can take them to your website. Either of these options can work as an easy call to action that will compel your audience to take the next step.
