How to Make a Brochure
A brochure is a basic but high-impact marketing tool used by millions of modern businesses.
Brochures are eye-catching, portable, and filled with useful information. When people see a brochure display, they’re likely to browse and select a few to take home. Brochures are often forgotten in a purse or briefcase, mixed in with the mail, or kept by the phone or in a desk drawer. People hate throwing away information – it might be useful, after all – so brochures act as “hidden agents” in their homes, discovered during cleaning or when there is a need for a particular product or service. Then, boom, all your information is right in front of them, ready when they need it.
This roundabout method of connecting with your customer creates a relationship based on gratitude and pride – the customer congratulates themselves on having chosen to take and keep your brochure, and they’re grateful to you for providing the right information at the right time.
So, how do you create a brochure that will grab attention when the time is right?
Going back to the criteria mentioned above, good brochures are eye-catching, portable, and informative. Let’s examine those.
- Eye-Catching
A brochure without pictures risks being left behind in favor of more colorful options. Making your brochure more aesthetically pleasing doesn’t need to involve ClipArt, goofy fonts, random splotches of color, attempts to look “hip” or modern, or licensed artwork. It just needs a little common sense.
Did you know people are more likely to pick up a brochure with a picture of happy people on the front? Happy people doing an activity your customers would enjoy have an even stronger appeal. Brochures from hearing aid manufacturers often show couples over 50 enjoying family time, going to the theater together, or having a picnic in the park – all fairly common activities made possible by the company’s product. People with difficulty hearing may not be able to enjoy those activities without the product advertised in the brochure.
Think about what your product or service does for customers. Will it boost sales, increase cash flow, or improve security? Does it give them opportunities they otherwise wouldn’t have? How does it make their life easier? The images used in your brochure should reflect these answers.
- Portable
The standard format for a brochure is called an A3. It’s basically an 8 1/2 x 11 inch sheet of paper, standard letter size, folded into thirds. The A3 model is popular because it’s easy to make, fits comfortably in a pocket, purse, or briefcase, and is generally cheaper to produce in bulk. But it’s not the only brochure model in existence.
Feast your eyes on the multitudinous varieties of the brochure-based art form! This is just a small sampling – there are nearly infinite variations on this theme. Fat ones, square ones, ones with little brochures nested inside, custom-cut shaped ones, ones, that expand out like an inexplicably smart snowflake chain intent on selling something.
Any size, shape, or style of brochure is possible – but portability is the key asset of the most common type of business brochure.
It may seem clever for Five Star Sheet Metal Fabricators to order six-inch-tall metal-stamped star-shaped brochures, but unless there’s a break-in at the office and the secretary is a secret ninja, those brochures probably aren’t going anywhere.
For giving your customer base something to read, think about, and hold on to, the A3 “point of sale” style brochure is your best bet. If you have to pitch your product or service to other businesses, you may want to look into more elaborate options. Presentation counts for a lot in the B2B world.
- Informative
Here we get down to the nitty-gritty. This is the meat of your brochure, where you tell your customer every little detail they need to understand what you’re selling, why they should want one, and how they can get it.
Many businesses forget to include one piece of that all-important three-piece puzzle. Sometimes they get so excited about promoting their product, they forget to include the address and phone number. Sometimes the contact info is there, but they’ve neglected to give much detail on their product. Sometimes – and this is the worst – they’ve remembered contact information, they’ve described the product, but they haven’t bothered to explain why the customer should want one.
This problem is common with technical products and construction products. It’s easy to assume your customer is already aware of your competition, knows as much about them as you do, and doesn’t need to be told why your product is obviously superior.
But this assumption is entirely wrong!
Even if your customer DOES know everything about your competition, he still may not understand why your product is better. Especially when it comes to technical products, whose capabilities and specifications change every six months to a year!
The most important part of your brochure is the information it contains. You may have the prettiest pictures, the most appealing shape, but if there’s nothing interesting inside, your brochure will wind up in the trash. You must make sure to include all the details about your product or service: What does it promise to do? Who is already using it, and how do they feel about it? Why do I need it? How much does it cost? What options are available? Where can I get it? How soon can I have it? What happens if I’m disappointed with it? .. and so forth.
It’s not difficult to make a good brochure, but it does take attention to detail, graphic and writing skills, and an in-depth knowledge of your product or service. It also requires a few days to create, edit, proof, and print. Many business owners don’t have the time or the ability (or, hey, let’s face it, the desire) to make their own brochures, which is why it’s one of the services I provide.
Have you made a brochure for your business? Has it been bringing in customers? Have an old brochure that needs revamping but you don’t have the time? Leave a comment below and let’s talk!
