The Edge Marketing

Brochures are one of the oldest marketing weapons in the business arsenal. And for good reason. A well done brochure lends an air of credibility while laying out a persuasive sales message. It conveys a lot of information and moves the customer along in the sales process. When it’s done right.

When done wrong, a brochure is an exercise in futility. It bores the reader and makes a beeline to the round file. It’s a waste of time, effort, and landfill space.

So how can you make sure yours are done right?

First of all, stay out of the “we.” Believe it or not, telling your prospect what you think is so great about yourself only impresses you. And it’s not about you. A good brochure, like any other marketing message, is all about what your product or service does for your customer. Every word should be about her, and how what you are offering benefits her.

Next, don’t let Sgt. Friday write for you. “Just the facts” doesn’t sell things. People make buying decisions on emotion, so you have to connect with their hearts. Find out what feelings will resonate with your prospects and evoke them. Get their juices flowing and stir them to desire what you have to offer.

Never waste valuable real estate. The most important panel of your entire brochure is the cover. It’s also the most often wasted. The front of your brochure has to interest your prospect enough to get them to open it up and look inside.

Putting your company name and a photo of your building there is about like using prime beachfront property for a landfill. Yes, it has to go somewhere. So put it in the back, where people who are looking for it can find it, but leave the spotlight to more glamorous tenants.

Start of with an attention-grabbing, benefit laden headline, and a graphic that supports it. Perhaps offer a few bullet points that expand the headline benefit, or introduce a few secondary ones. A line or two of copy at most and you’re off to a good start.

While you should strive for a conversational tone, make sure there are no spelling or glaring grammatical mistakes. It’s a fine line to walk, but you want to sound like you’re having a conversation without sounding like you don’t know the language.

Focus on your customer, connect with her heart, and make the most of your valuable real estate. Then, your brochures will be worth more than the paper they’re printed on. They’ll be worth their weight in gold.

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