Effective Brochure Design Tips For Those New In Business
Have you ever considered that a pamphlet can be one of the most compelling of all your marketing materials?
It is a simple piece of paper but the first impact that your leaflet creates is profound. If it’s shabby and uninviting your candidate is left with the same feeling. This will weaken your business growth.
Having a booklet professionally designed and published is a key to winning in a jam-packed marketplace. Taking the time to make sure that your brochure delivers all the key data in a way that is easily understood is something that only a professional can do.
If you are just getting started in business you may be tempted to do your pamphlet yourself. When I first started in business I did everything myself – not a smart choice. That is why it took me 12 years before I was even relatively prosperous. Heed my warning – go professional from day one on your merchandising materials. They are an investment and not an expense. Professionally designed materials will deliver you customers and the cash flow to follow – the reason why you are in business.
A brochure has to use eye-catching design. It has to be succinct in terms of the message and last but not the least, it must be successful in tempting people to make that call of action.
Here are three key design rules to follow when making a booklet. Use them and you will see your results flow.
1. The cover:
The cover is your sales rep. Brochures are quite inactive tools and you are not often able to ‘walk’ individuals through your brochure. So you need to arouse people to read further. The cover is the starting point so must be tantalising and sharing the KEY values of WHY someone should read further. It should answer the WIFM question – What’s in it for me.
A great design company will show you at least three to four cover designs for your booklet. Dissect these designs to see which excites you the most. Ask your friends their impression. Does the cover answer the question WIFM? If it doesn’t arouse and answer the WIFM question, then skip to another design that works or get it redesigned. Taking the time here to get it right will pay bounties later.
2. The Content:
Once they are past the front then the content has to become the salesperson. So once again, the pressure is on to be good. Do not opt for cheap inept content writers or ask the designer to write the content or worst still do it yourself. Instead make sure that a professional copywriter is doing the work. If your design company does not have a copywriter then engage one yourself.
Ensure that all the important questions that a prospective client will have about your merchandise are answered in a way that gets them to call you for more information. Do not go into ‘overkill mode’ and inundate them with too much data at this point in time. Remember the brochure’s job is to stimulate and get people to call you.
3. The call for action:
If your future customer has read the brochure then you have done a great job. All you need to do now is give them a compelling reason to contact you NOW.
Having things like a free call 0800 or’00 number clearly presented (in big letters) can make a essential difference. Having an email address is a clear bonus. Make sure these two are clearly placed in large clear type.
Even give your clients a special voucher on the brochure or reference code can help. But above all, make sure that you add a clear call to action. One way to do this is to readdress the KEY value of your service to your prospect in a way that will get them to take action. Remember value is everything. Individuals only purchase something that is of value to THEM.
4. The piece that got forgotten:
I did this on purpose and only said there were three points. Well the last point is the one that can get neglected. It is the ‘dummy’ one. Have you checked that you have these on your brochure:
Phone number | Fax number | Email address | Web address | Country of operation | City / area of operation | Company name | And have you proof read for typo and grammar errors?
Discover how creative catalog designs can accelerate your business growth using qualified graphic design professionals.