A brochure can be one of the most effective pieces of printed marketing material. They, as stand-alone marketing collateral, can persuade a customer to buy your product or use your services. However, it takes only a few seconds for a potential client to decide if they want to read your brochure or throw it in the trash. You need to be sure yours stimulates your target market's interest so they will read it, keep it and share it with others.
If your brochure includes information that your audience finds valuable, they are likely to save it and refer back to it often or, even better, pass it along to others. You can make yours most appealing by including helpful tips, answering questions, providing strategies and more. Most importantly, it should always answer the unasked question, "What's in it for me?" This will make your audience sit up and take notice and further investigate your product or service.
The most important aspects of an effective brochure
The two most important brochure elements are
- the look
- the message
However, all effective brochures have this one thing in common: They answer these basic questions.
- What do you offer? (product/service definition)
- Why should I buy your product/service? (tells the reader what's in it for them)
- Why buy from you? (tells them what makes you different or better than your competition)
- Why buy now? (encourages them to take action now before they put it down and forget it)
The most important thing potential customers want to know is how your product/service will help them. So the goal of your brochure is to answer their questions and overcome their objections. And remember to tell your reader what you want them to do on every page - call, visit your website, write, place an order, etc.
Knowing how people read brochures is key
Keep in mind that the eye naturally looks at pictures first, then headlines, then charts or graphs, then captions and finally the body.
In your headlines, address problems or ask questions. People are curious and will read further to find the answers. Be sure to address their fears because people will do more to avoid pain than to receive pleasure. Above all, avoid the biggest and most common mistake made when writing brochure copy: providing only information rather than persuading your audience.
Colors have symbolism and meaning
Sometimes color is used to evoke a physical response. Cool colors such as blue and green are calming while warm colors such as red, pink, yellow and orange are exciting. What emotion do you want your business to evoke? Look at a color wheel and see which colors are complementary and contrasting, monochromatic, analogous and triad. Because color follows trends, keep an eye out for the colors being used in magazines and fashion.
As you may know, color is culturally sensitive. Black, for instance, is a color of mourning in Western cultures while white symbolizes mourning in most Asian cultures. If your product or service is global, opt for a color universally acceptable such as blue. Remember, you can use different tints and hues to make it more appealing.
For more information on color psychology and color theory, I will be presenting an online seminar on September 6th at Noon at RemoteProfessionals.com. Visit my website at http://www.BrochuresByBrochures.com for more information.
Since printers use inks in CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black) and the web uses light to color in RGB (Red, Green and Blue), always use CMYK when designing printed materials.
Printing guidelines
I almost always use full bleed when designing brochures. Full bleed is where the image comes all the way to the edge of the paper; there is not white border. Since the printer will trim the size of the brochure to its actual size (typically 8.5" x 11"), you'll need to design it 1/4" bigger so it can be trimmed so the design size would be 8.75" x 11.25". Be sure to keep all important graphics and text within the "safe area" of approximately 1/8" (8.25" x 10.75").
Use Offset Printing
If possible, choose offset printing, which causes the ink to become part of the paper creating a more vibrant look.
Use an image on the cover for visual appeal
Western cultures have learned to read left to right; therefore, they also look at images in this order. Make your most important element stand out with color or size whether it's an image or text. Remember, your reader will look at pictures first, and then headlines, charts and graphs, captions, and finally body text. Keep this in mind when establishing the basic design of your brochures.
I recommend using a caption. It has been proven to be the most read and remembered copy. Note: only use images that are relevant to the material; avoid random or abstract artwork unless art is your business.
What is the most important section of a brochure?
The answer is the cover because it will either entice the customer to pick it up or cause them to dump it somewhere.
Positioning the content:
On the front: The cover must create interest; it must be visually appealing and provide enough content to invite the reader to read more.
On the back: Because this is the least read part of the brochure, keep it simple. Place contact information and your logo here.
On the inside front cover: This is the first thing they'll see when they open the brochure so it is the most important panel. Summarize why the customer should use you. Make it bold and easy to read.
Inside the three-panel spread: Start out with a couple of sentences about what your company does. And provide a list of your products/services. Be sure to address your competitive advantages. Why should they choose you over your competitors? If applicable, refer them to your website for more information. End by telling them what you want them to do: call, visit your website, place and order, etc.
By reading this post, I hope that you have learned what it takes to create the most effective brochure for your business. My intent was to inform you as to what content should be included, why and how to effectively use graphics and images in your brochure and how to position the content to create interest.
To see a "Before and After" example of a brochure that I redesigned, just email me Evy@BrochuresByDesign.com. I will explain why I made the changes I did to the original design in order to make it most effective.
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