BETTER BIZ WRITING TIPS - ISSUE 6 - OCTOBER 2008 - BUILDING A BETTER BROCHURE

Along with a business card and a website, a brochure is an important element of marketing for a small or mid-sized business. Brochures are effective tools because they fit comfortably in the palm of the hand, can be mailed in standard-sized envelopes and can use compelling content and strong visual images to entice the reader to learn more about your products or services.
 
An effective brochure should be persuasive and compelling content is critical to its mission success. Before you even start to write your brochure, consider how it will be used. Depending upon your industry and your market, brochures can be placed in folders with marketing materials, mailed to prospective clients, distributed as hand-outs in person or left on tables at conventions and trade fairs. Write and design your brochure with its intended use in mind.
 
Brochures are typically designed in 3-panel formats where a 8.5 x 11" page is folded twice into three equal parts which creates six panels. It is the brochure type used by most businesses and is easy to carry, tuck into folders and can be mailed in a regular envelope. The typical parts include the front cover, the inside front panel, the inside three pages and the back panel.
 
A strong cover should include not just a company name and a good image but a phrase or an idea that sparks the target to open the panel and read more about your company, product or service.
 
The inside front panel is one of the most important parts of the brochure and should include a summarizing spread of the inside panel along with a glowing testimonial. Aside from the cover, this is the part that is most likely to be read. Think hard about your content for this panel and write it with the intention of not necessarily making a sale but getting the reader to continue to the inside spread.
 
The inside three page spread is the "meat" of the brochure and should give the reader the meat of what your company does, what products or services you offer, a brief company history, qualifications and accreditations and any other relevant information the potential customer or client should know. Don't just tell your reader about the benefits of your products and services, show them through examples that specify, quantify and demonstrate the quality. Avoid carry on sentences and endless paragraphs and break your content into short, easy-to-read sections with subheadings. Bullet lists work great too.
 
When it comes to the back panel, be sure to include all your appropriate contact information and possibly another testimonial or company statement. Direct mail brochures usually reserve this space for mailing and postage information. Avoid putting key messages here because it is the part that people are least likely to read.

1. Determine how your brochure will be used. Whether your brochure will be mailed to potential clients or used as a leave-behind at conventions or with new clients, write and design it with that in mind.

2. Know your audience. Just as in producing website content or a sales letter, know and understand the needs and desires of your audience and target markets.

3. Use short easy-to-read sections. Don't bore and lose your reader with a three-panel brochure packed margin to margin with text. Break up your content into short sections spread amongst the panels.

4. Grab attention with a strong cover. Should your brochure ever sit on a table at a convention, placed in an office or thrown in a stack with other brochures, a strong cover can make it stand out from the pack. It should have a quality image along with a company name and a phrase that sells and describes what your business does.

5. Give the reader a reason to keep the brochure. A section of helpful tips based on your products or services-such as the "Ten Tips for Maintaining Your Pool" or "Ten Occasions When You Really Need a Lawyer"-gives your readers a reason to hang onto the brochure.

6. Use bulleted selling points. Seeing as most people "scan" brochures rather than read them, bulleted lists (advantages and benefits of using your products or services) can prominently highlight your most important selling points.

7. Lead with strong headlines and subtitles. Break up your text with strong headlines and subtitles in bold font that clearly identify each section.

8. Focus on the benefits to the customer. Shorten your company history and avoid long-winded ramblings about the inner workings of your products and services and focus more on the benefits to the client.

9. Don't scrimp on design. While it is the text that will ultimately sell readers on your products and services, there is no denying that strong visual appeal will strengthen your brochure.

10. Include all relevant details. It might seem like a given but many businesses fail to include relevant details on their brochures. Be sure to include addresses, phone numbers, websites and all contact information along with any certifications or memberships that may be important in your field.