Even in this day of websites, many customers want to look at
a brochure or other form of hard copy. It's important
therefore that your brochure tells the customer all they
need to know.
It can be handed to the customer or used for direct
mailing
It gives the customer much more detail
Confirms what you've discussed
Gives your business credibility and status
Can help break the ice before you meet the customer
The elements of a successful brochure:
#1 It must have a call to action - You must ask the customer
to do something after reading your brochure (particularly
if
you use it for mailing) - place an order - request more
information - arrange an appointment.
Make them an offer they can't refuse - an early-bird
discount - a special price - a never to be repeated offer.
It needs to have a Free-phone number or a tear off coupon or
an enclosed order form.
Remember - this is a sales document, its purpose is to get
you more orders not just to fill peoples head with
information.
#2 Think about the customer - Your brochure must talk in
terms of the customer's interests - not yours. (Don't let
your ego run away with you) It must explain how it solves
the customer's problems and has benefits for him or her.
#3 Testimonials and endorsements - Include all the
statements that other people have said about your product or
service. They must be real statements giving the persons
name and their organisation.
People wont believe statements such as - "This service is
second to none" - Sales Director
#4 Specialise - If you're targeting a particular market,
your brochure needs to reassure the customer that you
understand and have expertise in that market. You then need
to give examples of how you've solved specific problems in
that market.
#5 Make them want to read more - The front of your brochure
must have a headline that grabs the customer and encourages
them to read more. It needs to include a strong benefit or a
way to solve a problem.
For example - I might produce a headline for one of my
brochures that says - "Customer Service Training for the
Retail Industry" It would be far better if I went to the
heart of the problem and used the headline - "How to stop
customers walking out of your store and buying from one of
your competitors."
Think about the problems that your customers face and how
your product or service resolves them - then write your
headline.
The most powerful words you can use in a headline are - "How
To". It immediately grabs the reader's attention if it's
relevant to them. Other great words to use are - "Free" -
"You" - "Secrets of" - "Discover" - "New" - "Announcing."
The headline needs to be:
Believable
Appealing to the emotions
Not more than sixteen words
In upper and lower case letters, not all caps
In quotation marks
Easy to understand
#6 Make it easy to read - People want to gather information
quickly and aren't willing to plough through lots of text -
use bullet points. You want a clean uncluttered look.
Also - watch out for jargon, buzz words and technical terms.
Remember the selling acronym - KISS - keep it simple
stupid.
#7 Doesn't need to be expensive - It obviously makes sense
to use good quality paper and it's best to stick to white or
cream semi-gloss or glossy stock. Your brochure needs to
feel good in the customer's hands - classy - quality image.
It can contain as many pages as you like but why not
consider a "one-page" which obviously has two sides.
You could have several "one-pages" produced, each relevant
to the market you're targeting. You could also produce
individual one for each product or service that you provide.
I have searched, frustratingly, through many a brochure
trying to find specific information on a product or service.
#8 Laminate - buy a laminator (they're not expensive) and
laminate one-sheets or pages from your brochure. They make
the information look and feel much better and encourage the
customer to hang onto them for longer.
#9 Friendly - Your brochure should give the potential
customer the feeling that you're business is friendly and
interesting to deal with. Depending on what business you're
in, you might want the customer to know that you're also
"fun" to deal with.
Don't make your brochure too businesslike even although
you're selling a technical product; remember you're
communicating to a human being who is primarily driven by
their emotions.
It makes sense to build a relationship with a graphic
designer who you like and who understands what you're trying
to achieve. However, if you want to have more control,
there's software you can buy and internet sites where you
can create your own stationary.
About the Author
Discover how you can generate more business without having
to cold call!
Alan Fairweather is the author of "How to get More Sales
without Selling" This book is packed with practical things
that you can do to – get customers to come to you.
Click here now
http://www.howtogetmoresales.com