I am very interested in all the marketing components of a business. I have heard people say that brochures are essential to promote a company. One website that examines how to make a good brochure is Brochure Design, saying that “brochures are powerful.” What I remember most about brochures is when I go on vacation with my family, there are always brochures in the hotel. After looking at exciting pictures in brochures, I pick which ones look the most exciting. So what makes a brochure stand out in a way that is convincing and appealing?
For a brochure to represent a business, you must first consider what you want to put in the text. Everything needs to be truthful and be able to back-up, but don’t bore customers with straight numbers. Pick out exciting facts about your company and your product. What makes you different? After writing a draft for the brochure, go back and revise to make it shorter with more description.
After figuring out what you say, focus on the design next. This is very important and should not be overlooked. A good design is what gets a customer to even read the text. To much white space is seen as boring, but too little can be overwhelming. Be sure to balance text with corresponding photographs. Remember that a brochure represents your business; it is like its identity. Make sure the design is representative of your company. Don’t pick fonts that are too silly if you represent more of a straight-edge business. No brochures should be boring though, and you should mix it up with different sentence lengths and different ways to put pictures.
Finally, to make a good brochure, you need to observe good brochures. Go around to companies and pick out brochures that stand out to you in a good way, and consider the qualities that make them stand out. Is there something all the good brochures include? Play around with different designs and realize that it might take a few drafts and different designs to find one that really works for your company.
For a very in-depth look at brochures, including very useful do’s and don’ts, see How to Design and Write a Basic Brochure. The author even explains how to sell with the brochure, and not to rely on it only to make the sale. A good brochure really just gets you in the door and thinking about the company or product.
