Friday, June 19, 2009

Some Effective Brochure Design Tips And Tricks

By Betty Wong

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 initial impact that your leaflet creates is important. If it's shabby and plain your candidate is left with the same feeling. This will slow your business development.

Having a booklet professionally designed and published is a key to winning in a crowded marketplace. Taking the time to make sure that your leaflet delivers all the key information 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 good 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 created materials will deliver you customers and the cash flow to follow - the reason why you are in business.

A booklet has to use eye-catching design. It has to be succinct in terms of the content and last but not the least, it must be successful in enticing people to make that call of action.

Here are three key design rules to follow when producing a pamphlet. Use them and you will see your results flow.

1. The cover:

The cover is your sales rep. Leaflets are quite inactive tools and you are not often able to 'walk' individuals through your brochure. So you need to energize people to read further. The cover is the starting point so must be inviting and sharing the KEY values of WHY someone should read further. It should answer the WIFM question - What's in it for me.

A good design company will show you at least three to four cover designs for your booklet. Analyse these designs to see which stimulates you the most. Ask your acquaintances their opinion. Does the cover answer the question WIFM? If it doesn't stimulate 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 premiums later.

2. The Content:

Once they are past the front page then the content has to become the sales representative. So once again, the pressure is on to be great. Do not opt for cheap uneffective 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 hire one yourself.

Determine that all the key questions that a potential 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 information at this point in time. Remember the brochure's job is to energize and get people to call you.

3. The call for action:

If your likely customer has read the booklet then you have done a good 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 1800 number clearly shown (in big letters) can make a fundamental 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 coupon on the pamphlet 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. People only purchase something that is of value to THEM.

4. The bit that got missed:

I did this on purpose and only said there were three points. Well the final point is the one that can get missed. It is the 'dummy' one. Have you checked that you have these on your pamphlet:

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?

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