paper bag printing,catalog printing,postcard printing,brochure printing

 The content of yourbrochure will change depending on the objectives you set, but there are some general guidelines you will want to follow with your brochure design.

 Professional advertising means creating marketing materials that achieve the highest possible return on investment. The following guidelines are given with this intention. They are honest. And that’s exactly what you want from your marketing people - honesty. If your company president writes a less than perfect brochure, somebody has to tell him or her. Contact a marketing professional for further assistance.

1.  Who is the brochure for? THE CUSTOMER. What does the brochure do? IT SELLS. Make sure your brochure sells. It should be carefully, professionally written. Copywriters and marketing professionals get paid for a reason. A brochure is not a decoration for your company. It is a marketing investment that brings you business. Make sure it sells.

2. Does the brochure design on the front cover get the readers attention with an emotional appeal, a provocative question, or a benefit statement? 

 Approximately 80% of people will not open a brochure that doesn’t give a prime benefit or a compelling reason on the front cover. That means your company’s name probably belongs down at the bottom of the front cover, not on top. And your logo may need to go on the back cover, not the front. Brochure design is very, very important.

3.  Follow the rules of good sales copywriting. Yes, you want to introduce your company and your products. But you definitely want to grab the reader with benefits-benefits-benefits, and don’t let go. Know your reader's desires, and demonstrate how you fill those needs. Benefits trigger emotions, and emotions will win out over logical persuasion every time.

4. Lead with the benefits - don’t bury them. Feature key benefits in headlines, subheads, and captions. You must entice the reader simply to get them to read your brochure. And then you must motivate them to take action.

5. Feature or Benefit? Your new widget that saves the client an hour is a FEATURE. An extra hour to spend with your kids is a BENEFIT. List all of the features, and ask yourself, “what does the client get?” Now you have the benefits.

6. A company's brochure design should project a first class image. Are the graphics compelling? Is your writing active and enthusiastic? Is it pleasurable to look at? Stay away from crowded text, clichés, clip art, and low quality production. Professional quality brochure design makes you look professional.

7. Technical writing is hard to read, even for technical people. Think about it. What would you rather read – a technical document, or a lighter, but comprehensive document? Always write like your talking to a good customer or a friend.

8. Interconnect your marketing materials. Offer your newsletter or web page information in your brochure, and vice-versa. Reference your other published materials or any recognition you have received.

9. Don’t be subtle. Tell the reader exactly what you want them to do, and tell them to do it now. This is not being pushy, and it will not be perceived this way. People just forget if they don’t act right away. And you don’t want them to forget. This is good, effective brochure design.

10. Try to eliminate as many decisions as possible. Always assume the customer will eventually buy the product or service. Don't use words like "if" and "maybe".

11. Please read our section on copywriting, and seriously consider having a professional write your brochure, or at least  review your work. Try this exercise: Count up how many times you used the words “I”, “we”, or “our company” in your document. Now strike them all and replace them with “you” or “your”. People care about how you can make their lives better, not about how great your company is. This is effective brochure design.

12. Don’t ask open-ended questions. Only ask questions that will get “yes, that’s me” for an answer. Always assume that the reader will contact you and buy your products or services.

13. Ultimately, it’s your words that sell. Pictures are great, but words sell. Again, your brochure is not a decoration for your company. Don’t let a designer make it one. And don’t let anybody make it a literary masterpiece. Read the direct mail pieces that the credit card companies mail to you – these are well written sales copy.

14. Don’t be embarrassed by sales copy. Customers know that they are reading a promotional brochure. They are consenting to read, and desire to read, sales information. That’s why they are voluntarily reading your brochure.

15. One more very important note here. Your brochure will probably not close the sale for you. Your brochure will introduce and position your company. It will prepare the way for your salespeople. But you must close the sale. Make sure to follow up the brochure with a customer contact within a week.

16. Please review the checklist at the end of this chapter to make sure you don’t forget any necessary information in your brochure design. And please be honest about how good your brochure is – your customers will be.