The Secret to Successful Brochures

During the last two weeks, we have been helping a new business get off the ground. Being entrepreneurs at heart, at 1300 Web Pro we love working with startups!

In addition to a website, 1300 Web Pro has created a logo, business card design, and brochures for this particular client. When it came to brochure design, I provided a few basic tips. None of these things are rocket science. It’s one of those situations where we all know what to do, but when it comes time to execute we ignore all the rules!

Use the following seven points as a checklist when creating your next brochure.

Be Brief

Particularly for initial sales material, where the customer is still a “cold” lead, keep the word count to an absolute minimum.

Dot Points

Putting items in a bullet list allows the reader to quickly scan through the concepts. It also forces the author to “get to the point” (no pun intended).

Headline Is Key

The headline should be big, bold, in a catchy color, and should be more prominent then the advertiser’s logo.

Making the logo the sidebar is sometimes a difficult pill for a business owner who is proud of his or her brand to swallow, but consider which is more powerful:

Option 1)

Some Crazy Bank

Make 30% Interest

Option 2)

Make 30% Interest

Some Crazy Bank

Focus on the Difference

Open up the Yellow Pages to your organisation’s category. How many dot points are repeated through several of your competition? Make sure that every point made is genuinely unique to the business, and something the readers care about.

Don’t be Afraid to Format

Liberal use of color, font size, bold and italics, and lots of white space are perfect for drawing attention to key points.

In the brochure for our startup customer, we changed the color of three words to improve the point’s impact:

“We turn bad debt into cash.”

Use a Designer

Using a professional graphic designer will always provide a more professional appearance that will translate into better campaign results.

If you work out what you want to say, and how you want to lay it out, in advance, then using a professional designer is generally not very expensive. Designers charge by the hour, so if you don’t waste their time, you save yourself money.

Don’t Depend on a Designer for Marketing Advice

Remember that designers are trained in making things look “nice.” Whilst some designers may have marketing experience as well, don’t assume that all professional designers are capable of advising on how to lay out an advertisment.

Wrap Up

At 1300 Web Pro, we regularly use our design and marketing skills to assist customers in producing a raft of promotional material. Next time you design a brochure, utilise these seven points to create a great layout, then give us a ring on 1300 932 776 or e-mail us for help with getting it ready to print.

Do you have any “golden rules” for creating effective brochures? Please post your suggestions for other readers to enjoy.

James Deck is the founder of Australian online marketingcompany "1300 Web Pro.” The company’s primary focus is best summed up by theirslogan: “Websites that mean business!” James is an entrepreneur, and enjoyshelping clients meet their business goals. Find out more about 1300 Web Pro atwww.1300webpro.com.au.