Quick Tips for Better Brochures back to reading room

Determine what you want your brochure to achieve.There are many types and kinds of brochures and their look and feel are completely determined by the job they must do.

---

1- Keep it simple. Copy should be short. Like this. 2- Promote your company. People prefer to deal with a known entity. It is a much easier sale for you and for your customer. Your customer has to sell his boss on a purchase as well. It makes it much easier if everyone involved at least has an idea who you are. A good brochure will accomplish that. It must speak for you when you're not there.

3- Promote your products
but stick to general terms of leadership, quality, or other advantages.

4- Promote service and warranty if that is important.
but relate it to reliability.

5- Include a brief company history.
It establishes credentials and credibility.

6- Include testimonials or a client list.
Good references work wonders.

7- Promote your unique and special expertise
or leadership in your industry. What do you have that no one else does?

8- Avoid cliches and trendy jargon.
What exactly does "pro-active" mean? Corporations today are all "committed to excellence" and have "mission statements" which they carry out on level playing fields. So what? Speak plain English if you want people to read your material. Give them some good hard information about your company and services. Above all, stick to the point... please.

9- Avoid listing product prices and/or pictures of your staff.
Real Estate Agents are the worst offenders in this area. Would someone explain why Real Estate Agents put their pictures in their ads? Are you supposed to choose an agent based on looks? In your own company, remember that if your prices or staff change, your brochure is useless. Your printer will love you. Your accountant won't.

10- Be Politically Correct.
Unfortunately, the thought and word police are everywhere. Unless you want to constantly field complaints from every fringe group whacko out there, be sure that your brochure is politically correct.
There are many, many fruitcakes on government grants who have nothing else to do but complain about every real or imagined slight. Do not attract their attention. It just isn't worth the aggravation. Your company brochure is not a place to express your social, political or religious views.

11- Keep your brochure focussed on your main points.
What exactly do you want your prospect to learn about your company? Tell her that and little else. Your sales people will fill in the details.

12- Avoid Using Printers for Design Work
Printers will job your brochure design work out to people like us so why not call us in the first place? You'll save a markup and get a better job, faster.