From time to time, I hear of companies that spend way too much on common (and avoidable) mistakes while making a company brochure.  Or worse yet, they design a brochure that doesn’t focus on their goals, include their contact information, strengthen their brand, or reach their target market.  In effect, they have wasted all of their money.  This short (two minute) read could save you, or someone you know, from some of those same avoidable mistakes.

Designing a brochure doesn’t have to be an overwhelming experience.  By taking the time to fully comprehend the goals, audience, and message, you may find that this affordable sales tool is not only within your reach, but the process alone can sometimes help to refine your sales message.  Start with the overall concept for the brochure.  What do you want to achieve?  Who will you be sending it to?  What theme and tone will you take?  What will it say?  Only after the answers to these questions are fully defined, will it be time for the content, photos and layout. 

Conceptualize

What do you want to achieve?

It is critical to determine your goals and objectives prior to starting.  What specific product or service are you promoting?  What sales message do you wish to convey?  Is this a piece about your company history or another form of credibility builder?  Once you determine if this is a marketing or advertising brochure, or the goal of the brochure is simply to inform others about your company – it is time to think about who will it will be designed for.

Who is your target audience?

Spend some time thinking about your target audience.  Are there any industry specific “pain points” that your product or company can help with?  Make sure to note those for next step. 

Design

Consistency with current marketing efforts.

It is critical that your brand carry through to the brochure as well as all other marketing materials.  Make sure you are using consistent colors, common icons, and your normal logo.  Every time you design (or have designed) a piece of marketing collateral, you are creating an opportunity to strengthen your brand.  Make sure you are using that opportunity to its full capacity.

Think about “the fold”

When designing your brochure, you want to be conscious of the folds.  Over time, text written on the folds will deteriorate.  Try to ensure that your text doesn’t go over the folds.  However, if if your design mandates that text do go over the folds ensure the words line up in such a way that the missing letter or two will not take away from the meaning.  Quite often you can sacrifice letters and still convey the message.  Take this example: “Th qck brwn fx jmpd vr th lzy dg;” even with the vowels removed, you can still read it.  It’s not a show stopper, but certainly something to keep in mind.

First impressions

When someone picks up your brochure, they usually skim the front.  The first portion they really pay attention to is the back panel.  This is the first panel you see when you open the brochure.  See Figure 2.  Quite often people spend more time on the inside portion of the brochure.  While very important, you have to entice your reader to get there first.  The opposite side of the front cover is probably next most important.  Why should they open further?  Maybe you can use a visual asset to guide them in.

Write the content & add the images

Now that you have identified all the previous things, it’s time to establish your content.  Write in a clear, concise manner that is straightforward and direct.  Avoid abstract examples that require intimate industry knowledge or other reasons for the reader to think.  Make the copy as short as possible, and add only as much detail as you can in a clean text layout.  After the content, select any images and photographs that are appropriate.  If you are going to print in black and white, be sure the photos will look good in black and white.  Quite often there are additional factors like brightness and contrast that also need adjustment.  If this is something you are not comfortable doing, your printer can probably help.  Try to avoid standard abstract photos that do not directly tie to your message.  Finally, don’t just rely on built-in spelling and grammar checks.  Quite often they will miss things like inappropriate usage of their, there, they’re, but your readers will not.  Print, review, share, review it some more—you can never proofread enough.

The obvious is only obvious when…

Take a minute to think about the following items:  How will the reader contact you? How can you track the response from the brochure?  You would be surprised how often brochures are printed with common things missing.  Make sure to include your website address, telephone number, and mailing address.  If you have a direct contact for this marketing campaign, be sure to include that information as well.

Production

Contract a few print vendors.

Unless you already have a vendor you work with, it is a good idea to send the document to a few choices.  Get a sample print and complete pricing for the printing and the folding.  If you need it quickly be sure to express that as well.  When quoting the printing, be sure to ask about the cost for full bleed pricing if you want your printing to go all the way to the edges.  If you go with a thicker cardstock, ask about the cost of hand scoring and folding.  Also, confirm the receipt of the document, and that the format is appropriate and ready for printing.  You don’t want any hidden “adjustment fees” that you did not anticipate.  They can add up and are non-refundable.

Get a proof.

The purpose of a proof is to review the document.  Share it with several people, look at how the folds appear, review the words by reading the document backwards.  You may be surprised by how many mistakes can be found this way.  After the proof has been reviewed numerous times, commission the printing. 

Enjoy your brochure!

Too often I receive an email message, letter in the mail, or see a flyer somewhere that leaves me with a negative impression of the business that created it.  Hard earned dollars went into that piece of marketing and it was riddled with spelling and grammatical errors, had blurry images or, in some extreme cases, it was just plain incoherent.

For the first issue of Simplify IT! Pro Marketing Tips I have assembled a few things that I try to keep in mind while producing marketing materials, internal documents or anything that I plan on showing to someone else.  Some of these may seem simple and obvious, but as they say… “The obvious is only obvious once someone points it out!”

I hope you find these tips as useful for you, as I have found them effective for me!

Typeface

Not a common issue, but a good place to start, as getting these decisions nailed down upfront may save you time later on.  Some fonts are just easier to read than others.  If you have the latest copy of Microsoft Office, you will notice a complete rethinking of the “normal” style set.  It uses very clean, non-serif type for the main body, and accents your headings and points of interest with subtle differences.  Try to stick to two or three fonts at max for a single piece. Too many fonts will lead to a distracting and muddled message.

Length of Copy

This depends on the format of the message. I usually try to keep in mind that my target is busy. They do not really have the time to give my postcard, email, or flyer the attention that (at least I feel) it deserves.  That said, I try to break larger sections into shorter paragraphs with headings.  This empowers my reader by allowing them to scan the piece, jump to the section that is relevant to them, and immediately gain value!  This is a win-win for the both of us.

Pictures

Are they really worth a thousand words?  Personally, I haven’t seen many images, photos, or even illustrations that are that detailed.  It has to be a very compelling image in order to effectively replace a short, succinct message that actually is worth …well… at least a few hundred words.  Most often, pictures do provide visual interest, but you should be careful not to hide your message behind potentially distracting imagery.  If it doesn’t contribute to your message, it is not necessary.

Paper Quality

This one is subtle, but extremely important.  Next time you go through your mail, pay special attention to your reaction to the various pieces.  I have conducted several case studies on this, and nearly all of the higher quality paper correspondence gets read (or at least glanced at a bit longer) than the standard copy paper “competitors.”  Yep, I called the other mail competitors.  They are competing for the limited amount of time my target has, and I need to do whatever I can to grab their attention.  A decent linen stationary set will help you do just that!

Image Quality

If you are creating images for your website, advertisement, brochure, newsletter or anything else with your name on it, take special care to ensure that they are a clean, crisp reproduction.  Using images from the web on something you’re sending off to have printed will usually result in blurry frustrations.  Avoid this by either spending a little time researching this topic, or contact your printer or marketing consultant and ask for guidance.   Don’t know where to start? Let me know and I will point you in the right direction.

Proofreading

I have actually seen a billboard with the improper use of “their.” With today’s tools, everyone has access to a spell check, (most tools also have a decent grammar check) but we all have time!  What do I mean by time?  I am talking about the importance of taking the time to print the document, read it “on paper,” and review.  You will be amazed at how much you find holding it in your hand vs. reading it on-screen.  Send a copy off to a friend and ask for a quick review, a fresh pair of eyes may catch something you are overlooking by being too close to the topic.  Remember, you only get one chance to make a first impression?  This is your opportunity to make it a good one.

Consistency

Finally, take all the things you produce, establish a standard, and stick to it!  Type a short document to remind yourself later about the fonts, typefaces, colors, tag lines and general layouts that you have settled on, and save it in a handy place.  Consistency helps build familiarity.

In today’s marketplace it requires a tremendous amount of marketing effort to build a business.  Unfortunately many people are not aggressively doing what needs to be done and that can cause rough waves in an already uncertain path.

Competition in nearly all industries has increased tremendously.  People have become more comfortable buying online and selling online has not only become affordable to small businesses but has become a necessity.  In addition to finding customers, there is no guarantee that once you do – that they will come back.

Clarify your values and your mission

The most important step and often times the most neglected.  The vision and mission of any marketing effort ensures that all people, teams and even you are on the same page and working towards the same goals.  Take time to write out what your values are, and create a statement that clearly defines what you offer your customers and clients.  Don’t spend too much time on this, but get it down on paper.  Later in the process if you find yourself getting off track, review the written mission.

Effective and realistic planning

Marketing is a funny thing.  There is no one-size fits-all project plan for marketing efforts.  The key is to write down and think about all the associated tasks and steps you want to accomplish and realistically assign an amount of time to complete them.  The more you go over the plan and review what you need to do the more complete it will be.  Watch out for “analysis paralysis” but be complete.

Create a focused marketing message

It doesn’t matter if you are trying to increase brand awareness, introduce a new product or expand your service to a new market having a focused and succinct marketing message is critical.  Figure out the best way to answer the question “What can you do for me” to your potential customers and answer it!

Take action

It has been said “The hardest thing about getting started, is getting started!”  Take that plan you created… It’s time to get to work. Handle the day-to-day tasks, but keep the long-term goals in mind as you do.

Have realistic expectations

Many people expect overnight results and give up too quickly when they don’t happen as quickly as they hoped.  Unrealistic expectations lead to frustration and dissatisfaction.  Talk to other business people that have done similar things and find out what they are experiencing at any given time.  You may be surprised at what you learn.

Be persistent and persevere

There are going to be times when you get frustrated with the progress or results you are getting.  There will be times where things can appear so overwhelming you that you want to throw your hands in the air and quit or change gears too early.  One of the biggest problems with marketing endeavors is changing the path before you have had a chance to see if it worked.

Wash rinse and repeat

Track the marketing efforts, and store those results.  Compare them with previous attempts and identify the differences between them.  Redefine the marketing plan implementing the findings and run it again.  You will not always improve upon the previous time.  Sometimes too much of a good thing can even be bad.  Remember that, review the results and realign the plan.

Always Have One on Hand

A well designed card is useless if you don’t have some on you to hand out.  Always make sure you have plenty on standby.  Hide several in your coat, your car, your wallet (or purse), and before heading to any event, gathering or anywhere else – make sure you grab several to have in your pocket – make this a habit!

Keep it Simple

When designing your card, make sure that you keep it simple.  Don’t hide your message, name , or number by unnecessary graphics and verbiage.  The more to the point, and the clearer the information – the more likely someone will hang onto the card.  In addition, at a glance, the card will reaffirm what you have told them in person, and create a brand impression.

Use Larger Fonts

Print proofs of your business card and ask people slightly older than your demographic to take a look at it.  You do this for two things, one – to get a hands on feel for the need for glasses, and to target people that might have great sight for their age – but will reflect prospects within your target that have diminishing eyesight.  You don’t want your card to require glasses from anyone, choose your font size appropriately.

Too Important for Free

Again, you are increasing your professionalism.  Don’t skimp out for free cards that print “FREE” on the back.  Don’t skimp out on paper – the tactile nature of business cards can (and yours will) make people stop and look again.  Make sure to use good paper, a trusted source for the printing, and get a fair price.

Highlight Important Information

If you are looking for a phone call, make sure the phone number is bolded or highlighted in some fashion.  If you want them to send you an email or visit your website – bold that.  Keep it to a minimum though, so that all of your methods of contact don’t end up hiding each other.

Include your Website and Email Addresses

If you don’t have a website address, it’s time to get one! People are now used to check businesses out on the internet before committing to action.  A simple five-page website doesn’t cost much, but can be the difference between gaining a new client or not.  In addition, your website can cover all the information that your business card cannot.

Don’t Use Old Cards

It looks highly unprofessional to cross out your phone number or email address and hand write something in its place.  All it says to the customer is that you are too cheap to buy new cards – the result of a business that is not getting much business.

Keep It in Their Pockets

By putting some kind of an offer on the back of the card, and handing the card upside down (so they can see your offer) you will give them an additional reason to call you.  This can be 10% off of your service, a free consultation, a sample of your products, etc.

Hand Write Your Cell Number

Do not list one of either your cell number or your direct dial number on your card.  When talking with important potential clients, this gives you a great opportunity to say “Here, let me give you my direct number.”  This speaks volumes, and compels them to keep the card.