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Developing Successful Sales Brochures

Developing Successful Sales Brochures

The goal of a sales brochure is to generate sales. Secondary goals include building awareness of your products or services, setting you apart from competitors, and enhancing your brand image. A great brochure is professional and visually appealing, draws the reader in, delivers a specific message, and meets your audience’s needs.

In short, think of a sales brochure as having two purposes, depending on your customers:

  • A customer with an immediate need will review the brochure and contact your firm for goods or services. Here, your brochure generates a relatively immediate response.
  • A customer does not require your goods or services at this time but may later, so your brochure creates market awareness for future purposes.

Because a sales brochure should satisfy the needs of both audience types, developing your materials requires planning and thought. The key is to answer a few basic questions before you get started – the answers will help you develop your message:

  • Who is my audience? Evaluate your audience’s needs and what problems your business can solve for them.
  • How can I best get my audience’s attention? Determine if your audience is motivated by price, service, delivery, or other factors. Identify the things that move them to act quickly.
  • What types of brochures do they typically receive? Consider how you can ensure your brochure stands out and enhances your professional image.

After collecting the necessary information, brainstorm what you need to feature in your brochure. Here are some simple steps to create an effective brochure:

  • Craft a great headline. Your brochure’s main message should address your audience’s interests, needs, and problems and how you will solve those issues. Focus on your customers, not on your company. Customers don’t want to know what you do. They want to know what you will do for them.
  • Add appealing visuals. A great brochure catches the eye. Make sure photos and graphic elements enhance rather than distract from your message. Ensure that the photos you include support the story you tell readers. For example, a picture of a person cutting grass may explain your services. Still, one of the delighted homeowners looking at a fantastic lawn explains the benefits of what the customer receives.
  • Create logical groupings. Make it easy for readers to scan your brochure. Provide service descriptions in one area, contact information in another, and background information on your company in another. Your layout should be clean, simple, and easy to follow. The readers should be able to quickly locate the information they are seeking.
  • Keep descriptions simple. Unless you provide highly technical or sophisticated products or services, keep descriptions brief and to the point. You can squeeze in as many product and service descriptions as possible. Don’t. Focus on what interests your audience and concisely provide that information.
  • Include a clear call to action. Offer incentives for a particular action. Provide free quotes or free samples. Entice your readers and give them a reason to take action. Remember, some brochures may be filed away for months or even years; if you include a special offer, specify when that offer will expire.

Once your content is ready, consider using a professional designer to create the actual brochure. Design is a specialized skill. A good designer can make your text and photos shine. After you’ve worked hard to identify your audience and speak to their needs, don’t let a lousy design dilute your great message.

Next, use quality materials. Good paper and superior printing enhance your business image and product/service appeal. If nothing else, a beautiful piece is much harder to throw away.

As a final test, imagine handing the brochure to a potential customer. Will you feel proud? If not, head back to the drawing board. No matter how you distribute your brochures – by mail, in your media kit, at trade shows, or in packaging – you should always be pleased with what you have created.

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