The Mighty Marketing Brochure

"Brochure" is French, and it comes from brocher, meaning to stitch. According to The American Heritage Dictionary, a brochure is "a small booklet or pamphlet, often containing promotional material or product information."

Accurate, yes. And also incomplete.

For one thing, brochures aren't always small. Sometimes they're quite large. As for brochure contents, they vary greatly depending on the situation. A brochure definitely can be more than a pamphlet or small booklet, coming in all shapes, sizes and a range of folds.

While brochures are found practically everywhere -- used by businesses and organizations of all types and sizes -- they're not the answer to all communication needs. Nor are they obsolete due to the Web.

What Can a Brochure Do?

Actually, a lot. First, determine your purpose or objectives.

Will your brochure generate sales or leads? Fulfill inquiries, support the sales force or be displayed at the point of sale? Will you use your brochure as a direct-mail piece or a leave-behind?

The brochure can do one or all of the above with careful planning. Here are some more functions of the brochure:

• Provide product and service information
• Support trade shows and conventions
• Provide news (about products, services, company, industry)
• Build company identity
• Educate prospects and customers

What are you trying to accomplish? Once you decide, you're ready to start putting your brochure together.

What Goes in a Brochure?

Following are some common subjects for three areas brochures cover most: products, services and corporate or organization capabilities.

• Introduction
• Products
• Services
• Features
• Benefits
• How It Works
• Markets/Audiences
• Applications
• Specifications
• Testimonials
• FAQ
• Company history
• Call to action
• Client list
• Mission statement or business philosophy
• Awards
• Contact info

Keep It Simple

Although a brochure can do a lot, keep it simple. Zero in on your audience and purpose, and the rest will fall into place. Consider the format, page size and how the brochure will fold. Decide on visuals, fonts, colors, paper stock and other design characteristics.

As for copy, put a strong headline on the cover. Capture the right tone, and make sure copy has a logical flow. As a rule, keep sections short, incorporating plenty of subheads.

It's always wise to include a call to action. What do you want people to do after they read the brochure? Finally, make sure you know how your brochure fits into your overall marketing program.

(c) 2005 Neil Sagebiel

Neil Sagebiel is a veteran copywriter and publisher of "Headlines from Floyd," a FREE monthly ezine for those who want proven copywriting and marketing tips to generating more business. To sign up and also get a FREE bonus report, "Close More Sales with Testimonials," visit http://www.neilsagebiel.com.

---

Does The Market Really Want It?

At the very heart of any successful marketing strategy is... Read More

Ten Crucial Questions

Ten Crucial Questions for Your Business Future I'm... Read More

Communication Breakdown - Dont Let It Happen To You

Do you have Communication breakdown?How are you communicating with your... Read More

How To Get Celebrities To Endorse YOUR Product

How would you like celebrities to endorse your product?Perhaps that... Read More

10 Simple Ways to Boost Your Sales IMMIDIATELY!

Alright you've got yourself a nice website with a great... Read More

People Arent Interested in You or Your Company

Does your Web site talk about your company? Yes, I... Read More

How To Let Your Customers Search For YOU! ? Part 2

First I want to welcome you to part two of... Read More

These Four Things Will Make Your Direct Marketing Successful

Direct marketing is built on four things. The other way... Read More

Think Creatively While Reinventing Your Marketing and Selling -- Its For Your Survival!

We live in a world that for many has become... Read More

How Much Is Your Popcorn Worth? Powerful Lessons In Marketing & The Psychology Of Selling - Part 3

To read the beginning of this special report, you can... Read More

Why Do You Need to be in the SERPS?

Why does your business need to be in the Search... Read More

Packaging Made Frozen TV Dinners Possible

I was saddened to hear of the passing of one... Read More

3 High-Impact Fixes For Your Marketing Woes

How many times has your competitor gotten one over on... Read More

The Seven Vital Steps You Must Know To Ensure Direct Mail Success

1. Your Most Valuable AssetA mailing list of valued customers... Read More

How to Turn Your Marketing Into a Money-Making Machine - Preparing for Marketing That Yields Results

The usual complaint from companies is that Marketing simply does... Read More

Why Your Sales Copy Should Be Written As If It Will Never Be Read At All!

What is enthusiasm?Well, consulting good ol' Mr. Webster, you could... Read More

Maximizing Your Yellow Page Investment

Yellow Page users are the hottest of all prospects ?... Read More

Why Instant Gratification Marketing Condemns Businesses To Losing 90% Of Their Potential Customers

Most businesses target only people "ready-to-buy". These hot prospects are... Read More

Marketing vs Selling - Why Theres A Difference

Marketing is something that we do to let people know... Read More

Mastering the ABCDs of Small Business Marketing & Selling

I believe that small business marketing and selling follows a... Read More

Target Market - 3 Big Reasons You Need To Know Yours

Rule Number One when writing marketing materials is "Know Your... Read More

Wise Man Marketing

It's a sunny morning and you're sitting in your office.... Read More

Beyond Fear And Greed: Emotions That Sell

Fear and Greed. The stock-in-trade of sales. Appeal to them,... Read More

Rising Postal Rates? Don?t Cut Down the Direct Mail

The United States Post Office in the past had some... Read More

Celebrity Product Placement: A Primer

With more and more companies wanting to integrate their products... Read More

Optimizing Your Email Marketing

Email CampaignsEmail marketing can be a tremendously valuable tool for... Read More

Hold Onto What Youve Got

You probably spend a great deal of your time looking... Read More

Down To The Wire

When you want to win and woo new clients with... Read More

Marketing Is A Long-Term Investment

"Dig your well before you're thirsty" is the title of... Read More

8 BIG Benefits To Selling Big Ticket Items

Ok, before we get down to the benefits of... Read More

Always Sell To New Eyes And New Ears

One of the hardest things for you to do as... Read More

Five Marketing Tips to Double Profits

It's a startling fact: almost all entrepreneurs aren't marketing their... Read More

Census Data Mapping for Small Business

When studying the demographics of an area for a business... Read More