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.

---

Roping In Loyal Customers While Making An Extra Profit!

You've probably bought a book or two at one of... Read More

Looking for Sky In All The Wrong Places

Ever sit with a single puzzle piece of clouds and... Read More

Using Purchased Leads

A little advice about using leads that you purchase from... Read More

What the Heck is a Campaign and Why Do I Need to Do One?

Many people ask me, "What is a postcard campaign, exactly?"... Read More

Marketing Your Franchise Online

Do you want to successfully market your business franchise online?... Read More

Write Effective Fundraising Letters By Being Conversational (Includes Examples & Samples)

I am doing what you do, sitting at my computer,... Read More

Real Estate Investing - Writing Killer Postcards to Attract Motivated Sellers!

So many of you have been telling us that you're... Read More

Marketing: Can I Trust You?

We live in an unprecedented era of communication. Because of... Read More

Fundraising Letter Envelopes: How To Make Them Irresistible

Readers spend only a few seconds deciding the fate of... Read More

Benefits of Developing & Maintaining a Database

A database is more than a simple list of names... Read More

Marketing Strategy - Whats Your System?

Where Do Most of Your Clients Come From?Is it from... Read More

Top 10 Ways to Create and Manage Opportunity

Most of us are used to the concepts of risk... Read More

Marketing Lessons from Santa

If a nonexistent man can change the world and millions... Read More

Your Headlines Are Key To Your Success Or Failure. Do You Know What To Write?

Most professional copywriters would say that headlines account for 80%... Read More

E-commerce : The Bottom of Pyramid Approach

For centuries and most of the decades in the 20th... Read More

Contrarian Marketing at Benettons

Perhaps, with apologies to Dale Carnegie, we should call this... Read More

Great Marketing is Like Making a Great Movie

KNOW YOUR AUDIENCEThe Oscars will be handed out soon, and... Read More

Marketing is More Than Advertising

Marketing is a business process about which much is written,... Read More

Mail Can Make You Money

Are you still waiting for business to turn around before... Read More

Getting Personal ? Innovative Marketing for Small Business Owners

The small business marketing strategy you can't afford to miss... Read More

Hold Onto What Youve Got

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

Marketing Without Ego

Our ego can get in the way of marketing our... Read More

Whats Your Marketing Weak Link?

Your marketing weak link could be undermining the rest of... Read More

The Secret to Good Writing

Skilful business writing involves getting your message across simply and... Read More

The Biggest Problem With Your Marketing Is...?

What is the biggest problem most marketers have? Who knows.... Read More

The 4 P s of Marketing: Effective Marketing Programs Depend On Them

There is no shortage of marketing programs, many with great... Read More

Coupons that Work

Turn a coupon into a business card (or vice versa).Coupons... Read More

Marketing Hat for Graphic Designers or Wannabe?s

Many people think that the quality of any graphic design... Read More

5 Ways To Entice Your Parallel Market to Trade Links

Lots of people get confounded when attempting to exchange links,... Read More

Testimonials - FREE Quality Advertising FOR YOU!

Every business person who has any kind of product or... Read More

How Much Is Your Popcorn Worth? Powerful Lessons In Marketing & The Psychology Of Selling - Part 4

Let's continue to discuss the various marketing principles that are... Read More

You Cannot - Not Market

Everything you do - or don't do sends a message... Read More

The Path To Your Prospects Wallet Begins At His Heart

You want your prospect to make the decision to buy... Read More