Developing a business brochure is a great idea for the young entrepreneur. The content of the brochure answers a lot more questions about your business than the typical business card. Sometimes it’s hard to get a face to face meeting set up with a potential client and a brochure filled with information about your business can be a great door opener. A brochure is even better than a phone call because time is so valuable these days. The content of your brochure can answer questions and even generate new ones, which leads to sales. The brochure actually can be the catalyst for setting up an initial meeting. The phone call and email communication are just tools to reinforce what the brochure has expressed.
Now that you have done some initial leg work such as collecting different brochures, identifying your target customer and doing some market research and evaluating your business from the inside out it’s time to write the content for the brochure.
The words you used for the content are tools to sell the idea. It’s sort of like selling the sizzle and then selling the steak later. Choose words that are descriptive and imaginative, so the reader can get a mental picture in his mind. Most of us form ideas and beliefs around the words we read, so pick words that send a positive message about you, your business and exactly what you want him to do.
So when choosing words remember to:
Use words that create a positive mental picture for the reader.
Be descriptive about you, your business and product, but don’t be confusing by using long sentences or big words.
Be positive in the way you format the words. Tell the reader what you want him to do or what he should do after reading the brochure. Everybody needs direction and a purpose in order to act or react.
As you write the words form a mental picture and tell that story in the brochure with visual content you use. The brochure must make sense to you, before anyone else can form an association with it. Use simple photos that develop a story that reinforces the word content of the brochure. Some people won’t read the words; they will just look at the photos or sketches and draw an opinion about you, your company and product. As the old saying goes; a picture is worth a thousand words, and as far as brochure content is concerned that's a reality.
The next step or it may even be the first step depending on how your mind works, is to develop a color story. What color print will you use? What color are the pages? Do you format one page of print and one page of words, or do you put the print under the words? Others brochures can give you an idea of what each format looks like and then you can decide what works for you.
First impressions are lasting impressions, so the front cover, as well as the back cover, is a key factor on whether the reader ever opens the brochure in the first place. The print size, its color, the visual development of the front and back must say: read more, open me. Everyone is motivated by different factors but the content of the cover and back cover set the mood for the reader. The reader will form an idea about what’s inside based on what he see outside. Your job is to convince him that the content of the brochure is worth the time he spends with it. That can be done in many different ways, but the most effective way is to believe in what you are doing and then get some impressions from people who will give you honest feedback. The feedback does not necessarily mean that their approach is better, but it gives you the option to combine approaches or look at an aspect of the development that you missed. Feedback helps you do a more focused job.
Creating and developing effective brochure content pays off in many ways. It has no expiration date and your business will grow in many different directions because of the brochure. It’s your expression and your creativity so enjoy the experience, because once you have created one, another one is just a thought away.
