Sales brochures are popular marketing tools because they're small enough to market anywhere – mail, leave-behind, point-of-sale – yet they're large enough to include plenty of desire-creating information that motivates customers to take the next step in the purchasing process. But printing brochures alone won't make you money; you have to employ a brochure design strategy that works. To get better results, incorporate the following 10 tricks for brochures that sell.
1. Make an offer
Many brochures do not include an offer, but adding a time-limited offer to your brochures can land more sales faster. If you have a great offer, potential customers will want to act now, rather than later, to take advantage of it. Include a call to action and a perforated coupon to make your brochure even more powerful.
2. Put your benefit (and offer) in your headline
A large, bold headline that reveals your key benefit, as well as your offer, will attract more customer attention and motivate customers to read the rest of your brochure.
3. Crisp, meaningful copy
Avoid large chunks of text. Customers will not slosh through a sea of paragraphs. Instead, break up your text into one to three sentence slices. Use bullet points, call-out boxes, and other layout techniques to highlight key benefits and other data.
4. Large images
Large images look great in brochures. Forget the boxes and borders; make images part of your background, and wrap text around foreground images. Show your customer exactly what they're getting, or use images to stir emotion.
5. Attention-getting design
A compelling design will command attention for your brochure, thus increasing the chances that your headline is read, that the rest of your brochure is read, and that more customers will take action.
6. Comparison charts and graphs
Use visuals to compare data, such as how your product performs against competitors or how different models of a product type compare against one another. Visuals are easier for customers to understand, and they have more impact.
7. Design flow
Use design as a guide for your customers' eyes, directing them to your most important information and your call to action. Good designers know how to create natural flow through the use of headlines, images, white space, boxes and even arrows.
8. Testimonials and ratings
If your product or company has great testimonials, ratings, reviews, endorsements or has won an award, make sure they're included in your brochure. When people see referrals from people like them or sources they trust, they're more likely to buy.
9. Premium printing
Print your brochures professionally on premium paper stock. Professional printing makes you look professional, and when you do the math, it's actually cheaper than desktop printing.
10. Interactivity
Make your brochure interactive with QR codes and other media customers can scan with their devices to learn more about your product, watch a video, or buy immediately.