Have you ever thought that a brochure can be one of the most compelling of all your marketing materials?

It is a simple piece of paper but the initial impact that your brochure creates is fundamental. If it’s shabby and unpresentable your prospect is left with the same opinion. This will slow your business growth.

Having a leaflet professionally designed and printed is a key to winning in a crowded market. Taking the time to make sure that your pamphlet delivers all the key information in a way that is easily figured is something that only a professional can do.

If you are just starting out in business you may be tempted to do your pamphlet yourself. When I first started in business I did everything myself – not a smart choice. That is why it took me 12 years before I was even relatively prosperous. Heed my warning – go professional from day one on your marketing materials. They are an investment and not an expense. Professionally created materials will deliver you customers and the cash flow to follow – the reason why you are in business.

A leaflet has to use eye-catching design. It has to be succinct in terms of the content and last but not the least, it must be successful in tempting people to make that call of action.

Here are three key design principles to follow when producing a booklet. Use them and you will see your results flow.

1. The cover:

The cover is your sales representative. Leaflets are quite passive tools and you are not often able to ‘walk’ individuals through your brochure. So you need to energize people to read further. The cover is the beginning point so must be tantalising and sharing the KEY values of WHY someone should read further. It should answer the WIFM question – What’s in it for me.

A great design company will show you at least three to four cover designs for your leaflet. Analyse these designs to see which excites you the most. Ask your friends their opinion. Does the cover answer the question WIFM? If it doesn’t stimulate and answer the WIFM question, then skip to another design that works or get it redesigned. Taking the time here to get it right will pay premiums later.

2. The Content:

Once they are past the front over then the message has to become the sales rep. So once again, the pressure is on to be good. Do not opt for cheap inept content writers or ask the designer to write the content or worst still do it yourself. Instead make sure that a professional copywriter is doing the work. If your design company does not have a copywriter then engage one yourself.

Check Out that all the important questions that a likely customer will have about your merchandise are answered in a way that gets them to call you for more information. Do not go into ‘overkill mode’ and flood them with too much information at this point in time. Remember the brochure’s job is to excite and get people to call you.

3. The call for action:

If your likely customer has read the leaflet then you have done a great job. All you need to do now is give them a compelling reason to contact you NOW.

Having things like a free call 0800 or’00 number distinctly presented (in big letters) can make a profound difference. Having an email address is a clear bonus. Make sure these two are distinctly placed in large clear type.

Even give your customers a special voucher on the pamphlet or reference code can help. But above all, make sure that you add a clear call to action. One way to do this is to readdress the KEY value of your service to your prospect in a way that will get them to take action. Remember value is everything. People only buy something that is of value to THEM.

4. The part that got forgotten:

I did this on purpose and only said there were 3 points. Well the final point is the one that can get omitted. It is the ‘dummy’ one. Have you checked that you have these on your booklet:

Phone number | Fax number | Email address | Web address | Country of operation | City / area of operation | Company name | And have you proof read for typo and grammar errors?

Discover how creative catalog designs can accelerate your business growth using qualified graphic design professionals.