Better
brochures
How
good are you at communicating with your existing and potential
clients?
Whatever your product or service, you need to tell
people that it’s good and why they should buy it. We’re
all bombarded by promotional print so brochures should be as
effective as possible.
Producing
good leaflets doesn’t just rely on selecting
a lively design and cost-effective printer. One of the most important
factors contributing to the success of any brochure is how it
is distributed and another is the quality of the wording, or
copy. You can find advice on effective copy, design, distribution and working
with printers right here.
Before you begin...
Before you begin to write any copy or look for a designer it
is important to be clear about the following points.
What is the purpose of the brochure?
Is it to inform people about your facilities? to encourage them
to make a booking? to make them stay longer? You need to be
clear about what you want the brochure to do, and bear this
in mind during all the stages of production.
How will you distribute the brochure?
Too many brochures are thrown in the bin - not by their recipients
but by the people who produce them, because they have overestimated
the number they need or because the information in the brochure
is no longer relevant.
It is worth spending some time planning the distribution of
your brochure before you even begin to produce it. Distribution
methods will have an impact on the number you need to produce
as well as the preferred format for the leaflet. For example,
if it is to be distributed through standard brochure racks the
most popular finished size is one-third A4, with the name of
your establishment towards the top of the leaflet.
Consider how many brochures you will distribute by direct mail,
at exhibitions, through brochure racks, tourist information centres.
If you are not sure, do a quick calculation of the number of
people on your mailing list, and call some of the outlets through
which you plan to distribute the brochures and ask for their
advice. They will probably welcome being asked - tourist information
centres are often frustrated by the unsolicited bulk supplies
of irrelevant literature which they receive. Most brochure distribution
services are able to give quite accurate estimates of the numbers
of brochures they are likely to distribute on your behalf.
Who are your key target markets?
It is essential to ask yourself this question and to jot down
details of some of your most important markets. Consider factors
such as their age, origin, and interests. When writing copy
and briefing a designer you will find it easier if you think
of one typical client who represents your target audience and
imagine their reaction to your brochure. For example if your
main target is children, why not consider writing a brochure
which is directed at them, not their parents?
Writing
effective copy
Consider
the feeling you want your brochure to convey and the sort of
words your clients might like to read. “Efficient” will
attract the attention of business people but “relax and
unwind” will appeal more to mothers of young children.
The best copy is often the shortest. If you have a strong product
which photographs well, let pictures tell the story, with the
minimum number of words. Before you begin writing, jot down the
points you want to cover as they occur to you, then sort them
into a logical order before you begin to write.
Make
sure you target the reader directly.
YOU!
"You" is a very important word. It instantly attracts your attention.
We all immediately identify with “you” and
assume it means us. Does your promotional literature tell prospective
visitors about your facilities instead of conveying what that
means for them? Try to avoid the words “I” or “we”.
Turn the sentence round to include “you”. For example:
“All
our bedrooms are individually designed and have en-suite facilities"
could be re-written to say:
“You’ll be able to relax in one of our individually
designed bedrooms with a private bathroom”.
The
second sentence is immediately more appealing isn’t
it? Using questions also helps to involve and persuade the reader,
particularly if the answer is almost certainly “Yes”.
For example, “Wouldn’t you just love to escape the
pressures of London and relax in the countryside? Wiltshire offers
the perfect get-away break”.
It’s
important to stop thinking you have an attraction, destination
or hotel to promote. Start to think what people want
and how you can provide it.
Design to Sell
When choosing a designer, try to find some-one with whom you
will enjoy working. Design should be part of a creative process
and you need to be able to express yourself clearly. It helps
if you have set your budget and any restrictions before you start
speaking to designers and printers.
Give
your designer as much background information as possible about
your
aims and organisation - anything is useful because
it helps the designer get a “feel” for the way you
wish to present your product. At this stage advise of any corporate
styles already set - always provide bromides of logos and examples
of any previous publicity material. It is useful to give the
designer some examples of things you like and don’t like
so they can visibly gauge what you are looking for.
Set a schedule for work to be undertaken and bear in mind that
producing a brochure can be a long process. Keep
the design simple. Complicated designs can be confusing and
expensive to print.
Photography
Most brochures include at least some photographs, and nearly
all brochures could be improved by investing in good professional
photography. Remember the following points when selecting or
commissioning photographs:
• Decide in advance what you will need to photograph and
ensure everything is prepared before the photographer arrives.
Don’t be afraid of asking if you can look through the camera
lens to see if particular photographs will include the things
you want to include
•
Use captions on pictures, rather than labels. For example,
a bedroom is obviously a bedroom and does not need labeling
as such, but a caption along the lines of “treat yourself
to a rest” is more compelling.
• Try to show people having fun or carrying out appropriate activities
in the photographs, but do not use people for the sake of it
- a photograph of an attractive hotel bedroom is more likely
to sell than one of the receptionist grinning as she lifts
a phone.
• Avoid anything which will date the photographs such as very
fashionable clothes.
Some general tips:
• You have already identified your typical reader so write
to that person in ordinary everyday English. Read what you have
written aloud to check if it sounds stilted. Write as if you
were talking to some-one - don’t use pompous language which
alienates people.
• If you do decide to use long passages of text (try to avoid
this), make them easier to read. Shorter sentences, shorter
paragraphs and cross-headings (words or phrases picked out
of the text and highlighted) do this.
• Think why people buy - what motivates them?
• Make
sure your copy is readable, especially if older people or children
are likely to read it. Strange type might
attract attention but it distracts from the information it is
supposed to convey.
•
Tell the truth! Don’t oversell so that people are disappointed,
but do remember that you can often minimalise negatives by
making them into a feature, such as slanting floors which suddenly
become quaint signs of an ancient building, not one which is
falling apart.
Susan Briggs
Now
you're ready to get your brochure printed - time to read Mark
Hendriksen's tips on working with printers
Do you ever feel that your printer is speaking another language?
Sometimes think you need a phrase book to know what
they are talking about? Why not download our free
print jargonbuster?
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