Tips For Writing Better Brochures

By Larry Livingston

So you want to write a brochure… No problem. Just write down what you do. Right?

Not necessarily so…

A brochure I recently read provided great detail about the person supplying the service. It described schooling, family members, and extra curricular activities (that had nothing to do with the service provided). It gave me no idea why I should use his service. Oh, he sounded like a great person, but what was this service going to do for me? Granted, he had attended nice schools, had a great family, and climbed mountains, but what made him good at this service? There was no way to know from the brochure.

That's just one example of how not to write a brochure.

To make your brochure effective, there are a number of things to consider. First, let's talk about:

Getting Started…

Before you can write an effective brochure, you must make some important decisions. First: What's it going to do? What do you want the brochure to accomplish? There are two basic jobs of brochures:

1. Explains how a product or service works
2. Sells the product or service to the reader by highlighting its advantages, benefits, and applications.

The second decision you must make: What type of brochure will it be? Your content will differ depending on what you are describing. The three basic types are:

1. Product
2. Service
3. Capabilities (also known as a corporate or company brochure)

Another thing you need to decide is: How will the brochure be used? When you write, you must keep in mind the purpose of the brochure and write to that purpose. Some typical uses are:

1. As leave-behinds - Sales people leave these behind after a sales call. This type of brochure should include your sales message, the benefits and description of the products and the next step in the sales process.

2. As point of sale literature - Used often as an initial contact with the customer, such as those in a travel agency or a bank.

3. To respond to inquiries - Provides more information about your product and tells the reader the next step in the process.

4. As direct mail - May be mailed directly to the prospect. Can be used to either get leads or generate sales.

5. As a sales support tool - Sales people use these as selling aids in their sales pitches.

Now that you've made these decisions, you can start:

Writing Your Brochure…

For a brochure to be effective, consider these things when you write:

1. Decide on the target audience. Once you define the target audience, you want to write to interest this group.

2. Involve the reader (What's In It For Me?). Spark the reader's interest and give her reason to read.

3. Stress benefits, not features. Features describe bare facts about a product or service, such as how it works, what it looks like, where it is made, etc. To make your brochure effective, you must translate those features into benefits. Benefits tell the reader what your product or service can do for her - keeping her interested and reading.

4. Start selling on the cover. It is the cover that makes your audience either read further or toss it. The cover should display a strong selling message, preferably in headline form. It will grab the prospect's attention and keep her reading.

5. Write to one "typical" reader in your selected audience.

6. Strive for a personal tone. People are much more likely to do business with you if your tone is personal instead of stiff or dull. Visualize that "typical" reader you've chosen and speak to her.

7. Use testimonials for believability. Success breeds success. People will respond better after hearing of someone else's success with your product or service. But remember: These must be real. Never fake it!

This is by no means all there is to know about writing brochures, but it will get you started. If you follow these suggestions, you are more likely to come closer to the outcome you're seeking.