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Brochures Not Converting? Here are 6 Fixes

By Jenna Bruce on Mon, Feb 10, 2020 @ 10:26 AM |

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When your inhouse teams hear the word brochure, they may think “collateral” or “sales.” But when most consumers hear the word brochure they think, “boring” and “Where’s the nearest garbage can?”

And can you blame them? Most brochures have been slapped together without much thought or creativity. And that’s a shame, because the truth is, no matter how awesome your products or service might be, if your marketing collateral is lacking, your sales will be lacking.

With this in mind, if your brochures haven’t been converting, here are 6 fixes:

  1. Get Rid of Half Your Text hand drawn light bulb with crumpled paper ball on paper poster as creative concept-1

A lot of business owners make the mistake of using their brochure to list every single feature and benefit of their offer. They end up cramming so much text into the brochure that the reader feels overwhelmed and uninterested in putting in the effort.

A good rule of thumb is to write your brochure, then go through and see if you can cut half of your text and still get your main selling points across. Keep the main purpose of your brochure in mind, and that is to lead your prospect a little further down your sales funnel, where they can then be closed on a phone call or in-person meeting.

Along with too much text, be sure not to load your brochure with too many images. The images you do select should help you tell the story of your product or service and show the benefits to the prospect.

  1. Think Outside the Box

The year is 2020, no one is forcing you to create the same-old flat, pamphlet like collateral. It’s time to get your prospects’ attention by getting creative. If you haven’t tested three-dimensional and interactive print collateral, this is the year to do so. Modern brochure designs engage readers and leave a positive and lasting impression, so if your brochures haven’t been updated in a while, it’s time to think outside the box.

Having said that…

  1. Don’t Make it Hard for Your Prospect to Receive Your Message

While it’s important to be creative with your brochures, don’t go so overboard that your overall messaging gets lost. Ensure that there is a clean functionality to your collateral. How does your brochure unfold and fold? Does the shape and texture align with your company and overall message? Is your message clear or getting lost in the cool design? Having your prospect unfold your brochure and come upon a surprising element can be very engaging; just be sure that surprising element makes sense and supports your brand’s message.

  1. Size Matters

We’ve already discussed the importance of taking your original copy and cutting it in half. Now, with less text, who says you still must place said text in the same-sized brochure. Bigger isn’t always better with print collateral. The great thing about smaller brochures is they are easy to hold and can fit in a purse or pocket.

  1. Go for a Tactile Experience

How do you intend to use your brochure? What is your company all about? How can you take this information and relay it in a tactile way using your print campaign?

There is no invisible gun to your head forcing you to use standard glossy paper for your brochure, so keep the creativity going. Recycled materials are trending right now and show a company’s commitment to supporting the environment.

Ask your printer to show you ALL of the materials available to you and select something in your budget, but that will also make an impact.

  1. Your Brochure Should Have a Utility

Like most business owners, you probably think of your brochure’s utility from your own point of view, meaning what is it going to do for YOU. But, if at all possible, it will help if your brochure can also offer a utility to your prospect.

As an example, we’ve seen brochures that unfold and become a city map. Some show iconic landmarks of the town or city, or pretty images of regional birds. A bus map. We’ve even seen brochures that help someone order sushi.

Don’t use your brochure only to talk about your products and services, see if you can offer the reader something entirely useful.

 

These are just some of the ways you can get your brochures to work harder for you. But we have plenty of other ideas to share with you, so get in touch with us and let’s work together to get you more conversions this year.

creative print ads print ads print marketing Marketing collateral

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