Copywriting Tutorial 7
"Make Your Brochures
Tell and SELL!"

"Is Your Brochure A Sales Tool
Or An Information Pamphlet?"

How's your ego?

Were you filled with heart-pounding pride when your designer showed you his latest work of art? Did your chest swell just a little when your beautiful company logo smiled out at you from that wonderfully laid out front page? And did you experience a nice warm glow at the sight of that magnificent full colored artwork and those artistically crafted graphics.

Well good for you. A company brochure should project a first class image. After all, you do want potential customers to think highly of you. And your brochure should be really good to look at - it cost a fortune to produce!

Now for the hard bit. Ask yourself this question;

"Does it actually SELL?"

If you can honestly answer yes, congratulate yourself and go to the next page. Because you are one of the minority of business people who actually has a brochure that produces sales!

Everywhere we go we have brochures thrust in our faces. Stores, banks, post offices, libraries, town halls. In fact I think you would be hard pressed to think of many places where you can't get a brochure. It seems that everyone has an insatiable desire to have one printed. Yet sales assistants give them away as if they are worthless bits of paper. And the sad fact is - most of them are.

Take a walk around your local city centre and I guarantee that within 5 minutes you can collect 50 or more different brochures. Try it. Because once you begin looking for them you will find that we are awash with expensive glossy statements about products and services that do absolutely nothing for us. They do however do something for the companies that produce them. They massage the egos of the marketing managers who wrote them.

Ask any one of them if the cost of their brochure contributes to the profits of their company. Most will change the subject. Ask how many enquiries are stimulated by this wondrous work of art, and they will probably remember an urgent phone call they have to make. Then (if you still catch their attention) ask exactly why the brochure was produced. It's odds-on that rarely will the answer be "to sell".

"You must make every penny count"

But the savvy marketer - usually the entrepreneur who actually pays for the brochure - knows every advertising penny should be spent to achieve one thing. Sales. And a brochure is no exception.

OK. I'm not advocating that every brochure should be a hard sell that goes straight for the jugular. A brochure is usually a more 'relaxed' form of advertising, but that is no excuse for bland Copywriting. If you simply wish to make a statement about your company try a megaphone. It's cheaper and far more effective.

Yes, your brochure should describe your product and explain how your company operates. But it should contain benefits, benefits and even more benefits. And your copy should be exciting and stimulating enough to motivate the reader into some form of response. Even if it is simply to phone you for more information, or to steer them back to your sales letter or order card. Always, always, always include contact information, and tell the reader how to order. If it is accompanying a sales letter it may become separated, or passed on to someone else. And if they can't contact you...?

"The basic brochure layout"

Brochures come in many shapes and sizes (don't we all?) but let us consider a tri-fold (gatefold) design. In case you're not familiar with the term this is an A4 (US letter) sheet folded 3 times and printed on both sides. This gives us 6 pages (or panels) in all.

The front page (panel 1) of your brochure should be used only as a 'teaser', with a powerfully designed headline that stirs interest. (If you missed the chapter on writing powerful headlines click here). It should create sufficient curiosity in the reader to make her want to turn the page and see what's inside. Remember, if she doesn't look inside then your brochure has failed.

A front page showing nothing but your beautifully designed logo is useless. The only person interested in your logo is you! I know you may have sweated for hours or even days designing it, but who cares? I don't. And neither does your reader. (My logo is an exception of course. Don't you think it's beautiful?)

Although your headline doesn't have to mention the product, I would recommend doing so in most cases. And don't be too cute with your teaser. You don't want to annoy anyone who turns the page to find your message is totally unconnected to your headline. This can be overcome in many instances by thoughtful use of an illustration or photograph. For example let us say we are selling our world beating 'Speedy Iron'.

With our headline;

"FREE To Every Harassed Mom,
3 Hours A Week All To Yourself"

we could perhaps show a picture of the trusty Speedy Iron in the foreground hanging on the wall near a pile of freshly ironed clothes. And there in the background is mom with her feet up, reading a book.

"Inside the cover"

Use the full spread of all 3 inside pages (panels 2,3,4). Your brochure will create a much greater impression if your reader is encouraged to open it up in it's entirety. Far too many brochures fail to exploit this fundamental principle. The full page gives you so much more room to make maximum use of pictures and graphics.Your headline can reach across 3 panels, making it far more striking. And the extra space allows you to make use of much larger font sizes.

But please don't be tempted to fill all that wonderful empty space with text. Make maximum use of it with pictures and empty space. That's where your designer should really come into his own.

Describe the features of your product and show how it will benefit the reader. And a good guide is to contain your text in invisible boxes, with plenty of space and illustrations to compliment the message. If you rigidly stick to individual panels, your brochure will appear cluttered and boring. And even though your pages may contain more technical copy than 'sales copy' you still need to instill a sense of excitement and interest.

"Testimonials"

The next page (panel 5) is an ideal place for testimonials. What, you haven't got any?? Shame on you. I suggest you get some and get them FAST. I have two words that describe a good testimonial - GOLD DUST. A couple of glowing testimonials in your brochure will sell more product than a whole page of text.

And please avoid the old cliche "Don't take our word for it - see what our customers have to say". If you think I may doubt your word, you need to re-write your copy. Your testimonials are there to reinforce your integrity! So try a little originality and lead your reader's eye into them. (Have a look at how I present mine.) This page is also a good spot for technical details as long as you are confident they will benefit the reader. And please - no jargon!

The last page (panel 6) can be used for your call to action. Always show your contact details, including your web site address, as plainly as possible and tell the reader what to do next! Don't pussyfoot around. Tell her to "telephone for more information", or "present this brochure at your store and claim your 10% discount" etc.

Oh, and one last thing. On this last page you can now show your prospect that unbelievably beautiful logo of yours. Now that will clinch the sale! (Mine will, don't you think?)

Now, what's so different about writing for the Web?