Brochures
tell your story
By MARION F. WILKE
Q: I want to make up a brochure to give
to customers and potential customers. How can I be effective?
A: A brochure tells the recipient who you are and what you stand
for. The tone of the brochure sets the core values of your business, as well
as gives people vital information on how to contact you and what services or
products you offer.
Be sure to communicate in language that is simple and straightforward. Imagine
that your reader has only an eighth grade education and use words that he is
sure to understand. Here are some tips to make your preparation easier.
- Make
your brochures easy to read. Use type that is large enough even for older
eyes to see. Don't try to crowd too much on a page—just cover the major
points, and invite readers to contact you for more information.
- Make
your brochures interesting and fun. Don't be afraid to start them with an
engaging question such as, "What do YOU think XYZ Company does?"
Give examples to make situations real to your reader. Use clip art, tables,
charts, and photos—many facts are easier to grasp when accompanied by
a visual image. And show a sense of humor—a small cartoon can make the
difference between a handout that is read and one that's tossed in the trash.
- Maintain
a consistent, professional visual style throughout your brochures. The style
may be as simple as using the same header on each piece you produce. Never,
ever publish a handout without including your company's name, address, phone
number, fax number, web site address and email address..
- Set up
a system for organizing and tracking your literature. Put a document name,
date, and/or revision number in small print somewhere on each handout to make
it easy for anyone in your organization to file or find this document.
- Give control
of the master copies of your brochures (and the computer files) to one person;
allowing several people to keep and change these documents can create chaos.
Be sure that your computer files are backed up regularly; keep the backups
in a safe place.
- Review
each handout annually (at least), and update as necessary. Outdated information
is of little value to your clients and can even lead to serious mistakes.
- Ask clients,
business leaders and other organizations to give you feedback on your brochures;
they can tell you whether your work is hitting the mark. If it isn't—rewrite!
Targets for distributing your brochures are everywhere —
past customers you want to bring back to the fold, future customers who haven’t
yet committed to you, present customers who want to be reassured that you live
up to your claims.
Marion F. Wilke is a counselor for Northern Illinois
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