The Definitive Guide to Creating Your Company Brochure
Your company brochure can say so many things about your business and what it represents. Click here to learn what you need to know to make it stand out.
A brochure is an avenue for your message, product, service, or business. When someone holds your company brochure in their hand, they're getting an intimate glimpse into what you do, and they should be thinking about what it can do for them.
You have just a few short moments to convince them that your company is all the things you want it to be: successful and professional, at the very least.
Whether you're making an in-house brochure for price lists and descriptions, or some to pass out downtown to generate business, you'll want a concise, visually-appealing representation of your brand. The question isn't whether or not you need one; it's how you can go about making the best one you can.
We understand the importance of creating and using a quality brochure, so we've formed a definitive guide to making the process easier. Let's begin!
Why Your Business Needs a Company Brochure
As much as we all love and value technology, studies show that some people feel uneasy about reading text online, and spend 25% longer reading something they can hold in their hands, like a brochure.
Think about the many places people visit throughout the day: the bank, the nail salon, the coffee shop, the local print shop, the gym. More often than not, each one of these places will have a brochure displayed in a prime location.
Listing everything from the history of the business, to contact information and store hours, and short bios on the company's owners, a brochure is a creative platform for business owners to play around with.
A company brochure is your selling point. It's your PowerPoint presentation in a conference room full of potential investors. It's a factor in turning your local company into a profitable empire.
A Good Deal
Another advantage to brochures is their price.
Save money on advertising, and print your flyers in bulk. At $1 to $3 per flyer as a starting point, these guys can bring in much more than they cost to make.
If you have a storefront, don't let a customer walk out of it without a flyer in their purse or pocket. It's almost certain that it will wind up on their kitchen counter for the household to see, or at the dinner table with a group of friends when it slides out with the wallet.
Don't let this easy-to-read, easy-to-acquire business strategy fall by the wayside. Your competitors all have company brochures; now it's your turn.
Establish Your Marketing Plan
First things first: what is your marketing plan? After all, a brochure is content marketing in the form of a tangible, small pamphlet.
Your marketing plan needs to be solid so that your brochure gets right to the point.
Figure out what your company objective is and transform that into a plan. This plan should answer what your product or service is, who your target audience is, and how you are going to generate interest and business with your company brochure.
These well-thought-out objectives will make your brochure-making simpler to do, and therefore easier to read. With such limited space, you have to say the important things only.
You're striving for a brochure that will draw up a Call to Action, or CTA. This means that when your customer finishes reading, they'll be intrigued enough to make the next step.
Create the Perfect Pamphlet
The wonderful thing about creating a flyer for your business is the ability to be creative with it. Your flyer depends entirely on what message, service, or product you wish to deliver.
The perfect company brochure will feature scannable, informative, visually-pleasing, and concise content.
There are a number of different questions you can answer in your brochure, including, but not limited to:
- What Is Your Company?
- What Is Your Company's Story?
- Who Are the Owners/Staff/Advisors?
- What Do You Sell/Distribute?
- Do You Have Community Involvement?
- What Is Your Target Audience?
Within each of these sections is the option to delve deeper. Let's give you an example.
What Is Your Company?
If you're making a brochure for your brewpub, the answer to that question might be a more intricate one.
You can begin with a brief, but the general description of what your brewpub is and what it does. Then you could describe the different styles of beer your brewery produces.
You could then finish with some information about the food prepared on site.
The answer to this question can be as multi-faceted as your business is, but keep it semi-short and general here. You can get deeper into the history of your business under the "Story" category if you please. This is just to entice readers to want to read the rest of your brochure.
Answer the Questions
Take your time to come up with well-thought-out, informative answers to the above questions, and then come up with some more. These are just examples of a beginning outline; depending on what your business is, your company brochure may include all or none of these.
As we are all consumers, we know what information we wish to have. Use your experience as a buyer to determine what you put on your pamphlet.
This can include:
- Prices of Services
- Timeline of Services (i.e., for massages, list time slots available)
- Hours of Operation
- Contact Us
- Awards, Certificates, Honorable Mentions, etc.
If you have a group of professional advisors or sponsors on your team, let your audience know!
For example, if you've passed Angie's List standards, include this in your pamphlet. Any special awards should be advertised to give your audience the warm, fuzzy feeling of knowing that they've chosen a company with qualified backing.
First Impressions
Every section of your pamphlet is important, but arguably, the front page is the most. Make sure that the message or mission is obvious from the very beginning.
One of the best things you can do in your first impression is to make your customer trust you and value you. Keep this in mind when formatting your front page.
It needs to be compelling enough to make the reader keep going, and not put your brochure back on the shelf.
There are quite a few ways to utilize that great front-page surface area:
- Specific Description of Company's Goals
- Ask an Intriguing Question
- Brief, but Loud Message
- Specials, Deals, or Current Sales
- Vivid Photography or Text
Your company is valuable and trustworthy, and here's your opportunity to prove it. Second impressions don't typically happen; that's why they're called second chances.
Balance Text and Visuals
We all love the information that text provides, but we all love a little break, too. Don't hesitate to throw some relevant imagery on your company brochure.
This especially applies to the likes of photographers, or destination flyers (think: a few graduation headshots; a picture of a scrumptious breakfast tray for a B&B).
Written content gets the customer started, but the visuals keep them going. This is a key way to transform lookers into buyers.
Aesthetically-pleasing borders, backgrounds, and photographs help your customer understand what you're offering in a well-balanced way. Knowing you're staying at a 5-star resort is one thing, but seeing photos of the crazy, looping slides at their pool gets the heart racing with excitement.
Use color, bolds, underlines, italics, and other fun things to keep your company brochure anything but mundane. We already have one newspaper thrown on our doorstep each day; we don't need another!
The more specific to the unique nature of your product, the better. Since you know that the competition out there is steep, stand out with some quality viewing pleasure. Catching your customer's eye is the first step in a lifelong loyalty to your business.
Let's Get Printing
If you've ever walked by a display of brochures and found yourself unable to stop from grabbing the first five or seven that stood out to you, then you know the power of this paper. It's appealing and precise enough to draw attention.
A brochure is a wonderful supplement to your company and its growth (says every person who's ever walked away from these displays with a handful of colorful flyers.)
Since this manner of advertising is efficient in garnering business and cost-effective, there are no drawbacks to experimenting with them. Try your hand at different styles, and keep things as up-to-date as possible.
Your customers will love being informed, and you'll love the traffic a quality brochure is sure to bring.
There is no superior brochure without an excellent printing service. When you're ready to make your first (or second! or third!) company brochure, book an appointment with us!