How to Create a Brochure

Every business owner should know how to create a brochure. A product or service brochure is one of the most basic tools for business marketing and advertising. Even in this day and age when almost everything, including business promotions, can be done online, brochures are still relevant. You’d be surprised how an attractive brochure can easily catch the eye of a busy executive.

Preliminary Steps

Brochures typically range from simple single fold handouts to complicated multi-page presentations. They can be made of glossy or non-glossy paper, low-cost or expensive paper and printed in a home printer or on an offset printer.

You’ll find out what kind of brochure you will need when you have set what kind of product you want to sell and your target market. These are the two primary pieces of information that will help determine the content and appearance of your brochure. Making a sales pitch for example to executives would mean that you most likely need to hand out a glossy, well-designed, multi-fold brochure. Advertising to stay at home moms however may mean that you might be able to settle for simpler designs, non-glossy material and fewer catchy illustrations.

One great idea that may help you along would be to get a hold of several brochure samples. Get copies from some of your business competitions and study their brochure lay-out and content.

Content
 
Content is king when you create a brochure. What should you put in it then? That all actually depends on you, your business, your target market and what you want to convey. Here are some good tips for formulating your content:

The cover page is crucial because it is what your potential customers see first. It should therefore contain an image and/or a catchy text phrase that can perk the curiosity of your reader. A unique picture or question might do the trick.

If you aren’t handing out your brochures by hand then you may need to have a mailing panel that will be found on the other side of the cover when your brochure is folded.

Text is very important because that is the best way your potential customers can get a grasp of what you want to offer. It is always best though to keep your text short and straight to the point. Most people do not have time to read a lot. Complement your text with relevant pictures that also convey what your service or product is about but do not overload your brochure with images.

A call to action is a basic marketing element. You have to ask your potential customer to do something soon but in an implicit manner. This can be anything from offering a limited discount or an early bird bonus.

Make sure your contact information is complete. An office address is a must but you also need to put your business e-mail, website, phone, mobile phone and fax information.

Tool Options

There are many tools that you can use to make a brochure. If you have a high end business with high end customers then you may really have to hire a graphic artist and pay for the services of a printing press. Artists typically use lay-outing software to create visually stunning brochures.

If you have a small business though, you may have to settle for basic computer tools. You can make simple brochures using Microsoft Word, Microsoft Publisher or even Microsoft Excel. Of course, there are also some free online design tools that you can use to instantly come up with brochures.

You don’t have to create a brochure following complicated steps. You should know though that having no brochure shouldn’t be an option. Every respectable business should have one.