Even if you spend a lot of time and hard work creating a brochure, chances are that your potential customers will toss it aside as a result.
Most brochures contain abstract art, or photos of people, places and things that the designer thinks will pique the reader's interest, but most of them have nothing to do with the subject matter, and are simply there to fill the brochure. So, it didn't work out the way it was supposed to and didn't have the desired effect. As a general rule, don't fill your brochures with images that have nothing to do with the subject matter, unless you're in the art business. The people or backgrounds in your pictures should be part of what is being presented.
Imagine your brochure as a short magazine, and demand of yourself what good journalists and photographers demand of themselves, that you produce your promotional material in a professional manner, and that the pictures you choose should be an integral part of what you are presenting. Regular readers are curious and expectant of magazines, and you should also think about how your promotional materials will pique their curiosity. People magazine has been America's favorite magazine for years, according to surveys conducted year after year by Advertising Age and other observers of the publishing industry. Here's Advertising Age's latest list of the top six best-selling magazines:
1. People
2. US Letter
3. Entertainment Weekly
4. Rolling Stone
5. New York Magazine
6. GQ Magazine
For a long time, no matter whether the economy has been booming or in recession, People's circulation has been the highest. , People magazine's circulation has either been very stable or consistently growing, and notably, it has the most advertising space in the world. You can learn from People magazine's successes and apply them to your marketing campaigns, including your brochures and other promotional materials. Here are four steps you can take:
1. Use photos of real people.
2. Always have descriptive text with the photo. 3. Use accurate wording. 4. Leave plenty of blank space on each page. People magazine uses real people, and you should be no exception. The people you show can be company directors, managers, or consumers, of course, must ask for their consent. You should try to avoid spending money on hiring people that the general public does not recognize. The following six tips can help you to effectively boost brochure readership and make your brochures more impactful.
1. Print a portrait of the person on the cover of the brochure as well as something eye-catching. The compelling thing can be one or two exciting things within the brochure. The cover character can be your product spokesperson, your boss, a consumer or an expert in your company. Whoever you choose should be highlighted in the manual, perhaps in the form of an interview. 2. Show your selling points in bold and easy-to-read type on the top half of the cover. After all, who are we to force the reader to look throughout the ad for what they are interested in? Put what they want at the top so you have a better chance of captivating your consumers, and don't hope they'll put the brochure aside to read when they have free time - which they never will. 3. Tell the reader what you want them to do at the top of each page. Call us toll-free or visit our Web site at ......
4. Use question-and-answer forms frequently within the manual. Psychologists have been telling us for a century that when people see a question, they subconsciously want to read the answer to it. 5. It's a good idea to leave a real contact name and address on the back cover. 6. A potential reader who picks up your brochure will immediately think about whether to read it or cast it aside. So how do you attract your readers? Be sure to think about this when designing, as if you were the layout editor of People magazine, and think about it constantly. Subscribe to a copy of People magazine so that every week it reminds you what your readers really like.