TEXT 4. Creating a Powerful Brochure

Promises, Promises...Right on the Cover

How many times have you been at one of those display racks with tons of brochures about tourist attractions? What made you pick up certain brochures and leave others?

The cover

You have to put a strong selling message on the cover. Promise your readers a benefit or reward for getting them to flip open your brochure. Hopefully they'll read it, but they'll at least look at the pictures. Either way, no selling message = no motivation to open the brochure.

Easy on the Eyes

The last thing you'd want to read is a newspaper with pages and pages of text. Not broken up. Just strictly text with no visuals and no breaks.

Pretty hard to read. Right?

Think of your brochure in the same terms. Short sections broken up with a headline and a subhead invite your potential customer to read on instead of scaring them away.

Even if they don't read your entire brochure, they get the gist by browsing through it. But make sure to write headlines and subheads that explain that particular copy block. Again, this is important for a number of reasons but especially if your reader is just glancing at your brochure.

Vivacious Visuals

They say a picture's worth a thousand words. So why not tell your brochure's story with visuals? But not just any old picture will do.

You need visuals that will show the reader how your product works. People pictures work best as long as these people are demonstrating how your product is used.

Even artwork such as drawings, maps and graphs are beneficial as long as they illustrate the product or its benefits.

You can use a wide variety of visuals such as photos of the product, people using the product and/or photos of your company's headquarters. You can also use a map to show where your company is located, tables listing the various products with their features and/or proof of performance graphs to present factual information about your product.

Next Step: The Buying Process

You've already figured out where your brochure fits into the buying process from Five Essentials for Planning a Brochure. Now you have to turn that potential customer into a paying customer. Your closing message has to be powerful.

Too many times brochures fail to be effective because they don't contain one vital piece of information: A call to action. You have to tell your potential customers that they have to act now/call now/buy now.

No matter what you are looking for (a telephone call for more information or an on-the-spot sale), you have to let people know what you want them to do. Always ask for their order but at least ask for their call for more information.

The Vitals

There's another vital piece of info that seems so obvious, yet in the creation process it's sometimes left out. Your contact information.

Make sure you include your company name, logo, address, telephone number, fax, Email, Web address. Anything that will help the consumer get in touch with you easily.

If you have an additional line be sure to include that as well. So many prospects may be calling that your main line is busy.

Give directions to your location in your brochure if you have a business customers can come to. Make it easy on them too.

If you're located next to a landmark of some sort, tell them that too. That way, they have a mental picture of your whereabouts.

Other factors to consider for your brochure might be prices, store hours, instructions for placing orders by mail, phone or on the Internet and product guarantees.

Effective for the Long Run

Make your brochure worth keeping. Give them a reason to hang on to that brochure - even if they decide not to call or buy right now.

For example, let's say you have a dynamite brochure about your company's travel packages. Your travel agency offers a getaway to the Bahamas in May and June but in July and August you offer a package to Hawaii.

While your potential customer may be very interested in your travel packages, they're not ready to think about vacation because they're still trying to pay off Christmas debts.

But they decide to save your brochure. After all, your travel agency offers packages all year long and they might just decide to take a week off in June. So they're interested. Just not right now.

Brochures can really help boost your company's sales...both now and in the future. Use these tips now and you'll get the most out of your brochure in the long-term.

TEXT 5. Catalog Copy

Catalogs are different than most advertising mediums because you're explaining numerous products with short descriptions. Your purpose in writing catalog copy is to get people to order your product directly by calling customer service or filling out an enclosed order form.

Writing for catalogs is an art form of sorts. Use the following catalog DOs and DON'Ts and you'll be on your way to painting a Picasso!

DO Write a Catchy Headline

No matter what your space constraints, do write a snappy headline. Even a couple of words will do.

DON'T Write a Product Description in Your Headline

Be creative in your headline process. If you're selling a diet pill, don't use DIET PILL as your headline. How about "Lose Weight Fast!"

DO Include a "Letter from the Manufacturer"

Flip through your favorite catalogs and you'll probably notice a letter from the company's president (usually located on one of the pages in the front). The letter explains the company's quality of products, the company's commitment to customers as well as the company's customer satisfaction guarantee. Sometimes the letter may even be used to call attention to a specific product line.

A personal letter from the president adds a friendly touch that gives customers that warm, fuzzy feeling. Letting them know there's actually a human being behind the company can make a big selling difference.

DO Give the Facts

Just the facts ma'am, as they say. You're ultimate goal is to get customers to buy from your catalog. So your catalog descriptions have to be as complete as possible.

From sizes to colors, materials to exact specifications - the copy should still be brief but contain enough essentials that the potential customer isn't left to wonder whether she wants to buy it. By the end of the copy block, they should have enough information to make a buying decision.

DON'T Chop Your Pages into Equal Parts

Got a bestselling product? Give it more space than those that don't sell as much.

Try a half page or a full page close to the front of the catalog. Your lesser-selling items can be placed toward the back.

Do Use Your Sales Techniques

Use those selling tools! Credit card orders accepted. Free gift for placing an order. Discounts on large orders. Free shipping on orders over $50. Gift packaging available.

DON'T Bury Your Phone Number

Ever found a catalog product you wanted to buy and then you flipped here for the number and there to read the item number? Annoying, isn't it?

Consider putting your phone number on every page. No, people won't call and tell you what a wonderful idea you had. But the convenience and ease of ordering will still stick in your customer's mind.

DON'T Forget the Discounts

Your product is 20 percent off. So tell your customer. There are a couple of different ways to do this.

One is to simply write: 20% Off! Was $84.99 - Now Just $67.99! Or you can just use graphics to cross out the old price and type the new price.

DON'T Forget Your Graphics

So you've got your product pictures and your catalog copy. Don't forget to use those handy, dandy graphics.

New product? Use a starburst graphic and it will really stand out.

Really draw attention to your items that are on sale, bestsellers, etc. But use special graphics in moderation. If everything has a starburst or an arrow, then nothing will stand out and your page will look cluttered.

DO Give Your Customer Some Space

Keep it simple. Design an order form that's easy to fill out and with a lot of space to write their information.

DON'T Forget the Instructions

Print step-by-step instructions on your order form so your customers know exactly how to send in their order.

And speaking of sending in their order, provide a business reply envelope so your customer can enclose your order form and their check.

Unfortunately - for customers - most catalogs fail to use the above fundamentals. Those catalogs that lack descriptive, persuasive copy and are just filled with product specs and model numbers are not only boring, they're ineffective.

But fortunately - for you - you know how to organize an order-pulling, money-making catalog by utilizing all of these key ingredients.