Websites 4 Small Business Newsletter
15 September 2006

Creating A Brochure
by: Vann Baker

Why does your business need a brochure?

A cover letter to a potential client can present only a small fraction of
information about your business. Potential clients are often swamped with
business mail and a letter may be scanned for a couple of seconds then
trashed. A face-to-face meeting is a great way to tell a potential client about your business or expertise, but sometimes it's not possible to get a meeting with just a phone call or introductory letter. Or, what if someone you've met weeks ago suddenly becomes interested in your service but can't match your name with your business card in their Rolodex?

A brochure will fulfil all of these business needs. Brochures are a great way
to package a lot of information about yourself, your business and expertise
into a format that is easily mailed or handed out at a business meeting or
given to current clients to pass on to possible referrals.

Brochures range from a simple two-fold design using one sheet of 8-1/2 inch
x 11 inch paper to an elaborate 9 x 12 inch pocket folder with 8 pages
stitched in and insert sheets. Good brochure design involves not simply
producing a flashy design, but a careful analysis of your target market, what
level of sophistication is needed and consideration of your market niche in
order to make a great first impression. And, last but certainly not least, your
brochure should leave a potential client with something he or she is hesitant
to throw away.

Today, in the age of E-Mail, multi-media presentations and the Internet, it's
easy to assume that a web site can take the place of a printed brochure.

Having a web site really can't replace the immediate visual impact of placing
a brochure into a prospective client's hands.

Getting started

If you've never created a brochure, start by collecting a number of brochures
(including competitors') that represent a wide range of quality--from simple
one and two-color on textured stock to slick 4-color glossy brochures.

By asking yourself what it is that makes a brochure attractive and effective to
you, it will be easier to make a brochure for your own business which will
convey the message and level of sophistication you require.

Next, you will need to create some basic brochure copy about your business.

Even if you're not a professional writer, putting some thoughts and facts
about what your business does on paper will help make more concrete what
information your brochure needs to convey. When writing copy ask yourself:

-     Is my company an industry leader?

-     Does my company have a market niche?

-     What distinguishes my company from my competitor?

-     Do we offer better value, service or selection of products?

-     Do we have anything new or different to promote?

Questions to ask yourself:

-     Who is your target audience?

-     What message will get a potential client's attention?

-     What kinds of brochures and what level of sophistication are 
      typically crossing your client's desk?

-     Does your product or service require photographs or illustrations to
            help convey your message?

-     Will the brochure need to be a self-mailer?

Key information to include in your brochure:

-     Mailing address.
-     Phone number (and 800 number if you have one).
-     Fax number.
-     E-Mail address.
-     Web Site address.

Be sure not to include in your brochure any information which is subject to
changing in the next 12 months or so. Also, be wary of using a specific
person's name as a contact person unless he or she is someone you know
isn't going to leave in the next year. The same goes for printing photographs
of people. There's no sense in spending several thousand dollars to create a
brochure only to have it become out of date because someone leaves the
company.

What does a brochure cost to produce?

Brochures can vary from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars.

Because there are so many variables involved in producing a brochure such
as quality of paper, number of ink colors, use of photographs, number of
brochures printed, etc., it is difficult to estimate the final costs until 
all the specifications are determined.

Four color process printing, varnishing and special treatments such die-
cutting, foil stamping can add additional costs to producing a brochure, and
may well be worth it if they enhance your brochure and the image you wish
to project. Other cost considerations are whether you need professional
photography, help with writing or editing copy for your brochure.

Even if you don't know all the details of your brochure when getting started,
it's a good idea to create a budget. Start with determining how many
brochures you will need to use during the next twelve months including
mailings and sales meetings. If you have seen a brochure with a similar
amount of information and photographs as you need for your brochure, a
designer can use it as a model for determining printing and production costs.

Another consideration when designing a brochure is postage. Larger
brochures will be more expensive to mail and if you are planning on doing a
large mailing as part of your marketing, an oversized brochure may be
expensive to mail. Larger brochures don't fare well through the postal system
and often end up wrapped around other mail. Brochures which fit in a
standard #10 business envelope give you the best buy in terms of postage
and protection while mailing. Using a business envelope also allows you to
mail a cover letter and business card as well.

Updating an existing brochure

I worked with a client once who had sales of over a million dollars a year, but
was still using a dated, unsophisticated brochure produced by a printer nearly
ten years earlier. While reputation alone helped the company's sales, their
brochure was doing very little to promote them as a cutting-edge company to
potential customers who had never heard of them.

If you have a brochure you produced a few years ago, it might be a good idea
to have your brochure evaluated by a someone outside your company to
make sure it projects the image of your company today and sets you apart
from your competition. Often, a small company will produce an inexpensive
brochure just to have something for a trade show or for telephone inquiries.

While short-term needs are fulfilled, not having any kind of long-term plan for a package of coordinated materials will lead to a "hodge-podge."

As a business grows, the image of the business can outgrow the first
brochure's image. Often other collateral such as pocket folders, product
inserts, etc. are produced at different times by different printers and the
result is a corporate image that is not coordinated, with different kinds of
paper used and ink colors that don't match--not professional at all.

It is tempting to take the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" approach and leave 
an existing brochure alone--for years. However, now could also be the ideal time
to produce a truly professional brochure which will set you apart from your
competition and give your potential clients something they will keep on their
desk to serve as a memory jogger when you do a follow-up call.

Why have a graphic designer involved in creating your brochure?

Many businesses are producing promotional and sales materials internally or
are relying on a printer to put a brochure together for them. There's nothing
wrong with either of these approaches, provided you have the time and
expertise to make all graphic design decisions that will produce a
sophisticated brochure that's right on target. It's rare to find a printer who has a graphic designer on staff who will put a creative spark in your brochure, and relying on in-house talent doesn't save you money when it actually costs you lost sales.

Using a graphic designer can free you from having to make all decisions
about your brochure by yourself and will provide you with an outside
perspective on how to communicate to your audience. A designer can provide
you not only expertise on typography but can help you with selecting ink and
paper and some direction with your brochure and help guide you through the
process from start to finish.

In addition to making design decisions, a graphic designer can serve as your
project manager and will see the brochure from concept through successful
completion. Most designers work with several different printers and can
provide you with a printer that has the capabilities to print your brochure. If you need help with writing your brochure copy, many designers work with
freelance writers and photographers.

Some Parting Advice . . .

Carpenters have a saying, "Measure twice, cut once," which applies to
creating your brochure. By defining what your brochure should do and doing
some research first, your brochure can be effective, informative and get
prospective clients' attention. By utilizing design and printing professionals
and by paying close attention to details, you can have a brochure that truly
represents your business and is something you can be proud to hand out and
mail. 

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About The Author

Vann Baker is the president of Design-First, a marketing company specializing
in corporate identity and collateral development. Vann has been helping small
businesses and Fortune 500 companies to create brochures, newsletters,
catalogs, websites and more for over 20 years. www.design-first.com.
vann@design-first.com

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