Brochures: How To Use Them To Increase Business
When it comes to promoting a business, non-profit or social club, many people become overwhelmed with the advertising and marketing possibilities. In this digital age, however, it is imperative not to underestimate the importance of collateral, that is, tangible items that your intended audience can take with them as a reminder. Brochures and custom business cards are two of the time-tested collateral pieces that any organization should have.
Brochures are multi-fold pamphlets that can be distributed to your target audience, whether that is customers, donors, patrons, or volunteers. They contain information and statistics that is most important to your organization. Most brochures consists of three or four panels that are peppered with text and pictures, both front and back.
If you want to include vibrant pictures in your brochures, a four-color printing process should be used. Alternately, you can use two-color printing for a low-key stylish look. They can be printed on either glossy or matte paper. Always keep in mind that the design of your brochure should go with the character of your organization.
Be sure that you keep your goal in mind when designing the brochure. For instance, if you want people to come to an event, be sure to put all of the pertinent information on the brochure, such as date, time, location, event details and perhaps even a map. If you want people to mail in donation pledges, ensure that one panel of the brochure can be torn off and used as a pledge form.
We all want to save a little money here and there, but ordering cheap business cards is not the way to go. People take your business cards with them and remember you based on the impression your card gives. Make sure your business cards are of good quality so people will know that your business is of good quality too.
Remember that there is a fine line between high quality and extravagance when choosing your materials. Especially if you are working with a non-profit or volunteer organization, you don't want to give the impression that money coming from donors is spent unnecessarily on high cost collateral items. If you work with such an organization it is highly recommended that your goal be to focus on creating sensible brochures and business cards within a reasonable budget.
There is much advertising and promotion of businesses done on the Internet these days. However, other forms of advertising are still extremely important. Although the Internet is convenient, your customer base needs something tangible to remind them that you are available to meet their needs. Two popular and proven forms of this tangible advertising are custom business cards and Brochures. Both of them can be kept on hand by customers for their future needs. Don't skimp on either. It may be tempting to order cheap business cards to save on costs, but potential customers will be more impressed with well-made cards, therefore more likely to use your services.
Published July 25th, 2008
Filed in Advertising, Marketing