Six tips for writing a brochure are never too many when you consider that this sales brochure is the first impression many prospects will have of you. And the saying that the first impression is the lasting one still holds true... It’s up to you to make it an asset by captivating at first glance, not only with visuals but also with the way you present yourself in writing and begin to build a relationship of trust with your future client.
Having a sales brochure is essential for businesses. Because it is both a showcase and a communication tool, it must be well produced. Writing a sales brochure is a delicate task that requires being concise and precise while engaging the reader's interest. This material can even generate sales!
How do you write a sales brochure? Here are all our tips to achieve this, in an article that details, step by step, the key stages to write a sales brochure as effectively and professionally as possible.
1. Develop a strategy while studying the competition
It’s decided: you’ve chosen to create a sales brochure. The first thing to do to carry this project through is to develop a strategy. This communication tool must be very thorough and include:
- Your company name and contact details,
- Information about your products and services,
- Details on what sets you apart,
- A brief summary of your story.
You therefore need to determine the brochure’s tone as well as everything that will make it up. To get ideas and be confident you’re headed in the right direction, it can be very useful to collect the sales brochures of your competitors. Compare them, draw inspiration, pick the good ideas and find new ones to differentiate yourself.
Indeed, you would be wrong to focus “only” on your company (even though, as we know, that already represents a substantial amount of work). The web is a jungle, where to survive your best asset is to know your competitors well so you can beat them to conquering the precious prize (whether it’s a new market, a new prospect, or your position in the SERPs).
This highly competitive environment forces you to react: everything you say in your brochure, even when talking about yourself, must always take into account what has already been said and what is currently being said by competitors. Whether to resemble them or to stand out from them, your competitors are there: don’t ignore them!
The sales brochure will thus immediately show your prospect that you know the market in your field of activity well, and you will be able to highlight your strengths in the areas where your competitors are weak. This is essential, because it’s very likely that your prospect will compare your brochure with that of one or more competitors.
Just as you drive a vehicle well by looking at the horizon and not just a few meters ahead, a distant objective will guide and energize every sentence chosen for your sales brochure.
Leave nothing to chance: writing a sales brochure requires knowledge, talent, and energy. Make sure you optimize that energy so the ideas deployed in your brochure do not scatter in vain, but instead all patiently and unanimously align toward the goal you set in advance.
2. Define the brochure's format
The format of the sales brochure is very important. Depending on what you choose, you will be able to include more or less content.
The A4 format is the most practical. It can be sent in a standard envelope and is very easy to consult. In addition, this format can be stored in a binder. You can also insert an A4 sheet with the price list.
However, know that if you opt for A4, you are choosing a practical but “transparent” format. In other words, neutral for prospects who it will not attract attention from. This “neutral” choice therefore implies that you will need to stand out in another way: paper quality, original graphic design, an unusual typeface, etc.
You don’t want or can’t afford an exceptional format... or your designer doesn’t agree to redo everything in a “moon” format? No problem — you can play the originality and elegance card at low cost by printing in classic A4 or B5 but... in landscape rather than portrait. Guaranteed effect!
In any case, a brochure in an unusual format is more likely to be read. Depending on your activity, this format can be a major asset! Think not necessarily about the "ideal format" (which is a chimera anyway), but about the one that will visually and immediately reflect the very essence of your company.
Why not organize a team "brainstorming" meeting with practical exercises in cutting paper, hands-on testing and client role-play to see which format would suit best? It can be a disruptive and effective way for the team to feel involved in the marketing communication strategy and to immediately embrace the future sales brochure.
3. Write suitable content
A sales brochure is not written like an online article or a letter. Texts must be short, very direct and precise. You only have a few lines to seduce and convince your audience.
That was true before and is even more true today, because many first contacts with a company happen online, a medium known for encouraging "zapping" between sites and reducing average attention span. This trend is further reinforced by mobile queries.
You are already something of an oddity by choosing a paper format for your sales brochure: you will not be forgiven for overly long rambling! Sadly, this is the harsh law of the information age today… List the important information and make sure it appears in the brochure.
Don't forget: less is more! You need to strike quickly and strongly. That requires a deep understanding of the message you want to convey, linked to the long-term objectives set at the start for your sales brochure (increase sales, refine your brand image, retain an existing customer base…).
Summarizing is indeed much harder than expanding on a message. It is wise to do the work of finding the "formula" that encapsulates your positioning, commitments and offer together with the team responsible for web communication and SEO: your communication strategy will gain coherence across all media.
The chosen content should help you achieve the objectives set. However, do not make the mistake of trying to amortize the creation and distribution of your commercial brochure. It will have a positive impact on your image and possibly even on your business.
4. Work on headlines and hook sentences
A sales brochure must offer different levels of reading. That is why you must work on the titles and subtitles of the sections. Feel free to highlight key phrases using a colored box or a larger font.
This carefully structured presentation will allow you to capture even distracted or hurried prospects who skim, and will logically pace the reading for those who read the brochure in full.
The reader must be able to identify your activity and possibly find the information they are looking for at a glance. It is also worth noting that each part of the brochure should be readable on its own.
There is therefore a balance to find between the overall necessary coherence and the "detachable sheet" aspect to provide, nonetheless, for each section… a bit like a good TV series, where episodes respond to each other but can also be watched separately.
5. Illustrate with high-quality visuals
Your brochure must be aesthetically pleasing. In addition to choosing a neutral font and color scheme, you must include quality visuals. Whether you choose photos, charts or infographics, you must choose beautiful illustrationsImage resolution must be high.
It's a discreet but effective way to create a visual identity for yourself and associate it with a color or graphic style recognizable in the prospect's mind. In addition, this approach makes it easier for you to create the brochure.
6. Use pleasant-feeling paper
Because we're so focused on sight, we underestimate the importance of offering paper that feels pleasant to the touch… Yet appealing to the prospect's sense of touch is a good way (and usually an unconscious one) to win their sympathy.
A commercial brochure is a physical medium. It will be sent and handled.
You need paper thick enough for it to be kept in good condition. Ideally, the prospect will be able to show it to others, lend it, even long afterwards.
It's also important to favor matte paper. A glossy finish can be used to highlight a photo. However, if it covers the entire brochure, it gives an unpleasant greasy appearance. Depending on your activity and brand image, it may be important to offer a brochure printed on recycled paper.
Our tip
In the age of all things digital, the commercial brochure can be a communication format appreciated by businesses. Make sure to produce it in reasonable quantities and when you send it, include a personalized letter.
Need help writing your brochure? Get help from Redacteur.com !
