5 Tips to an Enduring Brochure
By: Robert Johnston

Brochures have three basic elements: copy, design and photos. The way these three elements interact can decide your brochure’s effectiveness. Your design and photos are most important when the prospect or customer first picks up your brochure. The colors and layout must complement each other and bring out the text and photos in a way that enhances your message. Full color brochures are much more effective than most black-and-white brochures. If you can’t afford full color, check out prices for using spot colors. Unless you are going for a minimalist look, try to avoid a black-and-white design.

Here are some tips on how you can create and print brochures that appeal to customers and encourage customers to keep it on their coffee tables for a long time.

1. KISS rules. Not the band (although some would most definitely agree that the band does, in fact, rule), but the rule of “Keeping It Short and Simple.” Write short headlines with short words and short sentences that translate into short paragraphs. Short sentences are easier to read and encourage the reader to move on to the next. Haven’t you read a clunky, long sentence that made you just want to stop? Don’t do that to your readers.

2. Edit. This goes along with the first tip. After you write your short sentences, try to edit them to see if they could be any shorter or any clearer. Don’t waste your reader’s time by adding a bunch of superfluous words that aren’t needed. (“Superfluous” could have been edited out in the previous sentence and the meaning would have been the same.)

Also look at your word choice. Don’t say one thing when you mean another. Use a thesaurus to find a word that more closely relates to what you are trying to say. Don’t use a thesaurus to find a word that is fancy.

3. Use “power” words. Some common power words that will catch people’s eyes and cause them to slow down to read your brochure are: free, you, save money and guarantee. There are plenty of others out there, but basically a power word is any word that catches people’s attention.

4. Keep it informal. Don’t try to impress readers by sounding all business-like and formal. That could get boring real quick. Write your copy like you’re talking directly to your customer. This makes for an easier read.

5. Avoid using slang or jargon that will date the brochure. Good brochure copy can last for years. If you use words or phrases that are too trendy, you’ll have outdated brochures in no time. You don’t want your brochures to turn into a joke a year from now.

By using these tips when you create your next brochure, you’ll ensure a long-lasting piece that will inform and that will continually bring in new customers.

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