Product Brochures
Brochures are so common in sales communications that it's hard to imagine a salesperson without one! And for good reason. Brochures are remarkably versatile. You can use this timeless format to effectively convey just about any kind of sales message, from information on how a product works to its features and benefits to how to place an order.
Even the growing use of the Internet hasn't replaced the conventional print brochure. These still are produced by the truckload by hundreds of thousands of companies across the country.
Brochures certainly are not going the way of the dodo. Whether you're a copywriter, corporate manager, or small business owner, if you're involved in creating sales communications, brochures are going to be an important part of the mix. And that's good news! Because brochures often are fun and fascinating to write.
If you get an assignment to write sales communications copy, be sure to talk to at least one of the salespeople who will be using the materials. This will give you insight into what the sales team is trying to accomplish, so you can structure your copy to help them achieve those goals.
A Salesperson's Best Friend
Salespeople rely on brochures to help them accomplish a variety of objectives:
To distribute during a trade show, seminar, or similar event
As a visual aid to help make a sales presentation more persuasive
As a leave-behind after a sales presentation so the prospect or customer can review the information later on and share it with colleagues
As something to send to prospects and customers who request more information on a product (sometimes referred to as fulfillment)
To enclose in an introductory letter to a prospective customer (“I have attached a brochure explaining the new BX-927 Scrubber System in detail.”)
To clip to a price quote or proposal as a reminder of the great features of the product
There is hardly a selling situation when a brochure would not make things easier for the salesperson, and increase the likelihood of getting the order.
Shapes and Sizes
Brochures can be produced in every imaginable shape, size, and configuration. The possibilities are virtually endless.
Brochures that have odd sizes, weird folds, or other nonstandard elements can be very effective. Why? They stand out. A brochure that unfolds into the shape of a jigsaw puzzle piece will get your attention. However, due to the fact that they are nonstandard, these types of brochures can be very expensive to produce.
Most brochures begin life as a flat sheet of paper in one of three sizes:
8.5″ × 11″ (letter)
8.5″ × 14″ (legal)
11″ × 17″
From these dimensions, the paper can be folded in a variety of ways to create the brochures we most often see today.
These are just the standard sizes and folds. Brochures can be customized into an astonishing variety of shapes, cuts, and dimensions to suit just about any requirement or creative fancy.
How to Write Brochures
People often read brochures because they are looking for specific information about a product or service. So don't disappointment them! Your writing style should be as informative and educational as it is compelling and persuasive. Make sure you include all the product details required for the reader to make a buying decision. Remember: The salesperson may not always be there with the brochure to answer questions.
Take a look at this excerpt from a sales brochure written by copywriter Ed Gandia.
Web-to-Print Services
Our Web-to-Print services enable you to efficiently create short-run and personalized marketing materials customized for your specific needs. Through a secure, Web interface you can access your own image database, choose the appropriate images, enter your text, pick a mailing list, and proof your document in real time. Jobs are then automatically routed for production to our digital press and are ready for you in hours — not days or weeks.
Notice how the copy lists a lot of features yet still focuses on the benefits. That's the challenge in writing most brochures. They are often fact filled, yet you have to convey what those facts mean to the prospect (“ready for you in hours — not days or weeks”).
Don't just put the title on the cover of a brochure, such as “The X18B Photocopier.” Yawn. The cover copy should motivate the reader to open the brochure and get involved in the piece. Example: “The X18B Photocopier. So easy to use, it even loads its own paper. So fast, you could print a Tolstoy novel in less than 2 minutes…”
Most people scan brochures rather than read them word for word. They flip back and forth between the pages and dart their eyes this way and that throughout the text. So make good use of bullets, sidebars, captions, lists, and other text highlights. You want the copy to be highly scannable.
The main challenge of writing a brochure is keeping the content focused. Most brochures are either too lightweight and don't contain enough useful information, or too weighed down with extraneous facts and long-winded puffery. Decide exactly what the brochure is meant to accomplish, and then write all the copy needed — and not one word more — to achieve that goal.
