Brochure Tips for Small Businesses

Launching your small business to success involves a cohesive marketing campaign, along with a strategic deployment of your media materials. Creating a brochure is a great way to present your small business, and highlight its key features and benefits. A brochure is a visual aid that can extend your brand and company easily. Not only should the brochure match your company's overall image, but it can be an extension of your website, with key information for your customers and clients readily available. A well-designed brochure will include contact information, the company logo, and plenty of attractive colors and graphics. Your goal is to catch the eye of the customers and clients amongst the piles of materials they receive daily! Here are some key brochure tips to promote your small business to its maximum potential:

• Keep it simple. Even though you want to fill the pages with as much information as possible, it's also important to balance out the quality with the quantity. Use short, concise sentences to deliver the main idea.

• Use bullet points. Bullet points are an effective way to summarize a main idea, and are very easy to read at a glance

• Include the company logo on each page. Just like a website, the reader needs to associate your company with the information. Adding a header or footer on each page that includes your logo and direct contact information is a good way to ensure the reader will make the connection.

• Keep it professional. Use only a few colors and simple designs that will deliver a bold and compelling message with high impact. Too much ‘busyness' on the brochure can be distracting, and the reader will lose the central theme of your company

• Use high-quality paper. Even a startup company should invest in glossy or matted finish that feels good in the reader's hands. This will help develop a professional brand image for your business, and will be an attractive media piece.

• Be creative. Use a compelling headline or opening statement to draw a reader in. Just like a newsletter, a brochure can be both informative and entertaining.

• Use high-resolution images. Quality images in the brochure look professional and can help pull the entire presentation together. Use quality clipart software, or download some royalty-free, stock images.

• Use a brochure template for the copy. Before you send the information off to the printer, the text and pictures need to fit accurately within the brochure template. Anything outside of the margins will not appear in the final proof, and it's simple to adjust your word processor settings to create the brochure parameters.

• Match the tone. If you are simultaneously creating newsletters, flyers, and other promotional materials, you'll want to make sure that the tone and angle of the piece is in line with other materials. This will also help emphasize the company's brand and image.

• Use color effectively. Attractive color combinations can complement and enhance your business image in a variety of ways. Be sure to use colors that match your company's brand and logo for consistency.

• Decide on a bi-fold or tri-fold layout. A bi-fold brochure is easy to pick up and will be a quick read. A tri-fold layout offers the benefit of another panel, and may be more effective for holding extra information.

• Watch your grammar. As you shorten your sentences to create tight, concise, copy, don't overlook the importance of a polished and edited piece. Grammar and spelling are still important, no matter how ‘casual' the piece may be.

• Make use of white space. Any spaces on the brochure will stand out, so adding small text boxes, pictures, or even quotes is a good way to fill the page with valuable material.

• Use boxes and bars as separators . . . but don't overdo it. A brochure is simple and compact in design, and using boxes and bars to separate text may be effective. Too many of them, however, will be distracting and even confusing to the reader.

• Develop a central message. Use a theme or core statement throughout the brochure for maximum impact. Your readers can always visit the website or call for more information, so use the brochure as an extension of your marketing strategy, not an all-in-one tool.

• Include all contact information. Whether it's the company website, or a series of telephone numbers and e-mail addresses for the key people in yoru company, the reader needs an easy way to get in touch with you. Don't forget to include the address and hours of operation if your business has one.

Creating the ultimate brochure for your small business requires a review of the design, layout, colors, and lots of editing! You'll need to whittle down the central message into a compelling and decisive piece, and this may take a few drafts. Still, a brochure is an extension of your small business marketing campaign and can really pull together your brand image. The brochure is a representation of your company identity, and serves as a tangible media piece for customers and clients.