Question

Topic: Strategy

Help Creating Brochure

Posted by sukiduki01 on 3/21/2014 at 5:52 PM ET 25 Points
I am in the process of creating a 9x16 tri fold brochure for the IT company I was recently hired to market. I will be honest I've never made a brochure before, I graduated in December :)
The plan I have so far is for the inside of the brochure is the 2nd and 3rd panels will be 6-8 boxes highlighting the specific products and services we offer. The first panel will be just to draw them in and try and show them that they could use our services (marketing right!)
I have a list of possible bullet points to use and I am unsure which would be the best. I also am unsure which format I will be using; q&a, bullets, paragraph, etc. They are in no specific order.
Here is what I have so far:

o Why go through multiple companies to cover all of you business’s technology needs, when we do it all? (header)

o Do you ever wish there was a simpler way to run your day to day business operations? Would you like all of your business applications consolidated into one master system?
-(Company name) can introduce you to the wonderful world of integration. Let us simplify your system so you can focus on your work.

o (Company name) offers a wide variety software and hardware options to suit any type of business needs.

o Whether you are a small business owner or the CEO for a large corporation, we have packages to fit any size budget!

o We offer and install wiring, hardware, software, and everything in between. (Company name) is an all-service provider.

o (Company name) protects your business from the outside as well as in.

o Is your business protected when you aren’t there? What security measures have you taken to do so? (Company name) is a certified Axis Security Partner and offers a wide ranges of:
- Security Cameras for any environment, situation, or budget
- Security Software to easily access or control your cameras from your computer or on the go
- Door Controllers with fob key access and more

o Have your own system already installed? Having problems you don’t quite understand?
The Technicians here at (Company name) are trained and experienced to work on almost any software or hardware. Did I mention we offer remote support?

o Is your system running slow? If you think it might be, then it probably is.
We can come do an assessment over your current system and offer our expert opinion on how to speed you up.

o Is your company growing? Are you considering expansion?
(Company name)can prepare your business by offering;
-Complete installs on business IP phone systems
-Computer and server hardware from some of the world’s top brands
-Network security services to protect your company’s data
-Structure cabling and fiber installation to give you room to grow
System monitoring so you never have to worry about a system crash!

o Here at (Company name) you will never hear the words, “We can’t”. What you’ll hear is, “We’ll find a way!” There is no problem too big or too small for (Company name). We’ll be the solution.

• If your system was down, how would it affect your business operation?
If you are like most other business owners, your company would be at a standstill. Loss in productivity means loss of profit. Don’t let

• If you lost all of your data, would you still be able to provide your customers with what they need?
(Company name) offers our own Lockbox offsite backup that is HIPAA Compliant & secure. Which means we are required to offer

1)Technical safeguards – verifies authorized access, 128-bit encryption, deletion and destruction of data

2)Physical safe guards - Provide locks and secure access areas while retaining offsite backups.

3)administrative safeguards – Assign security responsibility to and individual with the required training

• Do you have information on your systems that could be dangerous in the hands of a hacker? Is your information as well as your customers protected?
(Company name) offers network security services such as; Watchguard routers, Barracuda spam filtering, Symantec antiviruses, and much more to protect you and your customers from any threat.

Any advice would be much appreciated. I really want to do well at this. My student loans depend on it!

Thank you everyone,
Cindy
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by mgoodman on 3/21/2014 at 6:18 PM Accepted
    Seems like a lot of copy. Two thoughts:

    1. Can you come up with a simple, straightforward expression of the unique positioning benefit you offer? That should be your "grabber." "Full-service" isn't a very compelling benefit, if it is a benefit at all.

    2. See if you can replace some of the text with great pictures. OK to include short captions, but long copy tends to get ignored altogether.

    And what about some testimonials?

    Your copy is all about what your company does. Can you turn that around so it talks about the benefit for your prospective customers? They'll all want to know what's in it for them, not what YOU want to sell them.
  • Posted by Gary Bloomer on 3/21/2014 at 7:58 PM Accepted
    Your copy speaks about your target twice as often as it speaks about the company, which is good. However, at 522 word, it's longer than it ought to be. The first rule I learned in copywriting is to go back through your copy and cut it by one third. I think you can do this, turn each point into a bullet that's more concise and more compelling, and turn each negative point into a customer focused outcome where you build up the positives that only your company offers.

    Marketing on price is the last thing you ought to do or to consider. Your main closing points need
    to be based on benefits and long term value, not price. When the gains in terms of security, peace
    of mind, and proven, track record accountability kick in (and when they're reinforced through testimonials), price sinks to the bottom of the list of objections (which is really where it ought to
    be with ALL marketing and sales.

    All this aside, what is the purpose of your brochure?

    I'm asking this because I've produced thousands of them over the last 30 years for numerous
    clients and I've never been convinced that brochures IN ANY FORM are cost-effective, sale closing, marketing vehicles. All brochures are really are smart demonstrations of how well designed things can look (and i'm saying this as a professional marketer AND as a professional graphic designer).

    Brochures work best when the sales person walks the client they're presenting to through each point IN the brochure. In this sense, the sales person can then extend the conversation, present questions and offer answers, and use the time to tell the client stories of just how the company has helped other clients just like THIS prospect.

    Most brochures look pretty, are expensive to produce, are a pain in the ass to create and keep current, and at the end of the day are a waste of trees and are more often than not going to wind up in a manilla file OR in the trash the moment the presentation is done and the sales person's left the building.

    So, ask yourself … and your boss … who is this brochure REALLY for? What are the best kinds of brochures? Well-prepared sales people who know their business, who also know their competitor's business, and who also know the needs of the client inside out and back to front.
  • Posted by telemoxie on 3/23/2014 at 7:09 PM Accepted
    great posts above.

    I think that a beautiful and high quality brochure can be a very helpful tool in your marketing arsenal. However, please don't assume that people will read them. Most people will look at the pictures, feel the weight of the paper, and glance at the headlines. Certainly they can help you create a positive impression of your company. But since they are so expensive to produce, I do not recommend putting a lot of details in the brochure. I believe it is more cost-effective to have a beautiful image peace which you can use for years.

    Detailed information can be included in cover letters and press releases and other less expensive documents.

    Regarding a unique selling proposition: maybe you aren't unique. Maybe you are just one of those computer service companies. That's not necessarily a bad thing.

    Regarding the function of the brochure: you may need to make a decision between what would be most active and what your boss wants. At this stage in your career, you probably need to pay most attention to what your boss wants.

    Good luck. You would like more advice, or if you would like to hear some war stories about brochures, send me an e-mail and we can arrange a time to talk.
  • Posted by saul.dobney on 3/24/2014 at 6:13 AM Accepted
    Gary's points are excellent. Also don't assume you'll get it 'right' first time. This isn't like an exam or test. It's best to create something as a mock up to as good a standard as you can (eg remove typos, get images in, line up text and get spacing and layout looking good), then get feedback and reactions - but be detailed, not just a do you like it or not type question. Ask people to make choices for you: which bits can be taken off? Which images to use? Which wordings sound best? Start with colleagues, then sales folk then see if they'll let you talk to some real customers.
  • Posted by sukiduki01 on 3/24/2014 at 12:41 PM Author
    Thank you all for your feedback. I really appreciate it. To answer a couple of the questions; the brochure at this time is going to be used at an upcoming trade show for one of our targeted groups (dental professionals) and my boss is the one who asked me to develop the brochure so telemoxie got that one right on the nose. I would love any advice on how to structure my brochure from Gary and/or telemoxie. I m really interested to see what Gary is visualizing with the "Customer focused outcome" and I like telemoxie's simplicity factor. I will send each of you an email and if you have any spare time, I would really appreciate a tutoring session :)
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