How to create the perfect business brochure

Thinking of creating a brochure to sell your products and services? Follow this simple tutorial to create a successful business brochure that will wow your customers into purchasing your products or services.

1. Create a Brief or Plan

A brief is essential to the success of your brochure, as it will outline the scope and provide focus for the project as well as highlighting any problems before the design has even started.
A good brief can save time and reduce problems going forward, helping to reduce ambiguity later on in the project. To get it right, you'll need to write out what you want to achieve and how the brochure will fulfil this need.

For example, you may need to raise awareness for a new product or service. Alternatively, the brochure may be used as a service or product menu for prospective clients after an initial meeting. Either way, how, where and why the brochure will be used is crucial for every stage of the process going forward.

2. Research Your Customers

Understanding who you're targeting and how you're going to do it is a crucial step in any successful marketing or promotional campaign.
Ask yourself:

1. Are your customer's male or female?
2. How old are your customers?
3. What area do they live in?
4. Where do they work?
5. Where do they socialise?

From answering simple questions like these, you'll start to generate a customer profile. Profiling your customers allows to create a picture of who you're trying to reach and how you'll target them.

3. Sell Yourself

The next stage is to write out the benefits of your products and services and why a potential customer would choose you over your competitors.
Ask yourself:

1. How do your products or services benefit your customers?
2. Why choose you over competitors?
3. Do you have any special offers or discounts?
4. Do you have any awards or specialist qualifications?

4. Decide on What to Include

Now that you've set the brief, researched your customers and listed the benefits of your products or services, it's time to decide what to include in the brochure.
Make sure that you use the information you've gathered during the previous steps. Use the customer research to lead the inclusion process.
Ask yourself:

1. Is this what my customer is looking for?
2. Does this benefit solve a problem for my customers?
3. Is this the right product or service to promote to this customer?

If the answer to any of the above is no, then don't include it! Remember, that it will be your customers using the brochure, so put them before any internal objectives and you'll be on the right track.

5. Work with a Designer

If you're not from a design background, don't try and design it yourself. It won't work! Instead, find a print designer that is experienced, one that can show you examples of previous work and whose design style would appeal to your customers.
Make sure the brochure is designed with clear calls to action, includes your contact details and follows your brand guidelines.

6. Get it Printed Properly

Printing is often an afterthought, but if your brochure's going to be a success, then getting it printed properly will make all the difference.
Work with a professional printer and typesetter and make sure that every detail is up to the high standards of your brochure.

7. Display Your Brochure

Whether your brochure is presented internally or in an external location, it needs to be accessible by your audience. Make sure it's located in an area where your customers frequent. If it's displayed on your premises, use literature stands such as brochure stands or leaflet dispensers to make your brochure stand out and give it that professional edge.
Follow these instructions step-by-step and you'll be sure to create a successful brochure. Let us know if these instructions helped you or if there's anything else you'd add to the process in future projects.