Print brochures are a versatile printed material that has many different uses for businesses that know how to use them effectively. Not all marketing is online; offline marketing still has its place for smart companies.
Here are five ways that companies can use brochures to promote their business successfully.
1. Product Brochure for a Trade Expo
When you’re preparing marketing materials for an upcoming expo, you don’t want to use cheap brochure printing because it will likely be low-quality. Brochure printing complete with coated art paper and a glossy finish needn’t be pricey, but it’s certainly less expensive than magazine printing because print magazines have a greater number of pages. Even when thicker card stock and fancy finishes are used with some brochures, a magazine with full-colour photos and quality paper stock will still cost more than an attractive brochure.
Being able to hand out quality print brochures to expo attendees to take home with them reminds them of the company long after they’ve left the event. When wanting to look up large pictures of products before ordering a batch or to check on the product specifications, this type of information can be provided within the pages.
2. To Educate the Reader
Companies that have products which are difficult to explain in a catchy tweet have plenty of space in a brochure to break down the features of the product and how it might best be used. Business products tend to be more complicated than consumer-oriented ones and business-focused brochures can take advantage of the longer attention span to educate the reader.
Depending on the type of product being promoted, it may be possible to make it a fun demonstration in print using exceptional photography and interesting use of colour. When taking the reader through a step-by-step process on how to use the new product to produce something useful or exciting, then this gets the point across really well because it taps into the emotional core while educating too.
3. Limited Edition
Sometimes companies want to produce something unique that different to what they’ve done before. A custom design from a notable artist or a one-off product based on customer feedback that will never be part of the main range but will likely have niche appeal is a solid goal. Whatever the purpose, it’s not practical to insert a product that’s produced in limited quantities inside the regular product brochure. This is where a special limited-edition brochure is ideal to showcase the uniqueness, the special effort that’s gone into it, and why it has the customer’s name written all over it.
By separating out the limited-edition item, it also makes it easier to charge a premium price for this one-time opportunity. The pricing can stand completely separate to the normal pricing expectations of the standard range of products because it’s not been marketed in the same way.
4. Making It Easier for Salespeople
For companies where customers visit a showroom or their head office to place an order, a brochure can be an effective way to make it clearer what the ordering options are.
A courier could lay out different package sizes on one page and show charts with weights and destinations on another. Customers can easily flick through the pages to select their package size, scan down a destination list to find the right destination code, and then confirm their pricing.
For clothing companies where clothing stores need to understand the garment sizes and colour availability when ordering for the next season, salespeople can visit their shop and run through their choices using a brochure containing the full details on colours, sizes and product ordering options. Being able to travel with the brochure and some sample garments in the boot makes it easier to demonstrate product available and take the correct order from the customer.
5. Custom Promotional Mailing
When segmenting your customers into different demographics or groups based on past purchase history and other factors, it’s possible to target affluent or regular buyers with a custom offering that will appeal to their sensibilities. After all, everyone likes to feel special and an offer that’s mailed out to them with a professional covering letter and a small brochure describing what’s on offer is likely to be well received.
There are many ways to use professional brochures in your business. Whether it’s to celebrate limited-edition items, promote through the mail using cost-effective methods, prepare a product brochure for a trade expo or something else entirely, brochures are powerful marketing tools.
When used effectively, a printed brochure can help salespeople complete a sale with a prospect who was wavering. For people who are less comfortable using the internet to access product information or who like to order by mail, providing a brochure is an excellent way to secure their flow of steady orders that might never have happened if this option wasn’t available. Really, the possibilities are endless.
Image credit: vixrealitum