by Connie R. Edwards, Georgia SBDC Recently, I received a brochure from a company that specializes in assisting small businesses with marketing, including the development of brochures. In this brochure, the word "marketing" was spelled "markeating." I doubt that any of the small business owners receiving this brochure were inspired to pay this company to handle their brochure development or any other means of marketing. Although I have received some excellent brochures, many others have been filled with errors, are unclear about their purposes, seem difficult to read, or simply didn't capture my attention and convince me that reading further was worthwhile. This business failed to do what it wanted others to pay them to do! Promoting a business through brochures can have a significant impact if you invest the time and effort to design a brochure that motivates readers to take the action you want. Of course, what you want is for potential customers to make purchases. However, the purpose of the brochure may be to persuade customers to call for more information, visit a website or store, attend an event, fill out and return a form, or take some other action. Before designing and distributing a brochure for your company, know what you want the recipients to do. Upon receiving a brochure, the recipient must decide whether or not to even spend time reading it. They make this decision within just a few seconds. In this short time, the brochure must convince the reader that the information within is relevant. It must convince the reader that the brochure will not take up too much of his time or turn out to be useless. Brochures can accomplished this goal by using headlines, photographs, and captions. Use the headline to grab attention, not just say the company's name. Setubal hotel roomsRelevant photographs that convey a message in a very short time can make readers interested in learning more. Include a short caption under the photograph, but don't use the caption to tell what is in the picture. The picture itself should do that. The caption should give even more information that will catch the reader's attention and increase curiosity. alberghi a GalwayOnce your potential customer thinks the brochure may be relevant, he or she will spend another minute or two reading further to confirm this relevance. The brochure should then guide the reader through the material and make it clear. One way to accomplish this goal is through using short text the reader can scan and digest quickly. Partially digest the material for the reader by arranging the text using outlines, numbers, symbols, and boxes. Keep these tools simple and clear so the message is easy to read and understand. Don't clutter the text with too many symbols and fancy fonts. You may also use artwork such as drawings, charts, and maps to convey a message without words. Including a short caption can let the reader know why the artwork is there and what it should convey. Graphic devices such as quotes can give emphasis to a particular idea and help instruct the reader concerning what to do next, such as "Call now" or "Arrive early." alberghi b&b TechirghiolOnce the reader has decided that the information is relevant, he will spend more time reading the brochure. However, the main body of text should still be in digestible, easy to read sections. Make it easy for the reader to learn what he wants to know, and make it clear what action he should take to gain the benefits your brochure describes. He should become convinced that reading this brochure was worth his time and that taking the suggested action will yield positive results. Designing marketing brochures that motivate in this way requires knowledge of the target market and consideration about what will make these customers act. To get further information and counseling concerning the development of brochures, contact a consultant at a Small Business Development Center near you. > See also Marketing, Advertising & Sales | 
