Printed brochures are everywhere — despite the rise of the Internet and digital marketing — and they still work. If you think back over the last few weeks, months, or years, you’ll recall more than one occasion when you picked up and browsed a brochure or two. But too many businesses leave creative innovation at the door when it comes to printed brochure design. This is bad news for the general public (because they’re bombarded with the same-old-same-old) but it’s good news for you, because it means that with a few simple tweaks you can make your brochure stand head and shoulders above the competition. Let’s take a look at how.
1. Black is the new black
Black has never gone out of fashion, but it’s often neglected in marketing. And if you want your business to stand out, you’d better do something that no-one else is doing. A black brochure offset with a few striking elements — your logo, say, or a slogan — highlighted in foil stamped, embossed lettering is sure to capture the attention of your target audience.
Or what about printing with fluorescent ink? We’ve seen some stunning designs for brochures which use glowing inks on dark black backgrounds. It’s a distinctive and eye-catching effect! If not black, then consider using unusual color schemes and contrasting tones from the spectrum. In short, anything that makes your brochure shout out, “Hey, look at me!” while all the other brochures on the rack vanish into the background.
2. You’d better shape up
Sometimes when you need to refresh your lifestyle it’s a good idea to hit the gym and get back in shape. If your brochure campaigns are starting to look a little flabby, then it may be time to bring them back into shape, too. Of course, there are good practical reasons why most brochures are square or rectangular in shape. The paper cut that way comes in standard sizes and is more economical. Square and rectangular stacks of brochures pack and ship more efficiently. But that doesn’t mean other shapes are out of bounds.
Just rounding corners, for example can give a brochure a completely new look without undermining its useful structural qualities. And the shape change needn’t always be at the edges of the brochure. You could use die-cutting to stamp out a shape in the middle, or on the front of one of the panels, like a window that gives a teasing reveal of what lies beneath.
3. Break away from the fold
The sheep behind almost always follows the sheep in front, right into the fold. When it comes to folding brochures, why not think outside the typical range of half-folds and quarter-folds. One relatively simple but innovative-looking fold is the so-called “iron cross”. It takes up very little space when folded, is essentially square so it’s good for packing, stacking, and shipping, but it opens out from the center in a series of panels that form a cross and can contain a huge amount of branding and marketing information. Why not give it a try in your next brochure marketing campaign?
4. Get down with variable data printing
This is innovative and exciting technology which tracks your users’ interest while they’re browsing your webpages, e-commerce site, or online store. It takes stock of products in which they show the most interest and automatically reads that data to the design hub where digital brochure templates can be automatically filled with appropriate content tailored to that individual. Clearly, you need a subscription system so that you can track individuals and trace back to their known identities to mail out the brochure once it’s printed. It may seem complex to set up, but if you have an on-the-ball IT and design department, it may be something it’s worth your while to look into.
5. Insert a keep-and-carry
Here’s an interesting fact. It’s something to do with psychology, but we won’t delve into the science here. One of the aims of your brochure design is to encourage someone who picks it up to keep it, to slip it in their pocket or wallet or briefcase, to carry it away, to stick it on the fridge, drop it on the kitchen sideboard, or pass it on to someone else. That’s the way a brochure spreads the word, stays top of mind, and does its marketing magic.
The funny thing is that many people who won’t walk away with the brochure they just picked up, will walk away with a smaller brochure inserted inside it which the larger brochure invites them to keep! So, why not print a double brochure? A larger one acts as a kind of folder for the smaller one, with a call to action in the larger one suggesting the person holding it take it away. Seems odd, but people are odd, and this works.
Effective brochures need forethought and planning
The above five tips are great ways to spice up your brochure life, but once you start brainstorming, you’ll come up with even more innovative ideas, we’re sure. Still, one thing is certain, and that’s the importance of forethought and planning in creating an effective marketing brochure campaign.
It’s no good just repeating your old brochure and swapping out a picture or a line of text here and there. Approach each new campaign as a new opportunity and create a design for your brochure from scratch. And what should inform your design decisions? Well yes, aesthetics. But above all, market research! Ask yourself:
- Who is the target audience for your brochure and what design elements and content would most appeal to them?
- What’s your desired outcome? Is it to boost sales, increase traffic to a store or website, gather customer data, draw attention to new products, raise the profile of your brand, or some other goal?
- What’s your distribution setup? How many brochures will you print, where will you send them, and how will you get them there? If you have hundreds of thousands of brochures to distribute nationally, that’s going to make different demands on your design than if you’re printing a few hundred to be mailed out in your hometown.
- A theatre director once told us that there should be nothing onstage during a play that doesn’t have a specific purpose in terms of the plot, the characters, and the unfolding story. Everything should point towards the dramatic focus. We think that’s true of a marketing brochure, too. Make sure every photo, image, graphic, and every word and sentence keeps the focus of the reader on your intended goal.
- Lastly, don’t forget to tell the reader what to do next! This is what we call the CTA or call-to-action. Many studies and decades of marketing experience have shown that customers are more likely to do what you want them to do if you tell them to do it. So don’t fall for the idea that because your brochure displays such a lovely product that the reader will automatically scan the QR code to find out more about it. Tell them to do that (“Scan the QR code to get the best deal now!”) and they are far more likely to take action.
Talk to us!
Ready to get started on a new brochure marketing campaign? Talk to us today. At QinPrinting, we have 25 years of success in the offset printing industry under our belt, an enthusiastic team of experts at your service, the latest printing technology, and a genuine commitment to customer care. Get in touch to discuss your needs, or ask for a no-obligation quote. We look forward to working with you.
