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Developing a Brochure Consider the following guidelines when developing your brochure - the “front door to your home based business” Seek assistance from a professional who can help you develop your image with objectivity and a keen eye. You may think you can’t afford to use professional services, but in reality, you can’t afford not to. Create a high-quality, consistent image via color, logo and bylines that carry through on your signage, business cards, letterhead, stationery and other visuals. This will convey a professional, sophisticated presence to your audience. Consider a catchy headline on the front panel of the brochure. Focus on a primary benefit, ask a question or present startling statistics - Don’t just put your company name or picture on the cover. Answer the questions that will convince customers you have what they want. This approach should include your selling points; the qualifications and expertise of the staff and/or owners; strong testimonials, such as “My sales increased 20 percent in one week after implementing her employee motivational training”; specific, powerful guarantees; a free offer; and a reason to act now. Omit information that changes, such as price, hours and dates. Put it on a lightweight insert instead. Be clear on what you are offering, why prospects should want it, and when and how they can get it. These should be the focal points of your brochure’s content. Be sure to supply full contact information for your company—name, address, phone, fax, web site/e-mail address and hours of operation where appropriate. Take time and great care in writing your brochure. It’s the content that makes the sale. Use headings and subheadings, leave adequate white space and don’t clutter the presentation. You don’t have to include everything you do or sell in one brochure. In fact, it frequently makes sense to create specific versions for targeted audiences. For example, a computer firm might have one brochure for products and systems, and another for its training services. Barbara Cunningham, CunninghamB@missouri.edu |