by Shell Harris
http://www.conquestgraphics.com
©
2009
For most businesses, marketing is an important function
that is necessary in order for the business to grow and compete. In the past,
word of mouth was enough for any company to succeed. However, as the volume of
noise consumers were faced with grew, so did the need for companies to do more,
say more, and reach out further to each client and potential client.
Companies
now know that business promotion is as essential as their business structure and
their employees. As businesses are faced with competition both online and off,
they are forced to reach consumers by using offline tactics to complement and
support their online marketing goals. For years marketers have successfully used
brochures to work in both their online and offline sales and marketing efforts.
In short:
Brochures inform: Marketing brochures are an excellent
way to communicate everything from `what is your business?' and `what does it
do?' to `why you do things the way you do' as well as the rather commonly found
`contact information' like email addresses and website location. Brochures are
the foundation of any well-planned marketing campaign and provide your customers
with a tangible document that communicates your most pertinent information in
a colorful, glossy, well-designed, and informative piece of collateral.
Brochures
are cost-effective and results-oriented: For a small business which lacks the
resources to deploy mainstream media campaigns, brochures can be an incredibly
cost-effective and results-oriented method of marketing one's business. While
the unit cost of producing a brochure decreases as the number being printed increases,
the costs are still a very low compared to even a one day's worth of ad placements
in a newspaper or on television.
Brochures are too well-designed
to be discarded: Ever wondered why so much emphasis is placed on designing a brochure?
One of the reasons is certainly to make it look good (which goes without saying),
but also to ensure that they aren't hastily thrown into the trash can or recycling
bin. The higher the quality that is perceived in brochure printing, the more likely
it is that a consumer will read it before discarding. When was the last time you
ripped a high-quality brochure apart and threw it into the waste paper basket
without at least glancing at its contents?
Brochures are
durable and long lasting: You probably read the daily newspaper just once and
then you might never read it again. On rare occasions, you might take another
peek at it, if you had a compelling reason for doing so. Television ads run for
mere seconds and often miss the bulk of their intended target audience. In comparison,
a brochure's lifespan is much longer, increasing the chance that it will be read
again and again.
Brochures help build and sustain a brand:
There are many important attributes of an effective brochure, including paper
type (coated or uncoated?), content, format size, design, color selection, and
overall print quality. Combined, all of these attributes help define your product
or service in the eyes of prospective customers, as well as build brand awareness
for your offering. Conversely, a poorly designed and executed brochure will reflect
negatively on your business, and may in fact have the opposite effect of a well-designed,
high-quality brochure. By careful planning and execution, you can produce an effective
brochure that will help ensure the success of your product or service.
Despite
the popularity of other more expensive forms of advertising and marketing, brochures
are still on of the most important and cost-effective ways to promote your products
and services.
