Happy with Your Brochure?
Top 10 Mistakes Commonly Made When Creating a Brochure:
1. Typos: Promoting your business, as one which prides itself on attention to detail, starts with actually paying attention to the details. Always cross your T’s and dot your I’s because, depending upon your industry, little mistakes may cause big problems and cost you a lot of money.
2. Too Wordy: Promotional literature is often overwritten and redundant. It has been said that technology has shrunk the world. This is also true for people’s attention spans. Being concise will help your demographic receive and retain your message.
3. Blurred Logo: Companies invest a great deal of time and money developing strong corporate identities. Unfortunately, over time, the computer files containing the original artwork can get lost, forcing the individual responsible for laying out the brochure to rely upon low resolution images copied from the company website. In a case like this, it is best to redraw your logo to ensure a sharp, high resolution image.
4. Poor Layout: An unbalanced or cluttered layout may disrupt the sense of flow required for directing the reader’s eye through your information. Having too many focal points is the same as having no focal point at all. This may cause your message to seem unclear and your sell points to get lost in the mix.
5. No Palette: Colors and color combinations elicit emotional responses from people. Choosing the proper color palette can mean the difference between bolstering consumer confidence and offending.
6. Flimsy Paper: It may seem economical at first, but using an unsubstantial or flimsy paper stock can send the wrong message about your company. It can also serve to cheapen your products or services in the minds of your demographic.
7. Widows and Orphans: A major design faux pas is to leave a word by itself at the top of a paragraph (widow) or at the bottom of a paragraph (orphan). This leaves unsightly gaps in paragraphs that may detract from the overall look of your brochure and hinder readability.
8. Unprofessional Email Addresses: Email addresses bearing the name of your service provider will cause you to appear less established in the minds of your target demographic than ones bearing the name of your business. Changing your email address is an inexpensive way to enhance your professional image.
9. Outdated Information: Brochures containing outdated information can do more harm than good. Listing an out of service call-to-action number or closed locations on your brochure will lead potential clients to dead-ends rather than closed sales.
10. No Call-To-Action: A call-to-action is a short phrase designed to motivate the reader to take action. It can direct your audience to call your business, visit your website, or travel to your location. How else will your demographic know what is expected of them?
Did you notice any of these mistakes on your brochure?
If so, call 716-444-5366 today! We’ll have you looking great in no time.
Business Cards
In our line of work, the Business Card is often overlooked as a marketing tool and part of your prospect’s first impression. Are you an owner/operator who takes pride in his products and services? Then why does your Business Card have a clip art plumber and feel like it was printed on a photostat? Is that your Logo, or a stock design you found on vistaprints.com? Don’t get me wrong, it’s very tempting to go online and design your own Business Card or try your hand at a number of inexpensive design programs. After all, starting a new business is exciting and it’s fun to put your own personal touch on the look of your new brand. The problem is that your new work of art can detract from the perceived value of your products and services. Consider the following Business Card examples before striking it out on your own:
This is a neat idea, but how many of these things can you keep in your pocket or purse without damaging them and where will your prospects store them? Is there such a thing as being too creative? This one is really unique, but the production time might cause you to be a little stingy with them.
Is there such a thing as being too creative?
Advice:
I would avoid being so creative with the design and materials of your Business Card that the end product no longer resembles a Business Card. In other words, if the Business Card looks like a piece of trash, if might get thrown away. If your Business Card does not fit in one of those clear plastic Business Card sleeves, then it won’t be kept with the other important Business Cards and may be lost, damaged, or thrown away by your prospect. And if you can’t carry your Business Cards in a neat little stack or Business Card holder, then how do you expect to keep them in crisp and perfect condition before passing them out?
This one is really unique, but the production time might cause you to be a little stingy with them.
