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 Outdated Information: Brochures containing outdated information can do more harm than good.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.
