What to avoid when making a brochure

Brochures remain one of the staples of business communications. They’re the ultimate in local, personal and permanent communication.

You can find plenty of articles on what to do when making a brochure. Yet, there are mistakes you may make that can ruin all of that effort. That is why we’re here to provide a few points on what to avoid when making a brochure.

Clutter

Brochures, like websites and banners all suffer when they’re cluttered. Make the brochure as simple so you’re able to communicate what you’re providing as clearly as possible. The brochure must communicate what you offer, who you are, and how they can connect with you to get your products or book an appointment with you. This means the brochure must showcase your product or service and contain your contact information.

Cheap materials

Brochures are a physical representation of your company, so you need to ensure that everything from the design to how it feels in your clients’ hands is high quality. Cheap materials give people the subconscious impression that you’re not invested in quality. Find a printing company that can make the brochure you want on good quality paper at a reasonable price. It is better to print fewer brochures and be strategic about where you place them than go with cheap paper and wallpaper the neighborhood with them.

A lack of logical flow

Think of your brochure as a miniature book, it must have a logical flow in order to succeed. You need to include the following:

• Information that clearly explains what you’re offering and how it will benefit the reader
• Captivating imagery that positively reflects your product or services
• Testimonials
• Clear call-to-actions throughout the brochure

Additionally, if you’re promoting the brand story, you need to follow a logical narrative while mentioning what you have to offer to them. Share contact information where the reader expects it.

Ignoring the visual element

This mistake can take several forms, for example printed text that is not easy to read or text that is cut in half by the brochure folds is another. People often design brochures based on what looks good on the screen, but they then send to a printer to be folded in half or tripartite as a brochure. Now your website URL is cut in three on the bottom of the brochure, and the product user in the picture may not look as great as you expected. Plan the brochure layout so that it looks good when held by the end user.

On the flipside, you shouldn’t use extra photos. That doesn’t just clutter up the brochure. It also increases your printing costs, since you’re using more ink than necessary. Don’t use unrelated photos just because they’re popular or attractive. Vaguely related photos can cause the potential customer to question your judgement, and that’s the opposite of the image you want to project.

Forgetting the basics

Have you ever seen a beautifully laid out brochure marred by a misspelling in the text? That’s at least obvious. We don’t know how many people lose out to potential opportunity because they didn’t proofread their email address or phone number. Or they may have put their name and phone number on the brochure but failed to list a business name. Now people aren’t sure if they’re dealing with an individual or legitimate business. Even the lack of a clear call to action can cut into your conversion rate several percentage points.