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What Is The Lifespan Of A Brochure You Invest So Much On?

In reality, the life of a brochure is as long as the meeting lasts.

A simple question you should ask yourself; how many brochures do you retain after the meeting you host gets over?

Oftentimes, people tend to discard brochures immediately following a meeting (some even before the meeting if they have received it in advance).

Let's accept this reality. If you've decided the fate of a brochure is in the bin, then what makes you think others would not follow suit, unless your marketing collateral is genuinely impressive.

Unfortunately, many businesses compromise in creating the first impression through their corporate communication. They convince themselves in creating a conventional brochure at a small cost; print a large quantity to bring the cost further down, only to deliver the perception of a low or mediocre business.

Unfortunately, they don't know what they don't know. They may not realize just how much business they lose by presenting a manageable, low-cost, brochure consisting of some text and pictures.

These are the kind of brochures that usually go into the bin. To counter this, make sure you're offering value to your readers.

Also, when you plan for a brochure and other marketing collateral why not go for a top class concept that delivers a positive perception and is retained by your potential clients?

A powerful, stunning brochure helps your sales team as it continues to deliver a positive perception even after the meeting is over.

It helps extend the life cycle of an element of your corporate communication that remains with the clients and possibly, helps your sales team close the deal.

At least it doesn't end up in the bin soon after the meeting is over.

However, if you think carefully, you would realize that usually, all it takes is 1 or 2 deals to recover the cost of creating a brochure - from design to print. As such, it can help you make over and above is your profit.

For that reason, doesn't it make sense not to compromise on your brochure design and instead, have a powerful concept created by a creative agency?

How can we increase the lifespan of a brochure?

You will find 5 key reasons to help keep your brochure from being lackluster and the solutions to help you enhance it below:

1. The first impression - the cover page.
Perhaps you have noticed that approximately 98% of brochures have only a logo on its cover page with some basic graphics or some abstract background.
In some cases, branding may demand that. However, curiosity being the key factor is lost, certainly when there is no communication on the cover page itself.
Why do we say, "Don't judge the book by its cover"? It is because we do judge it. Right?
In the same context, your brochure will also be judged by its cover and decided whether to flip through with a positive mind or pushed aside.
On the other hand, if you think of it, why most of the magazines have a stunning cover page? It's because the cover pages do sell, whether it's a book, a magazine or a brochure.
I would therefore suggest that you have a powerful concept created on the cover page of the brochure and let it speak for itself. This is an absolute must!
At least it will have more chances of going into the box file than the bin.
2. The flow and amount of information
The content of the brochure is vital and so is the way it's published.
Let's admit that very few people will read the entire content in the first attempt. More often than not, the reader takes a glance at first to see if it is worth reading through and decides whether to go about reading it or not, depending upon how it looks.
Therefore, you must ensure that the flow of information is created in such a way that the user finds it interesting. It is highly possible to achieve this when you publish only a small amount of content on every page.
Most of the brochures are flooded with the information crammed on every page. It's best you don't create such a brochure and save that money, instead.
The purpose of the brochure is to briefly describe your corporate information and not try to sell through it.
Therefore, treat your brochure as a very important yet one-way communication tool and make it interesting by putting less yet flawless information, blending each page together through creative design.
3. Breathing space
I love a lot of breathing space on every page. It makes the brochure look simple, elegant and appealing to the reader. At least it inspires the person to flip more pages than just one.
So next time you are working on your brochure, make sure there is a lot of breathing space in it. For example, create a substantial amount of space between the caption and the rest of the content; increase the margins on the sides, and on the top & the bottom.
Use slightly bigger and elegant fonts unless your industry demands a funkydesign.
It will make the brochure look catchy and the reader would also have time to breathe while reading the content.
4. The shape and size
The shape and size should be decided based upon the industry and the amount of content.
Unlike a flyer, a brochure is for the purpose of making it more corporate, to be read in detail and at the readers convenience. That's why it contains more information than a flyer and varies in size and shape.
If you are from the real estate industry, an ideal shape will be horizontal since you need to publish a more scenic, panoramic view of the properties that appeal to the buyers.
However, if you are from a more somber or serious industry such as banking, legal or insurance, then probably a vertical shape would be the best bet.
Another suggestion is to try and avoid a 6-page brochure and always go for a minimum of 8 pages.
5. Quality of printing
Now, when the brochure design is ready to go to the press, make sure you don't compromise on the quality of printing.
A substandard or poor quality paper will only speed up its life to the bin. Therefore, use a quality paper and if the number of pages is more than 8, then make sure the cover page is thicker than the inner pages. A 360 gsm is a must in that case.
You would certainly know a printer who delivers a quality job. Otherwise, find one but do not compromise on the print quality.
Suggestions:
You don't create brochures every now and then. It's usually a one-time investment within a given year, right?
As marketers or business owners, you should consider a brochure to be a valuable element of communication and as such, don't compromise on its quality - from concept to print.
You don't know what you don't know; you wouldn't know how many clients wanted to deal with you until they saw your brochure.
Parting Thoughts:
Should you need powerful concepts for the brochure and complete advice on how to best implement, you can get in touch with me on deepak@bananamarketers.com or visit our portal www.BananaMarketers.com