Questions always come up from customers about the best way to structure and arrange the content of sales and marketing literature, particularly when it comes to brochure design & production and website design.
You will undoubtedly be investing a great deal of time and money into your marketing so you want to be absolutely certain that the effort you put in works best to give you the results you’re looking for.
Here are ten key points to consider when preparing your content in readiness to hand over to your designer…
1. Decide what medium or format works best to achieve your objective.
Creating a multi-page product catalogue will be prohibitive if you’re mailing cold to customers whereas a succinct direct-mail post-card or email campaign with a compelling offer will be more cost effective and increase your return on investment.
2. Look to make your content flow in a logical order.
Think about categorising your products and services into logical sections or chapters. It’s good practice to cross-reference other related and relevant information too. Each main point must be organised so that it makes sense and naturally guides your readers through the information they’re interested in most.
3. Break up your content with headlines and shorter paragraphs.
This allows you to get your most important points across more concisely, it helps to make your text easier on the eye and assists readers to scan through content more quickly and find key information.
4. Make sure your headings are interesting and compelling to the reader.
Your headline will be the first, or possibly the only impression you make with your readers. Statistically 8 out of 10 people will read your headline but just 2 out of 10 will be bothered to read the rest of your copy.
5. Highlight interesting statistics, important notes and testimonials.
After reading your headlines these are the points which readers are generally interested in most so attract attention through clever use of space, using a feature box or light background colour, making them stand out clearly and be easy to read.
6. Keep consistent typographic styling for headings, bullet points and body text.
Make sure your designer doesn’t go crazy with more than three or four font styles on any given page. Generally speaking, simplicity is the key. Keep it logical with a consistent style and size for headings, sub-headings, body text and bullet points.
7. Does your content tell a story which is easy to read?
If you are not using a professional copy writer to compose your words that’s no bad thing. Writing the content yourself may seem daunting but if you write as if speaking to someone it will flow more naturally. Start with writing headlines first then come back to each point and add more detail.
8. Use supporting elements such as images and diagrams to illustrate your main points.
Your choice of images and diagrams are very important to capture the essence of what you’re trying to say with words. They are used to enhance the content and to support or endorse the points you are making.
9. Always include powerful guarantee statements in your literature.
A guarantee is an assurance by the vendor to a customer that a service or product will meet the expectations that have been promised. Guarantees go as far as eliminating, as much as possible, the risk of buying from you and helps you earn the trust of potential customers.
10. Have you included relevant call-to-action where appropriate?
Call-to-action or CTA are designed to motivate and direct your readers to take the next step – call you, visit your website or explaining what to do next to place an order. It’s important to be clear about the expectations and what your readers will receive in return for taking action.
Consider carefully these key points next time you work on your marketing material.
For a FREE design consultation please call us today on 01908 265055.
Need Help with Brochure Design & Production for Your Business?
Professional brochure designers ready to discuss your brief > Request a Quote Now
