Include brochures in marketing plan

A brochure is a great way to offer more information about your company. They work well when they are an addition to an introduction to your business. This introduction may come in the form of a potential customer calling, wanting to know more and you can send them a brochure. The introduction might come from a cover letter that you write to a referred lead or even a targeted mailing — include the brochure — but introduce them to it in the letter. The introduction might come from a visit to your booth at a trade show — give them a brochure after talking with them. The key is that a brochure should always be accompanied by an introduction to your company first. A brochure should be distributed selectively, to those who have asked for more information or to carefully targeted potential customers.

Probably the second most common mistake is expecting the brochure to "close-the-deal." It is simply a marketing tool and needs to be followed up with a personal contact. If you think this through, this also means you need to know who got your brochure. Who did you give it to? How can you contact this person again? Are you "harvesting" potential customers' names, addresses and/or e-mails for purposes of follow-up?

Given the introduction to the brochure and the follow-up contact, the brochure can be a powerful tool. It can remove the pressure of the sale, giving your potential customer a chance to study what you have to say before you meet. It can give you the chance to answer important questions before they are even asked. Be certain you know what you want to accomplish with your brochure as you design it. Does is say who, what, where, when and why? You can include testimonials for credibility and illustrate benefits (versus describing your product/service).

Pull out your current brochure and be sure you know what you expect it to do for your business. Be certain that it includes enough white space to not overwhelm your customer with text. Be certain that there is a clear and easy way to reach you. Include your telephone number, address and e-mail address, minimally. Take the time to review, make the changes and make your brochure a part of your marketing plan — not your only piece.

Jimmie Wilkins is the director of the Chemeketa Small Business Development Center. The Small-Business Adviser column is produced by the center and appears each Tuesday. Questions can be faxed to (503) 581-6017, e-mailed to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or phoned in to (503) 399-5088.