Copywriting that makes connections.
[copyTHINK articles]
copyTHINK #3: Brochure copywriting: strategy for making a piece of paper resonate with people
Brochures are among the most utilized marketing vehicles in use
today. From very small businesses to the largest publicly-traded
companies, all use brochures to communicate with their customers and
prospects about the products and services they offer. But despite how
common the brochure is, not many employ the proper brochure copywriting
strategy to take best advantage of the medium. Here are some of the
things you can do to ensure that doesn’t happen to you:
1. Lead with a cover headline that directly empathizes with your customer’s needs
This can be done a variety of ways. You could ask a question. You can
make a promise. You can literally identify the problem. Whatever you
choose to do, the right brochure copywriting strategy is one that
steers clear of the “marketing speak” trap and speaks to
your market directly in a language that it easily understands and
appreciates. Secondly, the headline should create curiosity to continue
reading the brochure, but this should be a natural effect of a truly
empathetic headline.
2. Introduce your company and offerings with an emphasis on customer benefits
A brochure usually includes some kind of introduction, but contrary to
popular practice, this isn’t the place to wax about how long the
company has been in business, how many employees you employ or how
great they are. No, this is the place where your brochure copywriting
should position your company and its offerings as the answer to a
problem your market has. It should directly correlate to the headline
you led with, and should be written in plainspoken language, not
flowery or laced with innuendo.
3. Include customer testimonials
Sometimes, the best brochure copywriting isn’t written by you or
your copywriter. It’s done by your customers in their own words.
Assuming your company has satisfied customers, what they have to say
about their experience with you is often more credible than anything
you can say about yourself.
4. Close the brochure with a compelling call-to-action with an offer to “share the risk”
Once you connect with your readers in a way that resonates with who
they are and their needs, perhaps the only thing standing between you
and the new business is a natural apprehension to “taking the
risk.” However, if your brochure copywriting includes a
call-to-action (or asks for the order) in a way that you offer to share
the risk, you have a very good chance at getting over this hurdle. Just
remember, try to make the offer as relevant to the needs of your
customer as possible. If the value of your company’s offerings
aren’t price-related, don’t make a price-related offer.
Offer something related to the key reasons someone would want to do
business with you—just make the deal a little sweeter.
-Adam
Adam Barone is a freelance copywriter from the Boston area, who writes
results-generating copy for such clients as The Timberland Company,
Sprint, and other clients and ad agencies. (C) Adam Barone 2007. All
rights reserved. Reprint rights granted as long as the article is
published in its entirety, including links.
Adam Barone is a Boston-area copywriter who writes on-target advertising and marketing materials for companies large and small.
© 2007 Adam Barone ~ Partners ~ Site by Rusted Fire