LEAFLETS AND BROCHURE

What are leaflets?

Leaflets are also called pamphlets. It is like a booklet, only it will not be called a leaflet if
it has been bound together. A leaflet is a single or more sheets of paper which
has been printed on one or both sides. A leaflet may consist of more then 5 and
less than 48 pages, without a cover; an item longer than that is a book. Leaflets
are made at a general publication house or a printing place. You can even make
leaflets at home if you have a laser printer and some aesthetic sense.
A leaflet may have information related to almost anything from kitchen
appliances, any goods or services, religious messages or even messages of
government policies. It can be designed in any way that you please, with or
without images. Printed copies are simply distributed at traffic signals, malls etc
or can be slipped inside each newspaper.
Leaflets are printed sheets of either A4, A5, A6 size paper, A6 being the
smallest. The reason they are small is so that they can be easily handed out and
kept. As leaflets are often only looked at fleetingly, the facts should be kept to a
minimum.
Step 1; How do you want look
You should try not to explain too much within a leaflet and your text should be
short. Successful leaflets;
1)Grab the readers attention,
2)Give a clear idea of what the reader is expected to do,
3)Keep that idea in the readers mind, and
4)Persuade the reader to take action.
Going Professional
If your leaflet needs to look ultra professional, consider using professional
printers who may have a graphic designer to do the hard work. They will also
cut and fold the paper so you end up with quality looking leaflets. If you are
going to use professional printers, you should ensure;
1)The Printer is clear about the colors you require.
2)The paper is thick enough to prevent the ink bleeding through to the other
side.
3)Any images you provide are sufficient quality (jpeg or tiff format 300dpi
minimum).
If you are advertising something like a car boot sale, you would probably want

to create the leaflet yourself.

DIY
Due to the burgeoning market in desktop publishing software, these days doing
it yourself is not hard. You could of course stick to a simple word processor such
as Microsoft Word or the free Open Office. However it is recommended to use
specialist software that makes the creative process far simpler. Mid-range
products include Serif Publisher and Microsoft Publisher, and both come with
lots of free templates. If you can use Microsoft Word, you will be able to learn
how to use Microsoft Publisher quite easily.
TIP: Microsoft Publisher is an expensive option. However by clicking to the
Microsoft Website you will be able to download a free two month trial, which is
more than enough time to create your leaflet.
Step 2; Designing your leaflet
Be clear
Have a clear understanding of what and where you will put everything;
1)Sketch out your heading, text blocks and graphics.
2)Be clear what the promotion is about, stating when and where it is taking
place and how much it costs. If its free, say so!
3)Include contact information, and where to get further information.
Be Simple
Leaflets are looked at briefly, so the content needs to be transferred very
efficiently;
1)Keep the words to minimum;
2)Use images to reinforce your words;
3)Use bullet points, heading, paragraphs, fonts and italics
4)Above all, leave as much empty space as you can. When you make a leaflet,
less is often more.
Step 3;
Writing your leaflet
Be Persuasive
Writing content that sells is an art, but sticking to a few principles will guide you
in the right direction;
1)Sell a desirable outcome, a solution to a problem;
2)Be specific, state this benefit clearly in the leaflet;
3)Choose one or two of the most attractive things about the promotion, and
present it clearly.

Make an impact and be memorable; stand out and be different. Use compelling
language and words that make people think. Be as outrageous as possible,
bearing in mind your target audience. Humor, used appropriately, is also a great
way to communicate. It relaxes people and makes them feel more comfortable
about the message you are presenting.
Step 4; Review your work
Present your work to your friends. Show them the leaflet for 5 seconds and then
ask them questions about its content. If they fail to remember the important
points, the leaflet is not clear enough. Listen to your friends, write down any
new ideas they may have. Listen to yourself, discussing your work with others
will stimulate new ideas of your own. When the final draft is ready, always give
your work to someone else to proof read.
Step 5; Producing your Leaflet
Most people print their own leaflets using a black and white printer, because this
is cheaper than color. When you print out your leaflets, pay attention to the
following;
1) Use brightly colored paper to get attention.
2) Images and text may not be very clear in Black and white, so ensure high
contrast between text, images and the background.
3)Ensure you use a readable font size (size 11 or 12).
Brochures:

A brochure or pamphlet is a leaflet advertisement. Brochures may advertise

locations, events, hotels, products, services, etc. ...

Brochure Writing Tips

Tips for preparing text:
The bifold, tripanel brochure, often given the misnomer "trifold", is constructed by
folding a 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper twice to create 3 panels on each side. It is the brochure
type most commonly used by small business because it can be mailed in a standard #10
envelope.

General guidelines
When preparing your text, keep it short and sweet. The reader should be able to grasp the
main points by simply glancing through the piece. If you bury your messages in dense

text, the reader may simply decide that it will be too much work to read your brochure
and just throw it away.

Speak directly to the potential customer.

"We help you"
Use headings and subheadings to group ideas and help the reader focus on items that are
of interest to him or her.
Avoid industry jargon and acronyms, even if you are sending to industry people. Use
clear language that everyone can understand.
1. Front cover
The front cover should be visually appealing and provide enough content to invite the
reader to open the piece and read more. Many companies simply rely on the logo,
company name, a great "tag line" that sums up their products/services. This is the
approach we recommend. Some companies want to bullet some items on the front, but
remember that space is limited. You can easily go overboard and ruin the piece with too
much clutter.
2. Back cover
Dont put anything on the back cover other than contact information. This is the panel
that people are least likely to read, so if you put an important message there, it will be
lost.
If you own a small company, you may want to consider just listing phone/fax numbers,
web site address, and email contacts and leaving the physical address off. This gives your
brochure more shelf life if you move.
3. Inside front panel
This is the most important panel of the piece. We recommend that you use it to
summarize why the customer should choose you. It is also a good location for a glowing
testimonial. While this is the most important panel, we recommend that you write it last.
By writing the inside spread first, you will have a better idea of what you want to
summarize on the inside front panel.
The inside front panel also is a great place for your phone number and/or web site
address.
4. Inside three-panel spread

When you open the piece fully, you have three full panels to write a complete description
of your company and what it does. Here are some ideas to get you going.
Start with a one- to two-sentence description of what your company does. Try to word it
in a way that makes the reader feel that he or she would be "smart" for choosing you.
Provide a list of your products and services. Keep each item short and save the lengthy
descriptions for your web site or for sell sheets.
Write a paragraph or two for each of your competitive advantages. This is more
important than providing long boring descriptions of each of your products or services.
Customers want to know why they should choose you over your competitors. For
example, you may sell the same kind of widgets as your competitor, but your widgets are
of a higher quality or can be quickly customized to the customers needs.
Tell the reader how you typically work with your clients. Customers like to know up
front what the process is that you will take with them.
Refer the reader to your web site for detailed information. If you do not have a web site,
invite the reader to call you directly to discuss his or her needs or to request detailed "sell
sheets".
To create a brochure, take the following steps:
1. BEFORE putting pen to paper, answer these questions. Who will be my target
audience? Consider developing a brochure for each business segment.
What format will work best? A self-mailer (mailed without an envelope) works
well as long as it grabs the attention of the reader.
How will we use the brochure? Some possibilities include direct mail, trade
shows, invoice stuffer, a sales tool, leave-behind and inquiry fulfillment.
2. CAREFULLY consider these dos and don'ts of brochure design and production:
o Do make an outline of the contents before you begin.
o

Do interview employees and customers about the benefits they feel are
important.

Do keep a file of good photos of your services in action.

Do include an offer for more information, a free booklet, a report, or

anything you can offer to entice the reader to call.

Don't delegate the brochure development to someone in your company

whose primary duties center on other business activities. Instead, enlist the
aid of an individual experienced in marketing and agriculture.

Don't write your own copy. Write down your thoughts, but then turn your
notes over to a professional copywriter.

Don't insist that the brochure include everything about your company. A
busy customer will be more likely to read short, snappy copy rather than
lengthy, detailed explanations.

Do highlight the benefits of your service from your customer's point of

view. Use testimonials from satisfied customers.

3. ANTICIPATE costs. Prices for the professional development, design and printing
of your brochure can vary dramatically depending on the project. Variables
affecting cost include whether or not a marketing professional writes the text; the
availability of high-quality photographs to illustrate the brochure; the cost of
professional design and production; the type of paper chosen; and the number of
brochures printed. Obviously, the more brochures printed, the lower the unit cost.

All of these factors affect the final cost. However, cost isn't the most important
consideration. Your message and your image are worth far more than the small cost of
each brochure. After all, your prospects will judge you, in large part, by the quality of
your brochure.
What you can expect from a brochure is a consistent, professional message that will
support the efforts of your sales staff. With an enticing offer, you can expect to increase
your mailing list of hot prospects, thereby growing your business over time. And growing
your business is the real value of any company brochure.

x-tra points
First of all, determine the purpose of your brochure.
Are you trying to get new customers, or do you want to explain the breadth of your
services to current customers? Do you have a new service or product youre trying to
promote? Or are you trying to direct prospects to your Web site? To be successful, your
brochure should be tightly focused on a particular objective.
Whether you decide to design your brochure yourself or hand off your project to a
graphic designer, you need to know:

Who the brochure should reach,

What you want people to do after reading it, and
How youre going to distribute the brochure.

Second, decide how much you want to spend. If youre completely lost as to where to
start when budgeting, call a few printers to get quotes. The printer will need to know how
many copies you want, if the brochure will be printed on both sides, how many colors of
ink (black counts as a color!), the size and type of paper and whether you want the
brochure folded.

If you cant afford to have your brochure printed, call a copy house for prices. You can
design a good first brochure to be photocopied, then move on to printing in two or more
colors as your budget expands.
Third, write your brochure copy. When you decided the purpose of your brochure, you
might have set out your objectives in bullet points. Use those points as a framework for
your copy, elaborating as necessary.
Write as if you were speaking to a person. Cover the information needed to support your
purpose, but dont put your reader to sleep. Use direct, easily understood words. When
you feel you have clearly expressed your message, put it aside. After its not so fresh in
your mind, reread your copy and fine-tune it.
Have your copy edited for grammar and punctuation or for length, if it turns out wordy. A
good editor can make your copy shorter, faster, and easier to read without losing any
meaning. At the very least, have someone preferably someone with excellent grammar
skills read your copy to ensure it makes sense and has the intended effect.
Fourth, lay out the brochure.The brochure design should fit your message and budget.
Since you already know if you will print or photocopy your brochure, design your
brochure accordingly.
If youre going to photocopy, stick with solid blacks as much as possible, for grays often
turn out muddy. If using photos, test on a copy machine similar to the one your brochure
will be copied on. And choose a good quality paper to make your brochure look more
professional.
For either printing or photocopying, pick artwork suitable for your chosen audience; what
will catch your targets attention? Consider your audience when selecting fonts, also.
Your fonts and your artwork should support the image you want to project.
Double-check everything: spelling, punctuation, placement of artwork, lining up of
columns, and anything else you can think of. Dont forget pertinent information such as
business name, address, and telephone. Include your Web site and e-mail address, if any.
Finally, arrange the printing. If youre having your brochure photocopied, just take in
the final version of your brochure. If youre having your brochure printed, discuss your
project with the printer. Your printer will be able tell you what is needed for your
particular project.