Page 231 - Duct Tape Marketing

215Chapter 14: Brochures, Promotions, Trade Shows, and More

ߜ Write directly to your prospect. Know your prospect profile (see
Chapter 2) and write copy that delivers the same benefits and reasons to
buy that you would describe in person if you could be there yourself.

ߜ Avoid technical jargon, long feature descriptions, and clichés. Clichés
would include committed to excellence and dedicated to your needs. Turn
every selling point into an easy-to-understand, unique, and believable
customer benefit. (See Chapter 8.)

ߜ Don’t boast. Aim to write a brochure that informs, inspires, and estab-
lishes a friendship with prospects. You wouldn’t (or shouldn’t) brag if
you were presenting in person, so don’t do it in your sales literature,
either. Avoid hyped-up superlatives (the best, the biggest, and all those
other est words). Trying too hard to impress almost always backfires.

ߜ Let satisfied customers do some talking. A convincing way to tout your
excellence is to feature customer testimonials or client lists. When fea-
turing endorsements, see that the customers are credible and clearly
identified, that their comments are honest and believable (nothing is
worse than testimonials that seem scripted), and that you get permis-
sion in writing to use the customer quotes with attribution.

ߜ Tell what to do next. A brochure is a marketing tool. It needs to compel
prospects to take the next step. Do you want them to call to make a
reservation or to schedule an appointment or demonstration? Should
they return a reply card to request more information? Should they come
to your business to take advantage of a special offer? Know what action
you’re trying to achieve and use your brochure copy to lead the con-
sumer to the desired decision.

ߜ Make the next step in the buying process an easy one. If you’re asking
for phone calls, include your toll-free number on every page. If you’re
encouraging the consumer to request information (perhaps a demon-
stration or an appointment), provide a phone number and a postage-
paid reply card. Make your address, phone numbers, and e-mail and Web
site addresses easy to see and read, and if you’re inviting visits to your
business, give office hours and a locator map, too.

ߜ Revise and proofread. Ask a colleague to read your copy for accuracy
and understanding. Then revise it, read it out loud, make final revisions,
and, finally, proofread it a few more times before turning it over to the
printer. Your brochure will stand in for your business when no actual
person can be present to tell your story, so tailor it accordingly.

Brochures are read most carefully by those who are ready to buy or who
have just purchased and who now want to validate their decisions. Write
your brochure with those committed consumers in mind. By doing so, you
will minimize the tendency to oversell and instead focus on the benefits and
promises that customers can count on when they work with your business.