Research commissioned by the Association of Business-to-Business Agencies (ABBA) states that 33 per cent of business decision makers consider printed brochures to be the marketing communication channel that influences them most. Two hundred people (working mainly in IT, sales, business development, finance, office management and marketing) were contacted during April by the British Market Research Bureau (BMRB) on behalf of ABBA. The aim was to ascertain which channels influenced business decision makers the most. The results were good news for brochures, but not such good news for the sales call.
Brochures are the longest established form of marketing communication in the B2B sector. Their impact and use has been eroded by the Internet, but they can still do what a webpage cannot. Traditionally, brochures have been sent out in response to phone calls, left as a reminder by sales reps and distributed at gatherings such as exhibitions and conferences. They are particularly valuable when there is a long sales cycle ñ as there often is in the B2B arena ñ and they can also be used as after-sales reassurance that the customer has made the right choice. They can even make a difference to a recruitment campaign. In fact, the average brochure tries to meet so many needs that it can be in danger of meeting none.
Brochures are ubiquitous. Every decent company has one. That is part of the problem. Decision makers often agree that they must have a company brochure without first deciding on the brochure purpose and its target audience. One size does not fit all. Richard Bush, MD at Base One, says, ìB2B companies often use brochures as crutches. Many are produced without proper thought about what’s needed, how they are to be used and most importantly, what value they add.î
As a sales tool, brochures are out of date ñ a decent website can do a better job more quickly ñ but for brand positioning, seeing off the competition and conveying what your business stands for, brochures are hard to beat. Brand and company information does not usually change as quickly as product information and so does not need updating as frequently. A brochure tells your customers vital information about your company, what drives you and what can be expected.
Brochures are particularly important for those firms offering a consultancy or bespoke service. Prospective customers need to understand more about a company with whom they will be working closely, than about one whose off-the-shelf product they purchase.
Customers particularly need to be allowed to amass information at their own speed without being pushed for appointment decisions or commitment. ABBA’s research is unequivocal: 82 per cent of those with primary responsibility for purchasing decisions say that they sometimes avoid taking sales calls; 56 per cent claim that such calls do not influence them at all. Obviously, many resist sales people simply because they are sales people!
Often, the most convenient moment to review product or service information is when travelling, and brochures are far more portable and easily read than, for example, trying to look at a webpage on your Blackberry when commuting on the Underground. In circumstances where web access is inconvenient ñ at an exhibition, for example, ñ brochure information can also be the most immediate way of securing interest.
Many companies personalise their brochures, particularly for important customers and/or large purchases. Vendors within the financial and insurance sectors have taken this one step further by making the personalised brochure the official contract, which includes all the agreed details of the offer.
So much information is now posted on the Internet, that the importance of a physical presence is often overlooked. The existence of a brochure ñ providing of course that it’s of sufficiently high quality ñ makes an impression tha is impossible for a website and is therefore an excellent, if understated, method of 0emphasising the quality of your firm and its work.
As Steve Dyer, managing director of Clockwork IMC, says, ìA well-designed brochure using quality paper and printing, plus effects such as UV varnish will catch the attention of customers.î Tactile and portable, a brochure is also far easier to include within a portfolio of documentation supporting a sales pitch. Potential customers might need to justify their choice of your firm to a budget holder, and brochures help do so.
A typical format for a brochure is usually full colour A4 and up to 16 pages. As both litho and digital print machines use A-size paper sheets, using A4 keeps costs down. Having said that, something different can be more eye-catching and work more effectively. Bush of Base One comments, ìDesigns are improving as B2B brands improve. Bespoke, individually-printed brochures are already being produced with content tailored to what the prospects have clicked on the website.î
Jim Baxter, director at Norwich Colour Print, adds, ìThe customer creates PDF files, passes them to us and, providing the files have been created correctly, we can create proofs within an hour.î The computer to plate (CTP) process means that printers can not only achieve effects impossible with film, but also produce high quality brochures very quickly with relatively short print runs. Baxter adds, ìA lot of information is now going on the web and we’re often asked to create low-resolution PDF files to put on a company’s webpage that match the high-resolution files from which we print.î
Some organisations have moved their brochures completely online and have dispensed with a paper version altogether, arguing that e-brochures offer realtime information in a dynamic and flexible format. Mike Ashton, senior VP of marketing at Hilton International, says, ìCustomers prefer a brochure-style layout and can tailor their e-brochure to destinations with specific criteria, select their preferred layout from a choice of three formats and then email, download or print.î
E-brochures can be personalised, emailed, produced in different languages and downloaded to mobile media for ease of transportation. Hilton International claims that global e-brochures will save it £1 million over the next three years. Nevertheless, customers designing their own brochure means that there is still a gap between what they ask for and what the company wishes to draw to their attention. E-brochures still lack the tactile portability and company initiative of their paper peers.
The following points should also be considered:
Structure: Brochures are not like magazines where readers subscribe because they want to read them. They have to capture the attention of busy professionals and persuade them to devote a few minutes in a full day to reading the contents. One of the best ways to do this is to begin with something with which the reader already identifies. Many brochures start with the company name, go on to describe the products and/or services on offer and conclude with how they can help the customer. The content may work better the other way round. Some customers may not be particularly interested in the company name, are more interested in useful services and products, but will be interested if those products or services solve a problem or help them do their job more effectively.
Don’t be exhaustive: A corporate brochure should outline the benefits of carrying out business with your company. It should highlight the company’s strengths, leave the reader with a positive impression but not try to say everything, so that the reader needs to contact the firm with a wish to know more.
Quality control: Mistakes of any sort should not be tolerated. This sounds obvious, but some brochures appear with errors that marketers do not think are important or, worse still, have not noticed. Your customers may not notice erroneous information which, rightly, would anger the marketers. They may, however, be irritated by errors in spelling, punctuation and grammar, which some might dismiss as relatively unimportant.
Print run: Expect a shelf-life of no more than one year for each brochure and be realistic about the number you will need. Producing too many spare copies ‘just in case’ wastes budget and resources.
Signposts: Few people read the whole brochure (journalists take note!). Most will skim read, cherry-picking the areas of most use and reading only those in detail. If a brochure is difficult to read ñ too technical, full of jargon, tiny print or too much text ñ it will be discarded. Worse still, potential customers may be left with the impression that your company is out-of-touch with what they want. Make it easy for readers to find what they are looking for by including sub-headings as signposts. A few strong brief points are far more effective than excess verbiage; the look and feel of a brochure often conveys as much of an impression of your company as its content.
Brochures therefore need to contain relevant, targeted information, capturing the attention of readers. It is only in this way that they will be able to acknowledge the potential of the products or services on offer.
Not only should the brochure outline the benefits of trading with the company in question, but this information should be presently clearly, in easy language and with attention to detail, i.e. spelling, grammar and language. However, the brochure should not be crammed with information; after all, companies should encourage readers to contact them in order to find out more.
ìWith most offices having high-quality printers, sales presentations created individually for each prospect and a customer expectation of only receiving information relevant to their needs, the average brochure just doesn’t cut it,î comments Bush. However, brochures can be vital for conveying positive information. As your business card introduces you as an individual, so your brochure introduces your company. You need to get it right.
