Remember the last newsletter’s
“Anatomy of a Brochure – Part 1”?
If you missed
it, read it here first.
Ready for "Part 2: Ten building
blocks of a successful brochure"?
Now it’s time to look at your brochure’s must-have components:
Building block # 1 – Use a dynamic,
problem-solving headline.
Building block # 2 – A powerful USP –
unique selling proposition – isn’t easy to write, but is well-worth the
effort. Your USP must be very specific and carry a big promise.
Building block # 3 – Focus on
problems. When they’re pointed out to us, we usually take notice. For
example: “Are soaring gas costs cutting into your budget?”
Building block # 4 – Tell people who
you are, a little bit about yourself and a lot about how you’ve helped
others with the same issues as theirs.
Building block # 5 – Include a call to
action. Ask your reader to act. If you don’t ask them to buy
immediately, persuade them at least to ask for prices or more
information.
Building block # 6 – Testimonials can
be vital to your brochure’s success. Although some readers may be reluctant
to believe what you say about yourself, they’ll typically believe what
other people say about you.
Building block # 7 – A guarantee not
only eliminates the risk of doing business with you, it also can
dramatically increase your response rate.
Building block # 8 – Add a P.S. People
read them. For example: “P.S. Don’t miss out on doubling your car’s
mileage!”
Building block # 9 – Give just one way
to respond. Don’t confuse your prospect with a variety of options – just
ask them to call your toll-free number.
Building block # 10 – Use scarcity.
People want something more when they know it’s in short supply. So point
out how important it is to call right away, because there is just a
limited supply of widgets.
My 2 cents:
Want local and regional publicity? Go national.
By
Denise McDonald Dorman
WriteBrainMedia.com
In
an initial meeting with a new client, I ask him or her to list their
publicity goals. After they’re done spouting “Oprah” and “Larry
King,” and I get them back to reality, what they often note is that
their local and regional publicity is lacking.
To that I say, “Go national.” If you’re seeking to attract local
newspapers and magazine mentions, your national press mentions will
draw them in like bees to honey.
A year ago, I had a really interesting client in Northwest Florida.
The company, TLM Industries, manufactured uniforms with a level of
integrity and passion unlike I have ever seen. If a convenience
store’s employees were wearing their smocks wide open, exposing ugly
concert t-shirts, this manufacturer would take back the uniforms and
redesign them so that they were sewn shut in front and had to be
worn as pullovers.
He carried extra inventory so that convenience stores, which have a
high level of turnover, could get a new uniform overnighted for a
new employee. He even made shirts up to size 6XL. This guy was
always in tune with his clients and always finding them unique
solutions. His customer service was off the charts. Even better,
everything was manufactured within 20 miles of his corporate Florida
headquarters—all U.S.A.-made.
Yes, folks, he was creating jobs, adding revenue to the local
economy. Even still, the local press had no interest in him. I got
him placed into an article in Entrepreneur magazine. The next thing
he knew, two local newspapers and a local business publication were
giving him exceptional coverage and column inches. Problem solved.
A hair salon in Illinois that advertises regularly with a local
newspaper was unable to get coverage. Their story was undeniably
interesting. They had raised revenue 35% a month for the past
quarter. The industry standard for hair salons is about 2%. In 2005,
they were nominated as “International Salon of the Year.”
Unfortunately, these folks are reticent to toot their own horn
(which is why people hire me). Once I casually dropped the bomb to
their local newspaper business editor that the Wall Street Journal
was interested in the salon’s story, the local paper was chomping at
the bit to talk with them—they who were already advertising.
If I were working with a company on a limited budget, the first area
where I would recommend they invest for promotion would be in public
relations. Buying space in any publication or online site will make
you a familiar face to audiences, but it won’t give you the
mindshare and credibility of a review or press mention that wasn’t a
paid placement.
Denise Dorman is president of
WriteBrain
Media, a full-service agency specializing in integrated
marketing communications—where advertising, marketing and public
relations work in concert to achieve results for a client.
