by Anna Cruz

Created on: February 10, 2009

Tech specs and design theory aside, a powerful brochure consistently connects with the correct customers. A beautiful brochure that doesn't move the customer, make them think, and then motivate them to action is just a pretty picture. It's easy to get stuck in the rut of brochure production and forget about the value of engaging customers with core emotional responses: a simple smile, a pensive thought, or a tug at the heart strings.

Before you sit down and worry about the technical aspects of your brochure, take the time to think through and plan your brochure design. A little planning goes a long way, so follow these five tips:

1. Define the customer
Before you decide on anything else, you must first define your customer. Are they young or old, established or just getting started? Do they shop online or brave the local malls? Understanding the customer comes first and will help you develop the rest of your brochure.

2. Engage the customer
Once you have your customer defined, think through what emotional response would be most appropriate for your products. We expect to laugh at a beer commercial and get warm and fuzzy during the De Beers "diamonds are forever" commercials. Brainstorming on different emotional angles at this point might be the most important thing you do for creating powerful brochures.

3. Show the customer
Show then tell. Use the front of your brochure to help the customer see how the product or services can make their lives better. What's the best way to show the customer? Often with pictures and graphics of your products in action.

4. Tell the customer
Once engaged, the customer needs and expects information. Be careful here. Too much information can cause an overload. Going back to your definition of the customer, see what they are looking for. You may be surprised to discover that fewer points of data can actually be more interesting and insightful. Remember that you want the customer to follow up with you, so give them just enough information but not too much.

5. Call the customer
Now it's time to call the customer to action. This can be anything from visiting a store, calling customer service, or visiting your website. Careful contact information placement is in order as you never want your brochure to feel like a brochure. Keep your information compact and easy to find, but avoid plastering your info all over the brochure. A simple statement like, "Call us today for pricing" or "Visit our website for more information" may be all you need.

Once you define, engage, show, tell, and call the customer to action, the technical and design aspects will fall into place. In fact, you may find that the entire brochure design actually goes faster after taking some time to plan. It is much easier to design since you will likely already have a vivid visual idea of where you are going.

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