I Me Mine

George Harrison addressed the idea of the ego and the self absorption that we are all guilty of to some degree or another in The Beatles classic Song “I Me Mine.” This phenomenon can be found all throughout our lives and can even sneak it’s way into our business advertising if we are not careful.

It all starts innocently enough when you sit down and decide to start writing the copy for your latest brochure. Stuck for something to say you start with an “about us” section or biography of your business. This is one of the most common mistakes, and as an advertising and marketing designer I see it almost every day. Most business owners assume that potential customers are very interested in and or persuaded by their illustrious or long history. The truth is that all the potential customer is interested is what you can do for them. They too suffer from the “I Me Mine” syndrome and this needs to be taken into account.

So long as we are not guilty of exhibiting this self absorption ourselves we can use it’s existence to our advantage if we recognize how to harness this reality’s great potential. A potential customer wants to know right away how you can offer them some sort of benefit- whether it be financial savings or avoidance of a perceived hassle. Keep this in mind when developing the copy for your brochure. You should immediately be indicating what type of value you are offering your potential customer rather than touting that you’ve been in business for 25 years. The latter is not as important to a potential customer. You’d be better off letting them know you could save them $25!

Not Enough Antacid

Have you ever picked up a document that was saturated with so much text that you immediately put it down because you couldn’t muster the focus to start taking it all in? Technical documents are notorious for this, but some advertising and promotional materials can be guilty of this as well. If not designed and laid out properly, a brochure can be very hard to digest, especially if you include too much information.

Designers like to use negative or empty space to help let the separate elements and sections of a brochure “breathe”- making it easier for the reader to digest. Sometimes, some of our client’s feel that they aren’t getting their money’s worth if something that is designed for them isn’t completely covered with images or information. This is when we try to politely explain that what we are doing is helping them relay their message without turning people off and causing indigestion. Less is more- unless you will be providing antacid with your brochures.

Leaving Your Readers Hanging

Okay, so you’ve finally written all the copy for your brochure, decided on what imagery to use and are getting ready to finalize your design. Wait a minute, stop the presses, you didn’t include a call to action! A call to action is simply a statement requesting that your potential customer take the next step. You might want them to call your office, visit your website or fill out a questionnaire. Whatever the next step is, you have to let them know to take action. You’ve engaged them with your copy, mesmerizing them with your dazzling design work and yet you can risk not closing the deal by omitting a few simple commands. A call to action can be as simple as, “Call Today to Start Saving!” Make sure it is boldly and simply stated and you’ll realize a higher conversion rate for your advertising pieces.

For help with your custom brochure design and printing project please visit the custom brochure section of our website: www.promotionlotion.com

Shoot us an email at service@promotionlotion.com or give us a call at 1-877-568-4665