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How to Make an Effective Marketing Brochure for Less Money

An effective marketing brochure is many things in one: brand focus, buyer engagement, and bigger sales. Both big and small businesses rely on it. You would naturally want to get the most out of your marketing dollar spent on it.

4 factors make your brochure effective but affordable:

  • Brand clarity
  • Design
  • Budget
  • Printing company

Let’s see how each factor plays out in winning marketing strategies:

1. Clarity about your brand and its consumers

You can only design a useful brochure if you have an awfully clear idea of your brand’s vision. Not to mention the aims of your immediate marketing drive.

Most importantly, know your buyers. It is useful to know their needs, impulses, and spending habits. This is the starting point of any sales cycle. A brochure that doesn’t satisfy these factors is a waste of money, time, and effort.

So, some degree of familiarity with the big three – brand goals, marketing goals, and customer needs should inform your brochure budget. This also helps in composing the message and figuring out how to present it best. Which brings us to the design factor.

2. Brochure design

Brochure design begins with the layout – how and where to place your text and images. Steer clear of amateurish ones with panels randomly thrown in. Next, the colors. Bright or muted, colors tie the design together.

While a full-color brochure is pricier than a black and white one, factors like paper thickness (regular or cardstock), folds (Z or bi-fold) and shine (pearly, velvety or uncoated) also modify the amount.

A brochure that offers a firm, heavy touch combined with a striking visual appeal can sway buyer opinions in your favor. As for the text, writing it yourself might save you some dollars but make sure it reads professionally.

It is often seen that standard paper dimensions are more affordable than custom sizes. However, it is not the price per print but the returns on it that shows its true worth.

3. Budgeting for the brochure

Experts state that the consumer goods industry spends well over 20 percent of its finances on marketing compared to just about four percent by energy companies. Out of this, merely a fraction is spent on brochures.

In order to make cheap brochures, take a moment to note how much you are willing to invest in brochures. In other words, the budget allocations. Ask yourself:

  • What is my marketing budget?
  • What percent of it am I going to use on it?
  • What return on investment will it be worth?

Brands that grudgingly overspend on marketing collaterals most likely do not fine tune their finances. Quality doesn’t have to be expensive. Similarly, cheap doesn’t mean low-grade. Different businesses need and prefer different types of print qualities. What big business houses may be able to afford to maintain their brand image might be totally unnecessary for startups. Talk to your printing service about print options (whether digital or offset) most suitable for your brand and spend as per your needs.

Another way to make your brochure cost-effective is to make its impact measurable. You can add codes or the URL to direct customers to the website. An additional way to limit the cost of print copies is to mail them to a select clientele. Or, print only for those customers who have requested for them. Time to look up the mailing list.

4. Finding the right printing company

Brochures that boast of high class prints have a higher conversion rate. Customers associate your brochure with the quality of your product and your commitment to them.

Working with an industry expert has its own perks. For instance, they can offer you the best-in-class equipment and a skilled team of designers and print experts. Ask around for printing services that offer competitive print prices, not just the cheapest.

You can also lower brochure costs by ordering in bulk. While it may push up your budget a bit, the cost per piece falls. Instead of printing them over and over again in small quantities, some companies choose to print their annual brochure count at one go. If it is an all-purpose general brochure, you can give it away at your store, trade show or conference.

So there you have it – the top four ways to make effective marketing brochures for less money. For more on professional brochure printing, get in touch with us today. Our digital and offset print services are a balance between cost and quality. Designing, printing and delivering, we take care of all your big and small print projects.