Brochures are a great way to generate interest in your products or services. They can be displayed in your office, taken to client meetings, or left in stores and other locations. However, in order for your brochure to be successful, there are some rules that you need to follow to help your brochure stand out among the crowd. After all, your brochure will only get its message across if someone actually reads it! Here is a look at some of the most common mistakes that are made when designing a brochure.

Too Much Text

One of the biggest mistakes that companies make is incorporating too much text into their brochures. Clients do not have time to read a book. When they pick up a brochure, they are expecting just enough details to get them interested. If they want more information, they will contact you. Use bulleted lists instead of paragraphs and create headings and subheadings. This allows readers to skim over the brochure and decide if it is something in which they are interested.

Poor Pictures

One of the best eye-catching techniques to use on a brochure is great pictures. However, incorporating an old, blurry, or boring photograph will give the brochure a bland or cheap appearance. If you are showcasing a product, for example, try taking pictures of it from different angles. Showing the product in use could make the image more visually appearing. And always make sure that the pictures you use are in focus and clear. High resolution images will be the most effective for printing.

Skipping Captions

If the picture is what draws someone to pick up your brochure, then the caption underneath the picture will be the second thing that they review. Many companies do not take advantage of this facet. Your caption should include useful information that will help promote sales. That way, even if the client does not have time to read the entire text of the brochure, they will still have enough information to possibly prompt a call that will turn into a sale.

Boring Headlines

If you want your brochure to capture someone’s attention while it is sitting on a table or in a rack, then you have to give it a headline on the cover that stands out. The headline should be designed so that it clearly shines, and the wording should be enticing. The whole idea of a headline is to grab the reader’s attention so that they will pick up the brochure to find out more. A boring headline will not do this, and the brochure will go unread.

Hidden Call for Action

Once you have the client excited about your product or service, then you need to tell them what to do next. Known as the "call to action" this information should be prominently displayed somewhere in your brochure. This can be phone numbers, websites, or other contact information – all designed to stand out from the other text of the brochure so that the client can easily find it. If they cannot figure out how to contact you, then the sale will never be made.

If you can avoid these mistakes, then you will create a quality brochure that will generate sales and business for your company.