How to write a brochure that generates sales leads.
By Alan Sharpe
One rule in direct mail is that your letter sells your offer
and your brochure sells what you're selling. For example,
let's say you mail a classic direct mail package to generate
sales leads for your enterprise software product. Your
classic package will consist of a #10 mailing envelope,
a sales letter, a brochure (perhaps an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet
folded twice), a reply device and a #9 return envelope.
In this package, your letter sells your offer (which
might be anything from a white paper to a complimentary
audit to a discount) and your brochure sells your product
(describing in detail the tech features that are too
cumbersome to include in a letter). Here's how to
organize and write that brochure.
1. Create a compelling and memorable theme
Don't just name your product on the front cover,
or simply feature a photo of your manufacturing
plant taken from the air. Instead, craft a theme that
captures your prospects attention and stimulates interest.
Turn this theme into a headline for your front cover.
Include a customer benefit, clearly stated or implied,
whenever possible. Here are some examples:
(a) Committed to Memory (manufacturer of computer RAM)
(b) Now you're Talking (Voice Over IP service)
(c) We go the Distance (distance learning software)
(d) Get Online Without a Line (wireless email service)
2. Carry your cover theme throughout the brochure
Use images, subheads, captions and body copy that
continue your front cover theme throughout the brochure.
If your cover theme is "Now you're Talking," for
example, a subhead inside the brochure might be,
"Talk about a great deal." Your call to action might
be, "We need to talk."
3. Start your selling message with your prospect
Inside the brochure, the first image and headline
that your prospects see should speak directly to them
and the problem they face. Don't start with you or
your product. Start with the prospect.
4. Grab attention immediately
Arrest your prospect's attention and show that you
understand their problem (the one that your product
or service solves). For example, a software vendor
sells an application that manages enterprise storage
from a single management console. Here is how they
grab their prospect's attention:
[Cover theme]
Get more storage without buying more storage.
[Inside headline]
Adding storage solves your storage problems. True or false?
[First line of copy]
Is your distributed storage ballooning by 75% a year?
If all you do is add more storage, all you do is
compound your problems.
5. Describe your top benefits first
List the top five features of your product or service,
and the benefits that customers get from these features.
Remember that a feature is something that your product
does, while a benefit is what that feature does for
your prospect.
Now rank these top five features and benefits in order
of their importance to your prospect. Then write your
copy so that you mention the top benefit first, the
second-most-important benefit second, and so on.
In the above example, for instance (point 4), you
would list the following benefits, in this order,
and flesh out each one with persuasive copy:
(a) reclaim up to 30% of your storage space enterprise-wide
(b) prevent premature and costly storage purchases by predicting when your servers will run out of space
(c) reduce data access problems and storage-related failures before they threaten your mission-critical data
6. Present proof
Back every claim you make with the kind of proof that
resonates with your prospective buyer. In business-to-business
mailings, some of the most compelling proofs are testimonials,
comparisons with competing products, test results, case
histories, industry awards, and names of well-known
companies who are your clients.
7. Ask for the order
Treat your brochure as a salesperson who has to give
your entire sales pitch. That way, if your brochure
gets separated from your sales letter in the prospect's
office, the brochure stands alone as a sales tool that
can generate a sales enquiry. So ask for the order,
usually at the end of the brochure. Tell the prospect
exactly what to do take things to the next level (call
your 1-800 number, call you, return the reply card,
visit your website, download a demo, and so on).
----
Alan Sharpe is a direct mail copywriter. Alan helps businesses generate sales and secure sales meetings with qualified
prospects using cost-effective, compelling direct mail marketing.
Subscribe to "Sharpe & Direct," his weekly
direct mail marketing newsletter
at www.sharpecopy.com. Discuss your next direct response marketing lead generation campaign during
a free 30-minute telephone consultation with Alan.
Book your consultation now by phoning 1 877 SHARPE COPY (742-7732).
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