Weekly Tip
10 Effective Strategies to Get Your Brochure into the Hands of Your Potential Customer
By Leslie Stevens
Even the best-designed brochure is basically useless when it sits untouched in your warehouse. Your goal is to get your literature into perspective customer’s hands. The longer you wait to distribute it, the longer it will take you to close a sale. Your opportunity cost of safe guarding your brochures will be much greater than if you distribute them and reprint more. Consider these 10 marketing campaigns to effectively distribute your literature:
1. Mail it – Build a well-targeted mailing list and send it to these individuals on a regular basis. The more you communicate with the same customers, the more likely they are to respond. Your best list includes current customers, referrals and people you’ve contacted before. Don’t forget builders, architects and interior designers. Note however, you SHOULD NOT use the same brochure for different target markets, e.g. end-customers vs. builders. Your message to each market is different. You’ll need targeted literature that explains the benefits to each specific customer. Also, with respect to direct mail campaigns, keep your expectations realistic. Direct mail response rate is typically 0.5% - 2%, which is based on the quality of the list. However, you just need to make one sale to make your direct mail campaign pay off.
2. Put brochures on the back of your trucks – This new trend that has proved successful over recent times. Simply purchase a plastic box with a lid you can latch shut. Mount the box onto your truck and fill it with brochures. Put a decal next to the box that says” Take a brochure.” With that said, to attract attention, you’ll need some vehicle signage, such as a wrap, decal or door magnet. Vehicle signage works tirelessly for you day and night and should be a part of your overall marketing campaign.
3. Stash marketing material in your trucks – Your installers should never go out empty-handed. Brochures should be a part of the equipment list. Installers interact with customers and potential customers all day long. They should always have marketing resources available to distribute with asked by a potential customer. Instruct your installers to ensure brochures are loaded in the truck, as well as in the box mounted outside the truck. Oftentimes they are the face of the company as they interface with customers.
4. Put your brochures on your showroom front door – Mount the same type of latch box onto the front door of your showroom. Oftentimes people will stop by your showroom when no one is available to assist them. There’s no reason why someone should leave your showroom without proper information. Don’t let a potential customer walk away without your contact information and a description of your services. By at least offering potential customers a brochure, you’re telling them you’re on top of your game. In addition, your brochure should direct them to your website or to call you. Since you don’t know who these people are, make it easy for them to take the next step.
5. Include literature in your proposals – By now potential customers have probably already seen your brochure, but that should not deter you from including company literature into your proposal, which should be nicely packaged in a professionally designed literature folder. Your brochure, filled with lifestyle images, will remind customers why their spending a lot of money. In addition, your potential customer will now have a second brochure that they can give to their friends as a referral.
6. Make your brochure available on your website – Your website should be professionally-designed, informative and interactive. By offering a download link to acquire your company brochure, potential customers are able to receive information that they can share with their spouse. A low-resolution electronic file that can be used as a downloadable file shouldn’t cost you any more that the brochure itself. Make sure you receive at least a low resolution electronic file when your purchase your marketing material.
7. Include download links in your e-newsletters – Just like your website, your e-newsletters should include a download link to your company brochure. Again, once you have this electronic file, there is no additional cost to make it available to everyone on your e-mailing list. If your brochure is hosted on your website, you can simply add a link to your e-newsletter. Your e-newsletter and website should be tied into one another.
8. Put your brochures in partner showroom – Be it an architect, interior designer, model home or high-end furniture store, make arrangements with them to distribute your literature. If you’re partnering with them, as you should be, offer them your brochure as a valuable marketing tool. Position it as part of your support package to facilitate sales. Offer Point of Purchase Displays or posters to generate interest among their customers, making it easy for your partners to get started talking about your electronic solutions.
9. Distribute marketing material at events – Never attend any event without your literature. This includes Local Chamber of Commerce meetings, trade events that you exhibit at, such at the local BIA (Building Industry Association), your local Home and Garden Show, an event in your showroom, etc. This is your time to get information into potential customer’s hands. They are expecting to walk away with material. If they don’t want to carry it, get their addresses and mail it to them with a personalized letter placed onto company stationary.
10. Give everyone in your company copies of your brochure – Everyone in your company is a possible salesperson, no matter it it’s your receptionist, your office manage, installers, programmers, accountants, etc. Everyone should have brochures easily assessable to him or her at all times. Every employee should have a few copies stored in their home in the likely event they’re telling someone about their job. This will enable them to pass your brochure on, which might end up in the hands of a potential customer.
Brochures are a valuable resource, but only if distributed properly. The best brochure sitting in your warehouse simply won’t do you any good. The ideal action you can take is to create it efficiently and then get it out there. Don’t postpone a brochure waiting for projects to finish, or endlessly revise it attempting to create the perfect verbiage.
This article is provided courtesy of Leslie Stevens, President of Eclipse Marketing. Eclipse Marketing is a full service marketing and public relations firm servicing the residential and commercial audio/video and security industry. Eclipse Marketing provides electronic system contractors, manufactures and distributors with professionally designed and affordable marketing material. Eclipse Marketing provides CEDIA members with Member Marketing Material.
Leslie Stevens can be reached at leslie@eclipsemarketing.NET or by calling +1.949.363.5340. To learn more about affordable marketing tools available, visit www.eclipsemarketing.NET
