Yes, you're passionate about your brand and story. You care deeply about your products, the pain in your customers' lives, and the way your product relieves that pain. You have a compelling story to tell. You tell this story well. But you telling the story is 100% tied to you being there to tell it.
When you leave the room, your story leaves, too.
What if it didn't have to?
The absolute best way to make your story live in the minds of your customer from today through your next encounter is to provide them a tangible takeaway tied to your story. In first business meetings, this is often a quirky business card. In job interviews, it's your resume.
In product marketing, this is a product brochure.
A brochure isn't just a glossy sheet of paper with facts about your product. It is a retelling of your brand story in print form. It needs to be just as captivating as your in-person presentation, and needs to contain just enough information to hold the customer's attention and get them to that second in-person meeting.
- Start with an enticing headline.
- Show the customer you understand her story by retelling it once again.
- Explain to the customer how your product can relieve his pain.
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Brochure image by Antonio Bonanno[/caption]
Do not include a call to action. The call to action of any successful brochure is an invitation to the second meeting or a simple reminder that you'll be back to cover more. But do not invite the customer to act on their own.
A brochure doesn't necessarily - and should not - stand on its own. Do not start with the brochure; instead, use it as a follow-up piece to reinforce the story you told in the first meeting. A brochure's entire job is to bridge the gap between your introduction and your sales pitch - your first and second meeting.
You might never have created a brochure before. That's fine. Just open Word, Publisher, InDesign, or whatever desktop publishing tool you have available and get started. Tell the bits of your product's story that can be told on paper. Hold on to the really juicy bits for your second meeting.
Make the brochure eye-catching by including legal stock imagery. Make it memorable by including a relevant client testimonial.
Finally, get it printed and start carrying it with you to trade shows, client meetings, or wherever you're telling your story. The folks at Uprinting.com can help you out with brochure printing. Just remember, a printed brochure is not something you send out to stand on its own - a brochure is a followup piece to your already compelling in-person pitch.
This post is made possible by Uprinting Online Printing Services. Check out their website for all of your brochure printing needs.