Olive & Co
Search
Close this search box.

Long Live the Marketing Brochure!

For years the Internet has been heralding the death of print. The world foresaw bookshelves used as firewood, libraries standing empty and bookshops becoming Apple Stores. This news didn’t bode well for the life of the marketing brochure, but it’s been more than 30 years since we were first introduced to the World Wide Web and these handy print pieces still have a purpose in our marketing arsenal.

Hard to Reach Places

While the Internet is seemingly everywhere, your website can’t be in front of your audience at all times, and a strategically placed brochure might be just the ticket to reaching where your website doesn’t. For example, those precious moments we spend waiting may present the perfect time to introduce your sales message. An idle audience can often prove to be the most captive. A dental supply company could find a new customer in the dentist’s waiting room. A tourist spot may catch the attention of a traveler checking in at a hotel. Or a restaurant may sell their catering services to diners awaiting a table.

In all of these instances, online marketing tactics would likely fail to reach the audience. The brochure can introduce your product or service before a potential customer even realizes they are interested, while a website is intended to engage someone actively seeking information.

Make a First, Second and Third Impression

It’s also a well-known fact that the more times an individual interacts with your brand, the more likely they will be to purchase your product or service. For instance, if someone finds a brochure for your event planning services in the lobby of a conference center, they will later be more inclined to click the ad you’ve placed on Meetings-Conventions.com than if they had never encountered your brand before. Without a brochure, you may be missing valuable opportunities to maximize your brand’s impressions.

Top of Desk and Top of Mind

As soon as the browser closes, your website disappears from the mind of the user. A brochure can ensure your brand stays in front of your audience post power down. If they picked up your print piece at a trade show, they’ll come across it again as they unpack back at the office. Or maybe it’s been used as a leave behind and will remain on the potential client’s desk long after your sales person leaves. Providing your company information in a tangible format ensures you stay top of mind even when customers unplug.

Face-to-Face Sales Fodder

Sending your sales team into a pitch meeting or trade show interaction without a printed piece makes about as much sense as sending a soldier into battle completely unarmed. A brochure is the perfect way to drive conversations and potentially sales in these situations. When an individual takes literature from your tradeshow booth, it gives your representative a natural opening to introduce your company and product lines. These pieces also allow your sales people to enter an initial meeting equipped with neatly outlined talking points. Arriving empty handed can make sales appear unprofessional and unprepared.

Despite the expansion of online marketing, printed brochures offer a number of benefits beyond the reach of an online-only campaign. While websites are a completely necessary component for any business, brochures are still a vital part of a well-rounded marketing campaign and should be considered a key element of your marketing lineup.

Eliza Green
Eliza Green
Passionate about all aspects of content, Eliza has spent much of her career building an understanding of the nuanced needs of various audiences across nearly every vertical imaginable. She leverages this understanding to bring compelling, engaging content to pages of both the digital and print persuasion.