A growing trend within many Dubai businesses is the move away from traditional brochure marketing to the use of highly impactful digital brochures.
To create that high impact, digital brochures have to work harder than print – where aspects such as paper quality, eye catching shapes or innovative finishes can position your brand, products or service instantaneously.
This makes the quality of digital design that much more important, and we have put together a holistic 5-point guide to creating effective digital brochures below:
1. OBJECTIVES
If the purpose of your brochure is to create brand or product awareness, then spend time on the front cover, headlines and overall look, which are critical for grabbing attention.
If your objective is engagement and conversion, the above still apply. However, the main content must draw the reader in and lead seamlessly to the need for more information or purchase.
2. CUSTOMERS
Know your customers. Keep your competitors’ strengths in mind and take the opportunity of digital to tailor your brochure to different segments at minimal cost.
Instant gratification or solving specific needs is expected in B2B and B2C digital brochures, like everything else. That, together with the high standard of creativity that surrounds us in all media, can result in customer expectations and engagement being dependent on the design edge.
3. LAYOUT, COLOURS, IMAGES & FONTS
Some positive design trends at the moment include using a wide variety of typefaces and vibrant colours, whilst at the same time making less use of grids, animated retro and coloured fonts.
Unless you work to strict brand templates, there is always room for engaging creativity in your use of imagery, illustrations, infographics or icons whatever the subject matter. Take these brochures as an example – Opalion Plastics and finance company Enness – as long as you observe your core brand style guide on logo, colour palette, fonts and overarching look, anything is possible.
4. MESSAGING
Keep the tone of voice on brand and true to your values. Less is more when it comes to copy. Headlines need to inspire or hook the reader into reading more detail; the main text should tell a story, link to additional information where relevant and offer solutions that lead to engagement – as in this example from Said Business School.
Short sentences are better than long and, depending on the audience, simple wording is often best. Even better is the use of icons to break up complex information, and infographics are perfect for displaying facts and figures.
5. CALL TO ACTION
Going back to your objectives, think of a spectrum from creating awareness at one end to closing a sale at the other. Tailor your calls to action accordingly in terms of frequency and prominence. Offering contact choice is a must – from phone number, call backs or email, to clicks and landing pages, live-chat or messaging.
It’s worth remembering that digital brochures continue to be a superb and cost effective tool for building both brand and sales.
If you need support with digital brochure design, just drop us a line or send us a message on WhatsApp.
