Unlike digital media, printed media has always had a much more profound story to entail to its users. Brochures have been used as an advertisement tool for centuries, and in contrast to all things digital, they are a tangible way to put a story together and show the product or service as it is. Brochures represent a fantastic way to showcase your product or service to a wide range of potential clientele, and with the use of print material techniques, you are able to bring the products closer to the would-be customers.
However, with the outburst of digital technology, digital and online marketing has slowly but surely hit back and found new ways to reach customers. There is no way of telling what will happen, but one thing is for sure – printed media will never go out of fashion! And the reasons are numerous. Here are some of the advantages, but also common disadvantages of brochures as adverting media.
Advantages – lucrative and affordable
Depending on the content and length, using brochures as adverting media won’t cost you as much as some other form of media. A glossy and colourful brochure can cost from $500 and up depending on the design, size, paper quality, quantity, and personal preferences. Even though brochures require more time to be printed than any other print media due to the need for higher quality. Brochures are mainly made from durable, highly coated with a special type of sheen, and the cost could vary because of that. Nevertheless, with brochures, you can get plenty for your money’s worth.
Disadvantages – a detailed layout
Even though most people do prefer a detailed layout when reading all the information from the brochure, there are those who reckon such information is too lengthy. Most brochures are aimed to have eye-catching images and clear information, but when a client wished to add lengthy coated, or too descriptive information on both sides of the brochure, the readers may just overlook something or not even bother reading it. The key effective brochure is to have precise and concise content that readers can exactly skim through it and read clearly about the product that is being advertised. On the other hand, if there is too much text, the message might be totally opposite.
Advantages – quick and easily accessible
The best thing about brochures has the opportunity to distribute and have barouches at every office area, corporate business buildings such as doctor’s or chemist’s offices, the airport or train stations, etc. Having your floor-standing brochure stands displayed at a shopping mall or some other practical venue such as in a department store or a bank would make it easier for people to find tangible information and discover more about a certain product. While consumers are queuing in a bank or in a shop they can read through the brochures and immediately spot the target product and get more informed easily about the product. Time-effectiveness and accessibility make brochures a great advertising tool in contrast to all other media.
Disadvantages – not online-friendly
As we live in an internet-driven world, there’s no denying that more and more companies are looking for ways to advertise their products online rather than resort to some other printed media. Brochures are not so online-friendly, to say the least. If your business is strictly digital or if you wish to reach a wider audience through online or digital advertising, then going solely with the brochure may not be as effective, but the combination of both would be more eligible. For instance, companies could choose to have a PDF version so that the consumers could download and have an offline version of the brochure as well.
Advantages – straightforward and tangible information
Throughout the years brochures have been used as a tangible print media as the information printed in the brochures is always straightforward and true. Online advertising can very often be very misleading, give out false information, or exude intel that is not as vital to the audience as text that is printed in written versions. Also, with brochures, there won’t be any information overload, so there’s no worry that people would get over-saturated with useless information. By using brochures you will get direct, precise, and adequate information which makes brochures one of the most trustworthy advertising tools there is.
Disadvantages – limited reach
Brochures are mainly mailed to users who specified the desire to have this form of advertising. The brochures need to be adequately designed, printed on quality paper, and then distributed which is a lengthy and sometimes tiresome procedure. Also, people or users can get and read brochures in physical locations such as department stores, so unless the people physically go to the store and pick up a brochure, they won’t get inquired about the product or service. Due to the fact that brochures are designed to be used as reference material, it could be hard to reach a wider audience unless they are picked up by parties interested in discovering more about the product or service.
Advantages – enhances trust
Nowadays, there is plenty of spam or false information in the digital world, and more and more people tend to be sceptical about news or advertising they hear or see on social media. On the other hand, printed media has always specified the importance of delivering clear and truthful messages. There are no false impressions towards the customers. Brands can directly showcase messages for their users and new buyers, companies can write eligible messages, and images are clear and trustworthy so people won’t feel like they have wasted time or money using brochures are advertising media. The fact that brochures are direct and credible enables them to keep scammers away and only help show correct information that would be used for the general and wider audience.
All in all, brochures remain a comprehensive marketing method that will enable numerous brands to show or tell their story, introduce a product, present results, and similar. Being a soft-sell form of advertising, brochures can effectively grab the attention of potential customers and bring the message across in the most accurate and trustworthy manner.
