Hi everyone! I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful Summer. The period of time that begins in September and goes until the holidays marks a very special marketing time. It may be short in duration but it’s powerful in possibilities. People are back from vacation, children are in school, and minds tend to turn to business and how to maximize fourth quarter earnings and set the stage for a successful new year.

In addition to reconnecting with your clients and contacts, you may want to jumpstart your fall marketing initiatives by creating a brochure. This month’s article looks at some definite Do’s and Don’ts when considering this tried and true collateral initiative.

Is there something in particular you would like me to address in the newsletter? Email me at Barbara@Raimaker-Strategies.com.

THE DO’s:

Decide on the purpose of the brochure. A brochure probably will not develop new clients. However, it can serve many purposes, such as develop a firm’s image, provide information about the firm, and serve as a marketing tool.

Focus on your target market. Do not try to use the same brochure for clients, potential clients, referral sources and recruits. Craft the brochure to relate directly to the intended audience.

Use graphics and photos that relate to your audience. Images that depict your clients and their industries will engage your readers more than photos of your firm or generic images of the skyline.

Make it in color. Although you certainly don’t need to spend lots of money on a glossy, full color brochure, a black and white brochure says “unprofessional” and won’t help you stick out in a crowd.

Focus the copy externally. Write from the perspective of the intended audience. For instance, if your brochure is aimed at potential clients, rather than listing features of the firm state the benefits such a feature provides to your clients.

Call the reader to action. At or near the end of the brochure, invite the reader to do something. This could be to contact the firm for additional information, or to set a meeting, or for an estimate or proposal, for instance.

Follow ethical restrictions. Depending on your profession, there can be some fairly strict rules with regard to utilizing brochures in your marketing. Make sure you know if your profession’s governing body has any restrictions and be sure to follow them.

THE DON’Ts:

Don’t produce your own brochures. Your brochure sets forth the image of your firm. Hire a reputable designer, writer and printer (that may be three different people) to ensure the quality of your brochure.

Don’t use jargon. Clients want to know what the firm can do to help them. Industry jargon and lengthy paragraphs increase the chance that your brochure won’t be read.

Don’t be your own proofreader. It’s hard to find every typo and grammatical error and yet it’s critical you do so. Have an independent set of eyes thoroughly examine your brochure copy.

Don’t forget your brand. Your logo, firm colors and other elements of your brand should be incorporated into your brochure.

Don’t create your brochure in a vacuum. A brochure will not be effective unless done in conjunction with other marketing activities. Make it part of an overall strategic marketing plan.

Don’t try to say everything in a brochure. Make sure you’ve identified the purpose of your brochure and create it with this end in mind. Do not expect one brochure to develop the firm’s image, act as a marketing piece and recruit new talent.

As you can see, your firm brochure can be a powerful marketing tool if created and used properly. Use the tips above to ensure your brochure hits the mark.

Women’s Business Center. I just finished a workshop for the Women’s Business Center of California. We worked on the Six Steps toBuilding Your Business. This fun and interactive workshop has become quite popular with owners of all types of businesses and it’s absolutely one of my favorite workshops to conduct.

San Diego County Bar Association. If you are a lawyer in the San Diego area, consider attending the San Diego County Bar Association’s Nuts & Bolts seminar. I’ll be speaking at this seminar on October 20 about how to create effective web sites and brochures.

Making Rain Out of Mist. Several of you have asked me whether my recently created practice building system for lawyers, Making Rain Out of Mist is a self study program or if coaching is part of the program. The answer is “YES!” :o) Let me explain. The program material consists of a workbook with lots of exercises and four audio CD’s. Those of you who are self-reliant and self-motivated or just plain want to check it out on your own timetable, are certainly able to do so. And, for those of you who would like assistance going through the program, or have questions, individual and group coaching is available. Feel free to contact me and we’ll decide together which is the best option for you and your needs. You can Email me at Barbara@Rainmaker-Strategies.com or Call me at 858-566-5585.

If you want to find out more about this step-by-step, comprehensive practice building system, please visit my web site at www.rainmaker-strategies.com (click on the products link).

Barbara Nichols Mencer
Rainmaker Strategies
Barbara@Rainmaker-Strategies.com
www.rainmaker-strategies.com

If you’ve enjoyed this article and learned a valuable business-building tip, please feel free to forward this newsletter to your friends and colleagues.

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