A brochure is an effective way to tell potential customers more about your products and services. Back in the day, we used a printed format to hand to our potential clients. However, almost all of today’s communication happens via the internet. You might not have the chance to meet interested prospects in person. Therefore, a digital brochure is an excellent solution with many additional benefits. Let us guide you through 7 tips to create your first digital brochure.
What is a digital brochure?
Before creating a digital brochure, we need to understand what it is. A "regular" brochure is used to convey information about a service or product. Its goal is to promote and, eventually, convert prospects. A digital brochure is the electronic counterpart of a traditional, printed brochure. Typically it consists out of the same elements that are used within a printed brochure, such as text and images. However, a digital brochure may also include other types of multimedia due to its digital nature, for example videos and even animations. They are often distributed through online channels, such as email, social media, websites or as a download.
When should you create a digital brochure?
A digital brochure may be an effective format for your marketing campaign depending on your goals. A brochure should be easily scannable and provides snippets of information. If you want to go into depth, a brochure might not be the format to do so. In that case, we would recommend creating a digital magazine or a landing page.
The reason for including shorter text is, because a digital brochure serves to introduce te reader to your organisation. Considering this may be the first time they have heard of you, it is favourable to first familiarise them with what you have to offer on a basic level.
The advantages of a digital brochure
With the rise of digital publishing platforms and design software, the creation of digital brochures and other types of publications (such as digital magazines, interactive white papers, and sustainability reports) has become quicker, easier and more accessible. Some of the advantages of going digital in contrast to print are obvious. However, there are some major benefits that often go overlooked which could be of great value to your organisation.
A digital brochure may be your first step into the online publishing realm. Therefore, here are some of the advantages of a digital format as opposed to print:
- Digital brochures are very easy to share online.
Whereas a printed brochure is a physical object that would need to be handed over or delivered, sharing a digital brochure happens electronically. Because we are all digitally present at all times thanks to smartphones, anyone can receive and read your digital brochure at any moment. It is sent in a matter of seconds to thousands of people at the same time via email, or consider the amount of social media users that will only need to click on a link when encountering your post. And the best part is: it doesn’t matter how many times you share it - it will never be more expensive than printing.
- They can be easily created or translated into multiple languages.
When catering to an international audience, you may want to consider creating a digital brochure in multiple languages. In terms of print, this would double or maybe even triple the development costs depending on the size of your audience. Creating a brochure digitally allows you to reuse the same design outline for different versions. Even if you do not have the time or resources to create multiple editions, with the help of Google Translate visitors are still able to translate the content into their native language with a single click.
- They are much more interactive, dynamic and engaging.
A digital brochure can incorporate many interactive and dynamic elements whereas a printed version can not. Animations, video and clickable objects (to name a few) are all advantages of publishing a brochure online. Especially the use of interactive elements invites a reader to become part of the content and actively engage.
- Generating leads is quick and effortless.
It’s safe to say that, if you are using a digital brochure for marketing purposes, your end goal is to make more sales. Another benefit of a digital brochure is the ability to gate content. Gated content is when certain content is only accessible by submitting data through a form. For example, a form in which the reader is asked for their name and email address. This provides the brochure distributer with information about people who are interested and allows them to actively approach them. Some digital publishing software platforms allow creators control over how, when and where to place gated content in their publications.
7 simple tips to create a successful digital brochure
Now that you know what a digital brochure is, whether it is the right format for you and what the advantages are, you may have come to the conclusion that a different solution would be more fitting. However, if you’re still with us, here are 7 tips to get you started with your first digital brochure.
Know your audience
If you want to advertise your products and services, you must determine who your target audience is. Who is it that you are selling to? Understanding your audience’s demographic is half the work of creating your brochure. Try spending enough time on this step as it will ensure a stronger message in the end. Try to uncover who your audience is, how they behave and where they spend their time online. Find out which platforms they use and the type of content they consume to know where and how to share your brochure online.
Write your copy before you design
It may be tempting to explore designs and visual elements first. However, your copy should serve as a guide for your final design. First off, make sure your message is clear and that your content is divided into logical sections. Omit any information that may be too in depth and pick your tone of voice based on your audience. Only when your copy is close to finalising, start designing your brochure outline. Content can always change and get longer or shorter and, therefore, creating a design before your copy will potentially lead to spending most of your time on corrections.
Use brochure templates to ensure quality and consistency
If you’re not a skilled designer (or want to save time) we recommend using ready-made brochure templates. By now you should have determined (most of) your copy, which makes it easier to find a template that fits your needs. Most digital publishing platforms nowadays offer a library of sorts that allows you to further customise the chosen outlines. Try to find a style that fits your brand and would be suitable for multiple versions in case you have multiple products to promote.
Fully harness the power of going digital
Publishing anything digitally provides you with a wide range of possibilities. Be sure to make use of multimedia and animations where you could not in a printed format. Think outside of the box by using video, implementing 3D models or forms to keep your audience engaged. Some platforms also allow embedding content created in other tools.
Here are some great examples of digital brochures to inspire you.
Make it interactive
Interactivity has been explored as an effective method to keep readers engaged. Engagement increases positive association with the content consumed which in turn increases the chances of your band being remembered. Interactivity might very well be your key to new sales. Even if the timing is not right for the prospect at this moment, a heightened chance of being remembered is of considerable value.
So how would you introduce interactivity into your brochure? Try adding polls, quizzes or games games to give visitors a break from reading. Incorporating snackable content is another way to increase interactivity while explaining a subject to your reader.
Use tracking to gain insight into reading behaviour
A lot of digital publishing platforms offer multiple options to track your readers’ behaviour. Cookieless tracking is an easy and anonymous way of tracking behaviour without needing a cookie banner or having to comply with certain legal standards. If you already have tools for tracking, for example, Google Analytics, then an integration could be more convenient to keep data in one place. In the end, the goal of tracking is to understand your audience and to prevent making assumptions. If you have insight into how your publication performs, it gets easier to make corrections and improve the overall reading experience.
Incorporate a clear call to action
Digital brochures allow you to reach a wide audience in a short amount of time. A wide audience will (hopefully) bring you more prospects. A good digital brochure contains an effective call to action for lead generation. Ususally, that is a form that lets people fill in their contact details. Alright, an interactive PDF can do this too, so it is nothing new - but we’ve talked about the disadvantages. In contrast to PDFs, digital publications are capable of gating content which makes it easy to intercept readers and determine who is truly interested. Lastly, be sure to provide your readers with links to further explanation, in depth information and contact details if they need an extra push before committing to your organisation.
Conclusion
There is much more to be explored within the domain of digital brochures. It goes to show that creating a digital brochure requires creativity, careful planning and a deep understanding of your audience. Assuring your copy is final before planning your designs is a step that we cannot emphasise enough. And remember, a well-designed brochure is not just about providing information, but also about engaging your readers and encouraging them to take action.
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Maglr for all interactive content creation needs
With the help of years of experience in the publishing and marketing industry, we have developed a software platform capable of fulfilling all your content ideas. Explore more formats than digital brochures and create digital magazines, white papers, interactive annual reports, sales presentations and much more. Alongside a large library of templates, elements and effects, we empower you with the benefits of unlimited publishing and interactive content creation for all your online communication. With plans starting at €200,- a month, design your first digital brochure today with a free demonstration or a 14-day trial!
