Brochures: Content
Your agency brochure may be the single most important piece of marketing material your nonprofit has. It has to sell your organization to a number of constituents like donors, volunteers, clients, grant makers and others.
Most people find the planning and design the easier parts of creating the brochure. Many nonprofit professionals get tripped up on the words, the writing, what’s it going to say. There’s no need to hire a professional marketing copywriter because you can do this. After all, you know your agency better than anyone. You don’t have to be a copywriter; you just have to think like one. The agency brochure is important, but don’t take it too seriously. I’m sorry to say that most people will end up throwing your brochure away. Make it good but don’t worry too much about it.
Let’s go over some things to keep in mind when you start creating content for your brochure – what’s it going to say?
The most important thing to keep in mind is the object of the piece is to clearly and concisely communicate. If anything is unclear – rewrite or delete.
Look at the brochures of other nonprofits in your area. If any share your mission, pay attention to what they have written and what they have emphasized. Include your mission statement. If there’s room, include a brief one paragraph history of your organization to demonstrate your stability in the community. Briefly describe as many of your agencies programs or services as space allows. If room is limited, and it is, describe your most significant programs and simply list the others. Talk up the benefits of your organization and its programs. Detail how clients benefit. The writing should be compelling and emotional. Include a client success story or testimonial. Use short sentences, short paragraphs and clear photos. Use bulleted lists where appropriate. Use clear and concise headings and subheadings to set off subjects. Use statistics sparingly, if at all. Your brochure is no place to bore your readers.
Do not write to fit the brochure design. Write your copy on a separate page. Make sure it says what you want it to, then try to fit the words into the design. It’s almost always possible to say the same thing with fewer words.
There are two must haves – devote one panel to a donation form. You won’t get donations if you don’t ask. People want to support your agency so make it easy for them. Also – be sure to include all your contact information in a large, easy-to-read font. After you’ve written your brochure content, rewrite it. You will have to rewrite it at least two or three times.
Those are just a few considerations when writing the text for your agency brochure. Thanks for watching. For Mission Marketing, I’m Chris Howell.
2 Responses
tanya
December 1st, 2010 at 12:07 pm
1THAT WAS SO HELPFUL! THANK YOU!!
Esther
January 18th, 2011 at 8:01 am
2Thank you! This is really insightful information!
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