#1 Brand Colours and Logo
You have worked hard and probably spent a fair bit of cash creating a logo, choosing colors and a generally creating the ‘feel’ of your business. Why would you abandon your branding it at a time you need it most? This is how people recognize your brands and how they differentiate themselves from others. Your flyer should dovetail with your brand, using the same logo and color palette.
#2 Make it Different: The Purpose of the Leaflet
The principle is that every flyer has a purpose and in most cases, each purpose is different. The design of the flyer should meet these different purposes. There is a fine line between people recognizing your logo and brand, and being bombarded with the same advert, leaflet, flyer, poster etc. time and time again. Make it different.
#3 Details, Content, Information
The glaringly obvious details are easy to miss when designing a leaflet. Start out by making a list of the detail that MUST be included, followed by a separate list of details that COULD be included if there is space, deemed necessary or fits with the content. Do you need event details such as date, time, venue and so on? First things first.
#4 Who is the Leaflet For?
Just as every leaflet has a purpose, every leaflet has an audience. Knowing who is this audience is will impact on how the content of the leaflet is written. Put yourself in the shoes of your customers – what is it this leaflet needs to convey? Is the prime information obvious?
#5 Speak Directly to People
The content must relate to people. Forget ‘academic speak’, use ‘you’ and ‘your’ through the leaflet. This personalises the content and shows people that you have them and their interests at heart.
#6 The Right Spacing
Written content should be at a minimum, with well-chosen and well-structured sentences, headings and sub-headings impacting the information you want your flyers to give your customers.
#7 Eye-Catching, Useful Imagery
Images are the supporting actor on the flyer, emphasizing the purpose of the leaflet and supporting the content. Images need to be appropriate, clear, relevant and of high-quality. It may be that in exchange for deleting a whole paragraph, you could have an image that says it all.
#8 Choose a Title
Our world is busy, and our vision is crowded with all kinds of competing adverts and promotions. Our attention span for any leaflet or advertising tool is short – less than four seconds. Too much text, too many images all make for a chaotic leaflet, the message of which is not immediately obvious. And this is why choosing a title that immediately says what it is all about is simply essential.
#9 The Power of Persuasion
You have caught the attention of your audience with a great title. The images are powerful but is the content up to scratch? With great copywriting, your leaflet will deliver the message that it needs to. And this is the power of persuasion. What is it you want your target audience to do by the time they have read the leaflet?
#10 Call to Action
And that leads us nicely on to our final point: what is it that the customer needs to do now? Is it to contact you for more details, or do they need to buy the product today and online? Or do they need to come in store with the leaflet for a 20% discount in a week?