9 Things to Think About For Your Next Agency Brochure

Make Your Next Agency Brochure a Portal to Your Web Site

Since the advent of the commercial Web site, agency brochures just aren’t as important as they used to be. Yet, they are still essential business tools. A good brochure shows and tells a prospect just enough about your agency to pique their interest and nothing more. As a result of viewing it, a person should be more willing to accept your call, meet with you, or learn more about you from your Web site. That’s all you can really expect from a brochure and it’s reason enough to make sure that yours is up-to-date.

1. Impress — don’t sell. Your brochure’s primary purpose is to serve as an image-building tool, not as a sales device. Use it to provide a panoramic snapshot of your experiences and the many benefits and advantages that you offer new clients. Leave them wanting to know more.

2. The Web. Today’s real agency brochure resides on the Internet. Accordingly, you should design your printed brochure to function as a portal to the Web where there’s unlimited space. Cite specific URLs throughout the brochure to encourage prospects to go there for more details. For instance, instead of printing long drawn out biographies of your agency and principals, state a few key points about your history and ownership, then direct the prospect to the Internet for a more comprehensive chronicle. And to cement the tie-in between paper and cyberspace, match the brochure to your site by using the same (or similar) colors, fonts and backgrounds.

3. Companies. Many consumers and small businesses don’t care who underwrites their protection, as long as the insurance company is licensed, affordable and solvent. At the same time, as carriers explore and develop new methods of marketing and distribution, some become rivals as well as suppliers. So, don’t invest valuable real estate promoting them to your prospects. After all, the brochure is supposed to be about you. Instead, simply list the companies you represent.

4. Mission statement. Take the time to update your agency’s mission statement (a brief, specific and written declaration of your firm’s purpose) before redesigning your next brochure. Then prominently include this important passage on the inside front cover.

5. Claims. This is what our business is all about, yet some agency brochures don’t mention the word at all. Clearly state that your agency’s goal is to minimize the inconvenience that’s associated with them. When applicable, point out that you are able to settle small first-party property claims quickly and fairly from your office, without having to wait for outside approval.

6. Personal and commercial. Many agency brochures devote separate sections to these two major lines in order to save on printing. While this strategy is economical, it also dilutes the impact of the brochure. Most prospects focus on either personal or business insurance, not both, so publish separate brochures for each.

7. Picture your clients. Instead of using stock photos in your commercial brochure, feature photographs of businesses that you insure along with their owners. For personal lines, invite favored policyholders to send you a few family snapshots. Integrate the best into an interesting photo collage entitled something like People We Protect.

8. Size and paper. Do you want your new brochure to fit in a #10 envelope so that you can easily mail it out? Or do you want one that allows for more text and larger photos? What about your current brochure paper? Is it too thin, the wrong color, or just plain outdated? Ask your printer for samples. There are always new professional-looking papers to pick from.

9. Fonts and graphics. Make certain that the typefaces and images that you employ are contemporary (or intentionally retro). Otherwise, your brochure expresses an outdated image.

There are many excellent agency brochures, but there are far more poor ones. A bad brochure damages your image more than a good one enhances it. Economy is important, but a defectively designed or badly printed document promotes the view that your agency is unworthy of handling all but the most minor of insurance transactions. So, always use a professional to enhance the brochure’s photos, set the final layout, and do the printing. If you are the creative type, use desktop publishing software to show the pro what you want, but never output the finished product yourself. Self-printed brochures, like self-printed business cards, often make an inferior impression. And that’s entirely counterproductive.