The other week I was asked if I’d like to develop some brochures. I turned down the opportunity for several reasons:
- Brochures are all about how great ‘we’ are at doing our job – who cares?
- They inevitably exaggerate which means they’re not truthful. Prospective clients can see through BS very easily
- There is an automatic presumption that if you’re a firm of CAs or CCAs that you are qualified to execute the service so why bother reiterating that?
- They are crushingly dull, regardless of how well crafted
- They’re rarely, if ever, about the client so they don’t give prospective clients a reason to identify with you
Creating brochures is meaningless and unrewarding, regardless of the fact they represent some of the best paid writing work. Instead, I suggested an alternative. If you must have something you call a brochure, let it be about what your clients say they need from your firm and how you deliver that:
- Examine how closely your business values are aligned to those of your clients. If your values are in tune with theirs then you have the basis for creating great content people will want to read
- Let your clients do the talking. That means you have to get honest with them and ask them why they stick with you
- Write in the language your clients use and understand. That might mean creating multiple copies of what amounts to the same thing but it will carry meaning for the intended audience
- Reinforce the written material by having independently produced podcasts and/or videos where your clients explain why they retain you. Give these away and publish on your public website
I’m still waiting to see if that’s an approach this particular firm wishes to pursue. One clue from the conversation: “Our marketing advisors are pretty conservative.”
Technorati Tags: marketing communications
