UNIQUE DIGITAL BROCHURES
At The Creative Tree, our team of designers and brand advisors develop online brochures tailored to your Brand’s needs. We use using cutting edge techniques that enrich the online viewing experience and drive more of your visitors to take the action you desire.
Digital brochures have an essential role to play as brand marketing increases reliance on digital formats.
What is the key to an engaging digital brochure experience?
The key, we feel, to understanding what makes a great digital brochure or even why they are needed, is in understanding the essence of what it is trying to replicate – the traditional company brochure or client ‘leave behind’.
We are all familiar with a company brochure, the printed variety. Many businesses still love the tactile qualities the experience of a printed booklet delivers. There’s just something about the look and feel of a well designed and printed brochure; from eye-popping and creative visual design to the luxurious feel of paper and printing techniques; it even has a newly printed aroma. One can say that there’s a particular craftsmanship about it. All of these qualities go to impart a distinctive feel for the Brand behind it.
We believe it is a mistake to look at digital brochures as a ‘replacement’ for the traditional version. Think of them as being complementary and having different uses, each benefiting specific styles of approach to a target audience.
There’s much we can learn from
traditional brochures when we make
the transition to digital.
Digital brochures –
learning from the traditional
The brochure has always been part of the traditional brand experience, and it is this experience we need to recreate and even improve upon using the digital brochure format. We have a lot to thank traditional brochures for, as they have helped define what value a visual representation of a brand and brand message delivers, and the elements that encompass it.
For instance, in recreating the brochure experience in digital form, how might we recreate the following characteristics so desired in a printed brochure?
Visual appearance
Before you pick up a brochure, you have to ‘want’ to pick it up. The brochure needs to look desirable, exciting and inviting.
The impression of quality
A quality brochure just has an individual feel about it, something suggestive of the product it represents.
Tactility
Materials used in its manufacture impart a physical sensation that can relate directly to physical aspects of the Brand or product.
Functionality
All brochures have an implicit call to action, but how well does it deliver and what utilities does it use to achieve this? For instance, pockets, other attached media, the use of digital experience elements (through QR codes, for example).
Visual appearance
Before you pick up a brochure, you have to ‘want’ to pick it up. The brochure needs to look desirable, exciting and inviting.
The impression of quality
A quality brochure just has an individual feel about it, something suggestive of the product it represents.
Tactility
Materials used in its manufacture impart a physical sensation that can relate directly to physical aspects of the Brand or product.
Functionality
All brochures have an implicit call to action, but how well does it deliver and what utilities does it use to achieve this? For instance, pockets, other attached media, the use of digital experience elements (through QR codes, for example).
How The Creative Tree approaches the digital brochure experience.
One question we often encounter is “Why isn’t my website my digital brochure?” The truth is, for small companies, it may well be. But, as a business grows, its website performs a more extensive function. Digital brochures have one purpose – to make the reader take action. The brochure has to attract, inform and engage to achieve this.
Don’t confuse websites and digital brochures; they are very different things with different objectives.
The aspects of a successful traditional brochure are as relevant in the digital world as they are in the print world. For instance:
- Your digital brochure has to look the part.
- It has to make visitors want to open and read it.
- It has to ‘ooze’ quality and project your Brand’s image.
- It has to have an individual feel about it, although in this case, not directly tactile.
- And, lastly; it should include functionality that helps the reader achieve the full level of engagement required to take the next step.
These are just some of the reasons why a digital brochure is not your website. To fully understand why, one should consider how your audience may come into contact with the brochure. For instance, it may be sent directly to a client upon request. It may be part of a targeted email campaign, or it may be accessible through your website as a download. Finally, it may be printable.Whichever channel it is targeted for, having a brochure in the same format as a website isn’t going to work.
Reinventing the traditional
One of the many marvellous features of the digital world is that it gives us so many new tools and techniques. With these, we can reinterpret aspects of what we have come to admire and love about traditional formats.
And, as they say, “there’s more”. We can implement features that are not accessible to conventional print, such as video, animation and slideshows, even augmented reality.
Brochure Visibility
Traditional brochures arrive in the mail, are picked up at offices, shops or trade shows, or even requested. The point is, they are naturally visible and readily accessible. Making digital brochures visible requires a little more effort. When somebody physically drops by a shop or business premises or a trade-show stand, there’s already a strong desire to investigate further and a natural tendency to take a brochure.
However, as digital brochures do reside on websites, you first need to attract your target audience to the site and then persuade them to access it. When working with clients on this, we focus on two points:
- A strong headline message with well-chosen typography, and,
- A reward, often presented as a clear, no fluff, benefits statement
A strong headline with bold typography and a clear reward is essential in attracting a visitor to a read a brochure.
These are essential if you are to engage the visitor and entice them to click. For example; present such points as part of a feature element, highly visible with a snapshot of the brochure too. Also, we make sure to place it in strategic parts of the website where your audience is likely to be more receptive. Slide-outs and pop-ups are an option to draw the visitor’s attention to it too.
Creating a compelling, interactive digital brochure
In many ways, digital brochures are superior to printed ones, for one thing, their environmental impact is very low, as is their cost of production. We can create versions targeting different facets of an audience’s interest, and in different languages too. A single master document can produce multiple versions if needed.
A digital brochure can be interactive. The brochure can guide the reader through the use of smart indexes and context-sensitive selections. For instance, a video can ask you where a reader’s specific interest lies and invite them to select an option, which then takes them to the relevant area of the brochure. The possibilities are endless.
We’re able to create a sophisticated, but simple to use, online brochure experience that rivals the tactile qualities of a traditional brochure
Call the TCT team today . . .
The use of ‘flip-book’ technology helps overcome the lack of physical tactility. This technology replicates the page-turning experience of an actual book. On touch-sensitive screens, by swiping left or right, it behaves in the same way as a book.
A creative but structured approach
The Creative Tree will look at the features and design options available and choose those most suited to the experience you wish to create for a particular audience.
Brand strategy and creative design elements working as one
When working with you, we will spend the time to understand, not just your Brand’s particular style and presence, but also the facets of the campaign you wish to run that involves a digital brochure.
A digital brochure is typically a gateway to a broader marketing campaign. Our first steps will be to understand the strategic goals of your campaign fully, and the part the brochure is intended to play in the overall engagement experience and user journey.
A creative but structured approach
With so many exciting options available, one has to take a step back and breathe for a moment. You must consider the specific purpose of the brochure and the action you wish the reader to take. Individuals reading your brochure are most likely at different stages of their journey.
Some may only be looking for information, others ready to take action. Products differ significantly too, from physical products to subscriptions and charitable contributions. These all translate to differing user journeys and the approach you should consider when engaging them.
Why work with The Creative Tree on your next digital brochure
With digital brochures, one size definitely doesn’t fit all. Our creative team is ready to help your business create the most engaging online brochure to match the needs of your campaigns.
Our expert team is always available to discuss your digital brochure requirements and talk through the creative and engaging options available to you. Call us on 01932 850 122.
As a digital brochure is a direct representation of your Brand, it is a good idea that you work with a team who understand the power of your Brand. You can be confident that our brand expertise, marketing know-how and creative design capabilities will result in a finished product that truly embodies the essence and personality of your Brand in an original and engaging digital brochure.
Related
Do you need a
digital brochure?
Read our article on how and why
you need a digital brochure
7 reasons why you should
use a digital brochure
Read our article on seven reasons why you
should use a digital brochure for your business
WHERE CAN WE TAKE YOUR
DIGITAL BROCHURES?
If you think our creative agency will be a good fit for your next project, please contact us or call our studio on 01932 850122
to speak to one of our experienced designers.