How Much Does It Cost to Design a Brochure?
Brochures are cost-effective marketing options that are suitable for any business budget. Brochures are an affordable print and digital way of reaching new and existing customers. As part of a holistic marketing strategy, brochure printing offers an exceptional return on investment.
Read on to see how to use brochures to grow your business on a budget. The guide includes:
- Understanding how much you should spend on brochure marketing
- Finding cost-effective brochure design
- Printing affordable brochures
- Understanding cost-effective brochure distribution strategies
- Total campaign investment
Keep reading to see how you can maximise your marketing budget and get the best return on investment with brochures.
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Understanding how much you should spend on brochure marketing
Marketing budgets differ between industries. The consumer services industry tends to allocate one of the largest budgets, while energy companies have the smallest spending on average.
Experts recommend that companies that have been in business less than five years should allocate 12 to 20 per cent of the gross income to marketing. More established businesses should aim for between six and 12 per cent.
For example, a new business with a revenue of £100,000 should allocate between £12,000 and £20,000 to marketing. If you choose 15 per cent, your marketing budget would be £15,000.
Once you have set your budget, you need to decide how it is best spent. Decide how much will go on advertising, what you are setting aside for digital marketing and how much is going towards print marketing. The next step is to decide on the budgets for individual campaigns.
The amount you budget for brochures will depend on:
- Your overall marketing budget
- The percentage of your marketing activities focused on brochure marketing
- The amount of investment needed to launch an effective brochure marketing campaign
The first two parts will depend significantly on your sector and income. However, we can help with the third element.
Sourcing cheap brochure design
The cost of designing a brochure depends on many factors, including the type and size of the brochure you need. Printing may be one of your highest costs, but several other considerations come first. While you want a cheap brochure, you do not want to skimp on quality, which is why brochure design comes first.
Brochure design includes images, text, layout and fonts. Getting each element right is vital. You need appropriate text for every page of your brochure. It is best to start with the copy or text for your brochure and build from there.
Brochure text can include:
- Attention-grabbing headlines and subtitles
- Sales and event information, including times and dates
- Special offers and coupons
- Unique selling points
- Product comparisons
- Product and Service lists
- Powerful calls to action
- Contact and location information
- Social media and website URLs
You can hire a professional copywriter to write your copy, or if you are confident in your abilities, you can produce the copy yourself. If you hire an external writer, you must share your design vision with them.
Once you are confident in your copy, you can secure a designer to bring everything together and realise your vision. You’ll need to communicate this vision with them and share your thoughts on visuals, layouts, fonts, etc.
When choosing a designer, consider the packages they offer and ensure they meet your needs. While you want cheap brochure design, it is essential not to compromise on quality and look for a good return on your investment. Remember, the more work they need to do, the more it will cost. Providing your own image, for example, can be a way of reducing costs.
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Affordable brochure printing
Once your design is complete, you are ready to get your brochure printed. How much does it cost to print a brochure? The same principles apply to printing as they do to designing your brochure. Look for cost-effective services that do not compromise on quality.
Brochures printed on poor quality paper stock or flimsy paper using inferior printing methods reflect poorly on your company. Using modern, high-quality printing methods and premium paper stocks reinforces the idea that your company provides quality goods and services and cares about its customers.
Creating credibility and trust is as vital to your return on investment as affordability. Balancing cost and quality requires the right printing company that understands your needs.
The purpose of your brochure is to bring in new customers. You need to appeal to them and use printing methods that engage with their needs—for example, using recycled materials and eco-friendly inks if environmental consciousness is central to your business and your potential customers.
Most people scan brochures quickly when they first pick them up. Your reader’s first impression will determine whether they return for a more in-depth look. Consider how your brochure feels when you hold it and how easy it is to flip through it.
Best brochure paper stocks
- 100 lb. gloss cover
- 100 lb. gloss text
- 13-point 100% recycled matte cover
- 13-point matte cover
- 14-point C2S gloss cover
- 15-point velvet cover
- 15-point velvet with soft touch coating
- 16-point C2S gloss cover
- 70 lb. matte text
- 80 lb. 100% recycled uncoated text
- 80 lb. recycled matte cover
- Brilliant white 80 lb. linen text
- Natural white 80 lb. linen text
How many brochures do you need?
The volume of brochures also determines printing costs. While you pay more for a significant number of brochures, the per unit cost usually decreases when you order higher quantities. If your brochures contain evergreen content, you can utilise them over several campaigns, saving you money in the longer term.
Brochures can also serve different purposes throughout the year, including at trade fares, as part of a presentation, countertop displays, and direct mailers. Printing in bulk cuts costs and ensures a supply of brochures for all your needs.
Short run printing
There are ways of cutting costs when you don’t need many brochures. In these cases, you could opt for digital press printing. One of the most significant expenses of offset printing is the required plates. These are not needed in digital press printing, making it cheaper for short runs. With longer runs, the lower cost per unit for bulk orders makes offset printing more cost-effective.
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Develop a cost-effective brochure distribution strategy
There are several options for brochure distribution, each with its associated costs. Your options include:
- Direct mail
- Leave behinds and sales helpers
- Packaging inserts
- Point-of-sale display
Distribution can cost nothing more than time if you go door to door yourself or display them during an event you are already attending. Factor in postage costs if you are mailing brochures instead, and there may be costs if your brochures are included in the packaging for other related companies.
Including these costs in your campaign budget is essential. There is little point in going through the design and printing process if you have no funds left to distribute your impressive brochures.
Setting your distribution strategy early in the process ensures you make the most of your brochures and your budget, giving you the best return on your investment. It is also essential to assess how each campaign goes and address issues in future campaigns to improve the cost-effectiveness of your brochure marketing campaigns.
If you are looking for cost-effective brochure designing and printing services, contact Creative Harmony today. We take the time to get to know your business and campaign needs. Our creative team works with your guidelines to make your vision a reality.
Conclusion
Are you ready to get started? At Creative Harmony, we have all the tips and expertise you need for the perfect finished brochure design. We can provide brochure design templates or the completed job, just as you envisioned it. You can see relevant examples of our work Code Coach Brochure Design and Fintech Brochure Design.
Brochure designers
If printed materials such as brochures and catalogues are not part of your marketing strategy, then you could be missing out. Creative Harmony can help you with all of your branding designs for your catalogues, brochures, product launches, and more. Plus, as your one-stop shop for all of your marketing needs, we can even print the designs or help you to distribute them digitally. Click here to find out more.
