6 reasons why you should create web format product brochures

Print media and PDFs are no longer up-to-date 

For a large majority of today's service providers and product manufacturers, printed promotional materials are outdated. For most others, providing printed AND digital brochures works best.

Don't confuse online brochures with print media floating around the web as files in PDF format, as PDFs are wholly unsuitable for digital corporate communications. The benefits of modern web formats are obvious:

1. Responsiveness 

When did you last download and read a PDF on your smartphone? Well, when was the last time you were thrilled to read a PDF on your smartphone? We all know your answer... PDFs are just about as good as a paper version of a print medium: they're not made for screens, they're hard to read without zooming in, and they very quickly cause frustration when read on mobile devices. 

What's more? Readers have to flip through the entire PDF to find the specific content they're looking for. In contrast, brochures published in web format can be designed interactively and in a user-friendly way - tailored to the usage patterns of smartphone, tablet, and PC users!

2. Shorter paths 

Picture this: A potential customer is reading your print catalog, enjoys one of the products offered, and then has to visit your website to find out more information and to place an order. Most often, customers simply highlight the product and put the catalog to one side. Two days later, it ends up in the trash…

Using web formats, you connect the touchpoint of your advertising material with your complete web offer and thus provide your audience with short paths from the product presentation to the final purchase. Call-to-action buttons and forms can be integrated directly, turning readers into valuable leads or even buyers within seconds. Your digital product brochure allows you to redirect potential purchasers directly to the checkout page.

3. Online marketing and analytics 

Meet your target group where they spend most of their professional and private daily time – online! Web brochures generate greater reach because they are shareable via social media and appear in the search results. Moreover, you and your audience may share individual pages or product views via WhatsApp, email, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.

By spreading your brochure via Google and appearing within specific search queries, you will reach potential buyers at the perfect time during their customer journey.

There is one more benefit: Google Analytics allows you to easily evaluate the interest and behaviour of your audience. As soon as you gained a clear understanding of which offers your customers click on most frequently and which pages they spend most time on, you can improve future product brochures based on this information.

4. Easy creation and customisation 

Project and marketing managers are now able to use DIY editors such as Webmag, without the need of coding or design skills. They create their own sales and marketing materials without the help of agencies to design them exactly the way they want them. They do not depend on external experts, web designers, agencies or printers for help. Once the corporate design has been created in the editor, the desired content (large-format images, image galleries, text passages, videos, audio files, infographics, diagrams, etc.) can be integrated easily by clicking, dragging and dropping.

Since product brochures can be individualised, dealers and sales staff are also able to work with the web formats, adapt them to the relevant target groups and add special offers and contact details. This allows very effective communication at the point of sale with digital product brochures.

5. Real-time changes 

Are you launching a special offer tomorrow? Did the price of one of your products change? Would you like to provide additional information on a specific service package? By using a digital product brochure, you are freed from the hassle of re-creating and then re-circulating your entire format. Moreover, there is no longer any risk of outdated versions of the catalogue being circulated, which could result in potential customers having the wrong idea about prices. A digital brochure ensures that all information is always up to date.

6. Less paper 

Does your company value sustainability and environmental friendliness? Are you putting emphasis on renewable electricity, short transport routes, regional origins, electric cars, recycling and highly efficient production machinery? If so, you will easily lose your credibility if you keep printing and mailing thousands and thousands of brochures.

Digital formats require zero paper and will reduce your carbon footprint, leading to an improved climate impact. 

Even if the topic of "sustainability" is not yet part of your corporate philosophy, a climate-friendly approach will get you lots of sympathy points. This opens up new opportunities for your company identity. Plus, you save money on the expensive printing costs of brochures, which are usually only looked through once and then forgotten again.