Web Site vs. Brochure

S

shane justice

Joined
May 12, 2003
Messages
1,606
Hello,
It seems like a lot of makers are opting for a web page instead of a brochure to be mailed out..

Local printers want a dear price for a high quality fold out type brochure.

Looks like a web page is in the more bang for the buck column.

Anybody have any thoughts/recommendations?

Thanks, Shane
 
I agree. I think it is a good thing, personally, as I don't have to be cluttered with papers. I suspect many makers still pay too much for their webpages, with fancy flash animations, etc. And then sometimes they put crappy pictures....
 
Site is much better. It can be updated faster and easier, and with emails you can easily interface customers with makers. I love surfing all the makers sites.
 
A web page can be accessed immediately while a brochure can take days and even weeks to get to the interested party. Your web site can contain far more information than a brochure unless you go all out on your brochure (big cost). It can also be updated regularly. Every time you make a new knife you can post a picture of it. If you do that with brochures then it is going to cost you a fortune to keep up.

One thing I do like about brochures is that they can be filed away and looked at years from now. That makes them a good reference tool. I have some brochures and photos that were sent to me by makers in the eighties and early nineties and I love to go through them every now and then.
 
Yes, but when you're sitting in the "little boys room", a magazine rack full of brochures beats having to install a phone line anyday!
 
A decision that has to be made when it comes to brochures is whether a maker is going to charge a fee for them. Most makers state that you have to send between two and ten dollars for them to send you a brochure. I understand that this is to offset the price of the brochure and the cost of mailing, but it is a major pain in the butt for the person requesting the brochure. First you have to mail the money, which will take at least a few days to get there, and then you have to wait for the brochure to get to you. The total time this takes can stretch out to as much as a month.

With a web site your potential customers can see your work immediately. This is a big advantage. If a person has to wait to get your brochure his/her enthusiasm for purchasing one of your knives may have cooled off by the time it arrives.
 
I guess if you have a dozen or so models a brochure is possible, run it up on Corel and print one copy off then have it photocopied. That way you can mail it out for 2 or 3 bucks each.

If however you have more than a dozen models or a high rate of product change over the internet site is the only way to go because printing it out is just too darn time consuming and expensive...My web site prints out in 23 or 24 pages and most of that is photos, I figure mailing a copy out to a potential customer costs about $25.........I don't send out brochures unless the customer is specifically interested in Bowies or Kitchen knives. Those brochures are $2-$3 each mailed, even then the brochures are out of date.

Net result we update the web site every week or two and depend on that.
 
Keith Montgomery said:
Most makers state that you have to send between two and ten dollars for them to send you a brochure.
Click to expand...

For me, if the only way to look at a makers products was to look at his brochure, and he wanted to charge me for that brochure, I would discontinue an interest in his stuff.
 
RWS said:
For me, if the only way to look at a makers products was to look at his brochure, and he wanted to charge me for that brochure, I would discontinue an interest in his stuff.
Click to expand...

Most makers that I know of that have brochures will waive the charge for people that are interested in their knives. I think the fee is for those that the maker feels are just collecting brochures.
 
I have both because, believe it or not, not everyone has a computer.

The brochures also come in handy at shows when someone expresses interest in a particular model. I can make a simple "X" beside the model the customer is interested in and include other important annotations. Many times, I get a call from that person when they're ready to place an order.

My brochures have always been free. I consider it a business expense, just like my website. You can never tell whether someone is truly interested in your knives or if they're just collecting information. To me, it's worth the gamble to spend a few dollars to promote my wares to anybody who expresses interest.
 
Hi Guys!

I entered this thread this AM...then went fisshing in on the South Fork of the Tongue River...that's in the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming. When I got back...lots of replies...COOL!

WHat a good day!

I'm thinking that I want a web page...just for the scope of advertising it allows...but I get a lot of calls from folks who don't use computers much or..like was mentioned earlier...don't hace a PC at all. I have probably lost a sale oor two because I didn't have a BROCHURE ON HAND...

as a new maker starting out...a few missed sales really hurt...

Does anybody have a recommendatino for a good service to build a site?

Thanks,
Shane
 
Of course I am going to tout the website over a brochure, too. But like the rest of youz guyz, we ARE already hooked up and online. What else would we say??!

Like Tom A. smartly answered, there are still folks who aren't on the net. Nor will be. If you plan on doing shows to get exposure, you will meet these 'un-line' collectors in force. ;) Maybe be ready with more than a card. (I should talk... I only have a business card and website for my photography.)

Website host: Atlanta Virtual for me. In tune with the knifemaker's needs and very competitive prices.

Coop
 
It looks to me like it would be a good idea to have both. A well designed website and brochures for those that aren't able to check out your site.

I whole heartedly second Coop's recommendation of Atlanta Virtual as a company to choose to go to for your website. You not only get the site, but you get all the other support that Atlanta Virtual can give you in developing your knifemaking business. In my opinion you can not make a better choice.
 
Thanks fellas...

I'll get in touch with Atlanta Virtual on Monday!

I have looked at a lot of makers sites...what I noticed is pictures make a big impact...

but also it seems like there's also alot of turtorials and infromation exchange...

As a new guy...I don't guess I can add much to the vast amount of knowledge that i s already out there...is it enough to provide basic info on heat treating and construction techniques? Or does a maker hafta go into all the specifics?

On the one hand I don't want to bore folks with shop talk ..but on the other I don't want to seem secretive and inaccessible. Does that make any sense

You guys have been really helpful...thanks
Shane
 
Don't worry about boring people. If someone doesn't want to read your shop talk, they don't have to. They can just exit that part of your site and go somewhere else. I can spend a lot of time on some of my favorite sites; Don Fogg's for instance. He has a tremendous amount of useful info on his site and so do a lot of other makers.

You have had some training from Ed Fowler (possibly a lot, I am not sure). You have also probably learned from others and picked up a few things yourself. That is the kind of stuff that is invaluable to others. The problem is that it is time consuming to put that info on your site. That is an area where Atlanta Virtual will be able to help.
 
My idea of a good maker's website includes a bio page of the maker himself with a nice portrait photo, How many times has it been discussed that the Custom Knife world really is about the *people* and not just the hardware. I still see a good many sitres with nary a photo of whom I might be dealing with. Don't underplay it. Step up and get personal.

Sure, and have a page devoted to your construction techniques and design theories. I wouldn't suggest a tutorial, but rather a brief explanation for the newbie collector.

Both of these pages would reveal you are 'showing your hand', in a good sense, and would inform the visitor to you and your style.

Let us know.

Coop
 
Shane,
I enjoyed meeting you at Blade. Your knives looked great. I hope to see more in the future...
David
 
Then you work with a professional website designer that has a great deal of knowledge about the knife industry, they will be able to advise you as to what your site should contain.

If you want to check out more than one website designer, I would recommend along with Atlanta Virtual that you check with BladeForums member Mitch Lum. His forum user name is UW Mitch.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/member.php?u=108152
 
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