Oftentimes, small business owners make the mistake of creating only online marketing tools or only print marketing tools. The reality is that every business needs to have both an online and offline presence. The second mistake made is that online and offline marketing efforts do not coincide. If a company’s website and online brochure look different from its printed business cards and brochures, then consumers will be less likely to remember the company later.

Douglas Bonneville, in his blog 6 Tips for PDF Brochure Design on the Web, presents some tips on successfully preparing brochure printing designs for a web PDF version. Below are some of his points, or you can check out his more thorough explanation in his actual blog.

• Use an Optimized Version - With brochure printing, your design file will be too large for a web version, so be sure to convert the files to appropriate sizes for online.
• Check Your Design - Many print brochures include such layouts as full page spreads, small fonts, and a logo that cannot translate well from print to web. You may need to adjust only certain aspects of your brochure or even revamp the entire layout.
• Update Using the Same Filename - Bonneville suggests that when you need to replace your PDF brochure with an updated version, change the PDF but not the filename. When consumers search for your brochure online, they will be sure to find only one updated version.

One more point that Bonneville makes is that you may want to consider a PDF version that can also be quickly downloaded and printed out on an office inkjet. While this is a good idea, especially when a customer wants to take your online brochure with them, you may also want to include a section near the brochure in which customers can fill out their information. This way, you can send them your much more professional brochure printing for them to keep around. Just be sure to offer an irresistible incentive to encourage customers to actually fill out the form.

In addition to Bonneville’s suggestions, here are a few more tips you may want to consider when creating a PDF brochure:

• Keep Branding Consistent - If you need to completely start from scratch with your PDF brochure layout, be sure to keep the design consistent with your brochure printing design as well as all of your corporate materials. Use the same logo, tagline, tone of written copy, and even colors and typography if need be.
• Use the Same Message - This will further merge your online and offline presence together. Even though you may need to shorten the amount of content in your PDF brochure or rearrange the layout, make sure it is the same message as in your print brochure. You will also reinforce your message to consumers who see both versions.
• Include the Same or Similar Images - Hopefully, you will be able to downsize your image files for the web. Using the same images, even if placed in a slightly different location, will keep your brochure recognizable, but they do not need to be 300 dpi as when brochure printing. Usually, 72 dpi or less is best for a PDF file designed for the web.

Bonneville makes a great point: giving consumers an accessible version of your brochure online is a smart move. But make sure that your customers do not have to sit for 5 minutes waiting for your beast of a file to load. Take the necessary steps to insure that your PDF file uploads immediately, even if that means a complete makeover from the brochure printing version. Consumers do not like to wait, so give them what they want right away and you will be one successful business owner.