Collateral Materials Dress Your Business For Success!
by Linda Brown
As an independent businessperson you have many responsibilities
to your business. You are the chief cook and bottlewasher.
You are an expert in your field. You dress appropriately.
You meticulously compose your business letters and quotations.
You are prompt to appointments. You use your telephone correctly
and business-like. You return calls promptly. But there
is something else that needs just as much attention as these
items -- collateral materials. A new term? Welcome to the
world of marketing!
Very often, the first contact a potential customer has
with your company is a business card, letter, brochure or
newsletter (COLLATERAL MATERIALS!). Remember what they say
about first impressions - you never get a second chance
to make a good first impression. If that first impression
is blah and ho-hum, that is the impression that will stick.
Unless you have finally built that better mousetrap, the
interest in your service or product will stop right there!
For many years I received unsolicited mail from a national
organization inviting me to join. I read the material but
it certainly was less than impressive. The cost to join
was very low and the brochure was so typical of junk mail,
that I dismissed its importance and threw it away. I was
sure it was a scam of some sort. Membership in this organization
included a subscription to their magazine but that didn't
even interest me.
As I sat in the waiting room at a doctor's office, I spotted
a copy of this association's magazine on her rack. It was
a dynamite publication that caused me to immediately call
for more information on the organization and get involved!
I had been throwing away information from this group for
years because their brochure did not impress me enough to
find out more! I could have been enjoying their benefits
for a long time already!
There are a number of ways to achieve the results you
desire. You could hire a design or graphics house to design
your collateral materials for you. While the cost will be
considerable, the results will be professional. You could
also hire them to create your logo only. This process would
probably cost a few hundred dollars but you would have a
professional, unique design to build your other materials
around. They usually give you a number of designs to choose
from. Just make sure you get your logo in an electronic
version so you use it in your own computer if you decide
to make your own collateral materials. Make sure it is in
a file format your software supports.
Another option would be to hire an independent who can
do your design work for you. This is usually more economical
than hiring big houses. If your independent is also an expert
with word processing and desktop publishing, it could be
an invaluable alliance.
Your logo needs special attention. It shows professionalism
and gives the customer a visual that will stick in their
mind if it's impressive enough. You need a graphic that
will convey your product or service in a way people will
remember. Another option is to use a type treatment instead
of a graphic. This process uses a special font or arrangement
of letters. Coca-Cola is known worldwide by the old- fashioned
script lettering of their logo. Look at how many of the
big corporations you can immediately identify by seeing
their logo—the car manufacturers, fast food chains, superstores,
etc.
If you are having your logo produced by someone else, make
sure they understand your business, the message you are
trying to convey and how you plan on using it. Your logo
needs to be designed on to your letterhead, envelopes, business
cards, brochures, flyers and anything else your company
would give to a potential customer.
At the low end of the cost spectrum would be producing
collateral materials yourself if you have a computer, printer
and software capable of producing the items needed. All
you need is the desire, time and graphic sense to devote
to your design work. If you are lacking any of these, it
is best left to the professionals. Your eye for placement
and the proper amount of white space, type styles and readability,
copyrighting skills and advertising sense are all pieces
that fit together in the puzzle of being successful at creating
your own collateral materials.
Once your design is complete, then you need to address
the issue of paper. Buying bond paper is only the tip of
the iceberg. If you buy plain bond paper, then you need
to find envelopes, cardstock for your business cards and
coverstock for your brochures, and try to get them to match.
There are many paper manufacturers who can supply you with
unique, pre-printed papers for your collateral materials.
These special papers are affordable quite impressive. All
your collateral materials will match and, with the proper
design, can give you the same polish and professional appearance
as the big boys.
Your letterhead and envelopes don't need as much attention
as do business cards, brochures and flyers. Their design
is probably going to be pretty standard. But business cards,
for example, can be pretty diversified. After all, they
serve as a mini-commercial for you and your business. They
can be plain and simple or they can be quite complex. They
can be folded on top or on the side to double the amount
of information you can include.
Brochures are important marketing tools that can take
many forms. They give your potential clients more information
in their hands than can be had from a business card. Most
people don't want an in-person meeting until they know more
about what you have to offer. The easiest brochure is a
tri-fold. A standard 8˝ x 11 sheet of paper can be folded
in threes to give you six panels on which to place information.
It can be used as a self-mailer for direct mail purposes.
Or it can be used for a more formal brochure. Multiple pages
of 8˝ x 11 sheets, folded in half and stapled can create
a booklet of information. A full size brochure may be needed
and 11 x 17 sheets folded in half serve this need.
A Presentation Package completes your marketing kit. This
is a folder that matches your other materials containing
brochures, fact sheets, price lists, and any other information
pertinent to your business.
All of these items need to be coordinated if you are going
to achieve a professional image. If you are fortunate enough
to find an independent professional who is strong in desktop
publishing and also has the expertise necessary to write
copy, he or she can advise you on all these issues so you
can make an informed decision you can live with. The design
of your logo and/or collateral materials is something you
don't want to change once you have invested in them and
used them. They are your business' identity. You would be
wise not to try and do them on your own. You have a growing
business to attend to. And your Collateral Materials need
to be dressed for success -- just like you!
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About the Author
This is brought to you by Linda Brown of LTR Office Pro.
LTR Office Pro offers you top notch office services, virtual
assisting and the author of the GET ORGANIZED! line of organizational,
personalized books. Visit her website at http://www.thebranchoffice.com/ltrofficepro.
As an office professional with over 30 years experience
making the boss look good, it was natural for me to venture
out on my own. I offer services locally and on-line as a
virtual assistant. I'm one of the dinosaurs that still use
shorthand and love it. I take dictation over the phone or
disk or in person. I have experience in all aspects of office
services and together we can decide how best I can help
your small business be more productive. 'Permission to reprint
obtained from author through www.ideamarketers.com.'
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