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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