Starting the New Year with a Powerful Brand Image

It is common knowledge that people make decisions based on their first impression. This is why we wear a suit to a job interview, why restaurants present aesthetically pleasing images of their dishes on the menu, why political candidates will spend hundreds of dollars on a haircut, and why the most popular products and services put their well-known logos on everything.

Anything your company puts in front of prospects and customers must be of the highest quality.

Why would your prospect assume your services are any better than the quality of your marketing?

A common mistake many small business owners make is to take the “do-it-yourself” approach to marketing. Creating your own brand and marketing materials, or enlisting the services of an amateur, will undoubtedly end up costing the business more money than the initial investment of working with a reputable design firm. It may seem like you are saving money, but the inevitable low quality of the materials reflects directly on your services and products—creating a sub par impression in the minds of new prospects and leading them to search out and do business with your competition.

Hiring a professional, reputable design firm to develop an effective brand strategy will immediately place you ahead of the businesses that took the “do-it-yourself” approach. Enlisting the services of professionals to design your marketing materials is not an expense; it is an investment in the future success of your business—an investment that will result in increased sales when properly executed.

Effective marketing materials will reward you by driving more customers to your company through a positive first impression—driving them closer to making a purchase. Remember, your brand must make a first impression that will last and show your prospective clients the difference your services and products will make, directing their purchasing power to your company and not your competitors.

• Never give out a hand made business card; business cards are powerful sales tools and leave long-lasting impressions.
• Many are tempted to fill their business cards with information pertaining to all of their services—keep it clean, limit the text to your contact information and a short, powerful message. The card is a tool to lead clients to you, do not overwhelm them with information.
• Have a professional create your marketing materials and have them professionally printed. Unless you are selling “do-it-yourself” products and services, your marketing materials must reflect the quality of your business.
• Include your web site URL on all of your marketing materials. If you are well branded and have invested in effective marketing materials consider additional tactics to drive more traffic to your web site.