Many small businesses will self promote in an effort to save money. That is commendable, and completely understandable in the small business world, where budgets are tight and business owners wear many different hats in their day to day business. Money aside, sometimes it is BEST for a business owner to take off certain hats and hire a professional to manage their marketing (or do the books, or set appointments…) because many small business owners fall victim to being “stretched too thin”, which ultimately hurts and can even sink, their business. A professional can do the work in half the time, freeing up others to focus on their strong points, which in turn grows the business and pays for said professional… but alas, that’s not what this post is about! :0)
It’s a given. We have all started at a point of self promoting. Start small with some color copies of our flier, Vista Print business cards and we are ready to face the world! Nothing is wrong with that approach, as long as we realize there are a few simple yet detrimental rules of thumb we should acknowledge:
- Your BRAND starts the minute you open your doors. Always remember that no matter what material you put out there, even if it is a black and white copy of your flier attached to a phone pole, YOUR MATERIAL IS ALWAYS SPEAKING TO YOUR PROSPECTS ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS. While you might feel that it is “good enough”, remember, that’s what you are conveying to your customers!
- Consistency is KING. Even if you decide to use clip art as a representation of your business (which I do not recommend, but for the sake of this Blog lets just say…) You need to use that same image through out your material, don’t make the mistake of presenting a cluttered non branded look to your customers. Even the smallest lawn service will benefit from consistency through out their material. It is what sets you apart from that guy down the road.
- Always, always, always use clean crisp artwork for your material. Photocopies, after a few generations, begin to break down in clarity. In today’s digital age there is no reason any business or organization cant present clean crisp graphics on their material by printing direct from the computer or by directly printing the first piece to then photocopying.
Again, what you put out speaks to your prospects. Do you want your business to convey “Oh well, its good enough…” or do you want your business to say “I care about my image because I care about serving you!”
A common error I see with small businesses that are trying to save money by self promoting is logo degeneration. The logo on the left is degenerated, as if it has been photocopied numerous times. The logo on the right is not. Which one would you like to represent your business? Remember, your logo represents your Brand, keep a high resolution .eps file of your logo handy at all times, because inexpensive marketing solutions don’t have to look cheap.
For custom logo or layout design, printing, web sites and SCHWAG! (Promotional Products for your business) contact:
Amy Keel
Your Marketing Solutions Specialist
amykeel@akeeldesigns.com
#gotschwag
