Communicating to the public that your products and/or services are a worthwhile investment for them is the basis of a company’s marketing program. The quality of your company’s collective communications -- what you say, how you say it, how you look --  plays a major role in the way clients and prospects judge your company’s competence, credibility, and professionalism. 

IDENTITY is the foundation of your marketing, be it a business card, brochure, email or invoice. 

Think about it -- you and your employees ‘dress for success’ as you prepare for a client meetings, new prospect presentations, and networking events.  Well, what applies to your persons also applies to your business support materials.

Can you afford to take a chance on sending the wrong message? sending an inconsistent message? or having it perceived incorrectly?

Clients and Prospects respond to tangible evidence that indicates the quality of your product or service.  When you mail a brochure or hand out presentation notes, the piece acts as a sales person for your company, delivering a message, and influencing perceptions.  It is what the public sees; it is what speaks to them in your absence; it is when many decisions and judgments are made about your company.

Your identity is that which makes you UNIQUE AND RECOGNIZABLE; and it defines your credibility.  The look, the copy, the image presented by your marketing materials determines your position in the marketplace. 

Identity is what you reflect to the world and PERCEPTION IS REALITY.  It is neither right nor wrong; it just is.  If you think you are the BMW of what you do, then everything about you needs to send the message that you are the ultimate driving machine.  A slick brochure which is followed by a series of letters filled with typos and sent on copy paper will hardly fool a prospective client.

Every marketing strategy you implement must impact the recipient, deliver your message, and sell him/her on calling or hiring you and not your competition.  Here are 6 tips on fortifying your marketing with “C”

• Clarity – clearly stated and easy to read

• Conciseness – short and to the point.  People neither read nor retain “wall-to-wall” copy, long, rambling sentences.  Keep it simple.

• Consistency – Repetition builds Recognition.  If you change your marketing, media, identity, the message may be confused and lost.  Repetition builds recognition

• Confidence – In a nationwide survey, this was the number one reason people buy from a company.  Price was only number five.

• Creativity – To be memorable, stand apart from your competition.  Your goal is to Capture your prospects’ interest, Command their attention, and arouse their Curiosity. To do that you must be unique.

• Commitment – Even a mediocre marketing program with a commitment will be more profitable than a brilliant marketing program without commitment. 

COMMITMENT makes it happen

Consistency in design is as important as Consistency in delivering the message. 

Whether you are selling a product or service, before you design you must first define:  who you are, who your target markets are, what information you want to give is, and what action you want the prospect to take. Know what you want the piece to do and then design it to do that most effectively. You can easily create a cool brochure, spend lots of money, and produce few results  -- with little or no ROI.

Most business owners believe the value of Brand Building only applies to the large national companies.  Actually brand management, is even a more critical strategy for the small business owner who needs to be frugal. 

Once you define your identity, consistency in ALL your materials builds a solid foundation for the company brand. When built in a systematic way, you create a library of templates and style sheets that improves productivity, increases the impact of the marketing, and the ROI is profitable.

Attention to brand management and consistency of the format and message strengthens the effect of every contact you have with the public.

Consistency builds Familiarity;

Familiarity builds Confidence and Trust 

Trust is the #1 reason people buy.

Primary Tools for Branding

• Company Logo – If you are not genuinely skilled in design software and commercial print, making your own logo can be penny wise and pound foolish.  Hire a professional – save money on other marketing pieces if you must. Remember, your logo needs to be used in a wide variety of situations, in many formats, over many years.  (More details about this topic in a future issue of MarketingMatters.biz) 

• Business Card – Consider this a mini marketing billboard.  Does yours offer a unique value statement?  Does it communicate what product/service you offer? 

• Domain Name & Website – Register a professional domain name and email address before you print business cards.  You can reserve a domain name for as little as $20/year and in 20 minutes!  You can start your web site with a simple coming soon page that tells prospects how to contact you. 

• Email Signature  – Format your email signature to be consistent with and include all the information on your business card.  (If you don’t know how, send an email and we will forward the simple instructions.)

Secondary Tools for Branding

Each of the materials listed below are opportunities to improve your company image and manage your identity/brand.

• Marketing Collateral: brochures, pocket folders, direct mail postcards, product sale sheets, flyers, newsletters

• Business Forms: checks, invoices, shipping labels, order forms, labels

• Speaker’s Presentation Materials:  PowerPoint, handouts

• Training Materials:  User guide, manuals, handbooks, instructional diagrams

If you want to save money by designing materials in-house, focus on simple designs and consistent execution.  If you’re not techno savvy, hire someone to create templates in the software that you know and have him/her teach you how to work with the files.  You should rarely need to start a new document from scratch.  “Save as” should become your favorite software feature.

In short, ALL materials that are produced by your company – in-house or outsourced -- should be considered from a brand management perspective.  Ask of every piece – Does this reflect positively on my company?  Does it deliver the intended message? Are these materials consistent with the pricing model for my product or service?  Does it promote the level of professionalism this company seeks or demote it?