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February 22, 2010

Why Matching Makes a Difference

Category: Marketing, Print — Tags: , , — Sarah @ 8:17 am

All right, business owners.  Here’s a hypothetical situation for ya.  Let’s say that a man strolls into your office peddling printer cartridges.  And let’s also say that this guy is wearing an expensive suit, classy shoes, and shiny cufflinks, but for underneath his jacket, he has chosen a tie-dye T-shirt.

Tell the truth.  You’d think he was a little weird, right?

In fact, you might even see him as weirder in that outfit than you would if he just showed up in the tie-dye T-shirt, sneakers, and jeans.  The weirdness is not so much in the casual T-shirt as it is in the fact that he’s mixing and matching his sophisticated business attire with a ratty weekend shirt.  Either the informal look or the classy look would be a much better choice than a hybrid of the two.

The same concept applies to your printed materials.  If you look at all of your print collateral as an outfit, it should match from head to toe.  We’re talking about envelopes, brochures, leaflets, letterhead, business cards, folders, fliers, fact sheets, direct mail pieces, and anything else you happen to have in your printed materials toolbox. There should be a consistent look and feel throughout the entire body of marketing collateral.

Why should your printed materials match?  Part of it goes back to the plight of the printer cartridge salesdude.  With a mismatching outfit like that, the guy just wasn’t looking his best and didn’t leave a great first impression.  In the same way, a welcome folder full of mismatched printed materials is going to leave a weird vibe with its recipient.  It may be a bigger deal to some people than others, but in any case, it’s not helping you put your best foot forward.

The other reason matching is so important has to do with branding.  In addition to its lack of visual appeal, the printer cartridge man’s outfit would leave everyone with a lot of questions about what he is trying to communicate with his look.  People who see him will think, What kind of fellow is this?  Is he a hippie?  A professional salesman?  A guy who forgot to pick up his dry cleaning? If your printed materials don’t match, you could be leaving your customers with similar confusion.  Every document generated by or for your company should be in line with your brand in an effort to present a consistent picture of who you are as a company.

So it might be time to do a closet cleanout and assess your printed materials.  If there are a few printed pieces that don’t match the rest, replacing them can update your company’s image and effectively communicate your brand.  Whether your printed pieces are more like parts of a tuxedo or a Halloween costume, you’ll be good to go as long as they all match to make one spectacular ensemble.

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February 15, 2010

Is it Time for Your Logo to Retire?

Category: Design, Marketing — Tags: , — Sarah @ 9:50 am

Every once in a while, it’s time to upgrade.

Eventually, even the most stubborn folks among us relent and get something new.  You can only have a rotary phone, a Walkman, and a 1985 Ford LTD for so long.  Products like these were just dandy when they first came out, but as time goes by, the time comes to move on.

The same is true for logos.  As time passes, the logo that you picked out years ago just starts to look dated.  But some business owners are even more hesitant to give their old logos the boot than they would be to get rid of a beloved yet archaic piece of equipment.  Why?  People are motivated to get rid of obsolete technology and replace it because they know the replacement will show dramatic progress in terms of its functionality.  That motivating factor isn’t really there for a logo upgrade, and often business owners are mostly wondering if it’s worth the hassle.

So…is it worth it?

It could be.

It’s possible that the logo you came up with in 1987 doesn’t do you any favors because it has that “80’s look.”  Or it’s possible that you’ve recently worked on your branding a bit and have realized that you have something important to communicate in your logo that maybe you didn’t include last time around.  If you have one of those scenarios going on, revamping the logo might be a good plan.

After all, even the enormous companies modernize their logos from time to time.  Huge corporations like KFC, Toys R Us, Walmart, and Apple have all updated their look in the past few years.  Often, the new logo just puts a new spin on the old one – like changing Apple’s amazing technicolor dream apple to a tamer, classier version of the apple.  Big companies recognize the importance of branding and know that their logo has a big role to play in that, so they’re careful not to let old logos overstay their welcome.

Of course, making the decision to change your logo is a big step, and we wouldn’t ever want you to have to go it alone.  If it’s something that’s been crossing your mind, feel free to talk to the friendly imPress team.  We can take a look at your current logo and give you our two cents about what to do.  Maybe it is time to trade in that 1985 Ford, or maybe the old bugger does have a few miles left in it.   We’ll give it to you straight so you can make the right decision for your business.

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January 25, 2010

How To Do a Bang Up Job on Your Annual Report

Category: Design, Print — Tags: , , — Sarah @ 8:42 am

Do we have any annual report enthusiasts out there?

Anyone?

Anyone at all?

Oh boy.

Okay, so annual reports don’t usually top anyone’s list of publications to read for pleasure.  But since many businesses are required to churn one out each year, let’s chat about some dos and don’ts.

When you are putting together your annual report…

DO…

  • Include photos. The large amount of data that is required in an annual report can make your readers’ eyes sting.  Pictures add some much needed life to facts and figures.
  • Make the layout interesting. Again, some of the information you have to include is about as alluring as a scoop of canned dog food.  Having a good layout is key to keeping your readers awake and emphasizing the key points within your annual report.
  • Keep it true to your brand. Everything – colors, graphics, fonts, tone – should be in line with what you’ve been doing for your other marketing efforts.  Your annual report should look like it belongs to your company.
  • Entrust the copy to a good writer. The quality of the writing in your annual report, or any document with your company logo on it, is a reflection on your business.  You need it to be as interesting as possible and, most importantly, clear.  So make sure your writer leaves out the SAT words and compound-complex sentences and makes your message accessible to your readers.
  • Proofread the living daylights out of the thing. Noebody likkes speling mistakkes, or, Grammatical, errors.
  • Get it printed by experts. Your investors are likely to get a little nervous if it’s clear that you printed out your annual report on a printer with a dying ink cartridge and stapled it together with your trusty Swingline.  High quality paper and printing will help your annual report look professional.

DON’T…

  • Hesitate to contact imPress if you need help with any of the above.

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January 4, 2010

What Luxury Brands Know

Category: Marketing — Tags: , , — Sarah @ 9:24 am

Let’s play a game.  In the next seven seconds, think of everything you can that is plaid.

Think.

Think-o.

Thinkity think.

Think.

Okay, done.  How’d you do?  We came up with four things.  A farmer’s flannel plaid shirt.  A Catholic school jumper.  A Scottish bagpipe dude’s kilt.  And a Burberry scarf.

Now, so it’s possible that your list was a little more extensive, but chances are, it was pretty close to ours.  If you think of all the plaid things out there, you are going to come up with a collection of clothing items that are worn by average folks…and Burberry items.  If you line up Farmer Bob, a Catholic schoolgirl, Clyde MacNeil the bagpiper, and an affluent businesswoman sporting a $1400 Burberry trench coat, at the end of the day, they are all wearing just about the same pattern on their clothes.

So in a world where plaid is commonplace, how does Burberry stand out as a luxury brand?

Well, the fact that they are an older company and have years of tradition behind them doesn’t hurt.  And it’s also helpful that their company name sounds deliciously rich.  (The real test of this, by the way, is to say it with a British accent.  Go ahead, bust out your best Hugh Grant or Kate Beckinsale accent and say it.  Buhhhhberry.)

Okay, but seriously, a lot of it has to do with the fact that they have marketed themselves strategically to appeal to the prestigious and well-to-do.  They have used superior materials and developed high quality products, and they sell these products for a lot of money.  The high price tag attracts consumers who have money.  And when the rich and famous walk around with Burberry handbags and accessories, it furthers our perception of the brand as elite and luxurious.

It’s a pretty good deal for them.  And although putting together an image like Burberry’s might be a little out of the realm of possibility for a small, local business, it is possible to be the luxury choice in whatever field you are in.  It’s just a matter of deciding that you want to cater to that target market and then taking the right pricing and marketing steps from there.

Of course, regardless of whether you want to be the Burberry or the Walmart of your particular industry, the most important thing to remember from a print and promotional items standpoint is consistency.  Burberry has told a consistent marketing story that has resulted in a solid, prestigious brand that we all recognize.  See what you can do to separate your brand from the rest.

Yes, Farmer Bob, that includes you.

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November 30, 2009

Does Your Story Ramble?

Category: Marketing, Promotional Items — Tags: , — Sarah @ 9:05 am

It was the end of Thanksgiving dinner 2009.  Great Uncle Ernest had just finished his pecan pie when he turned and said to no one in particular, “Did I ever tell you the story of the Christmas I spent in Italy?  Well, I was twenty years old.  Before I left, I gave my girl a ring.  It was just beautiful.  My grandfather had given it to his wife.  Now, my grandfather, he was not a nice man.  As a matter of fact, he was a really terribly mean man.  Did I ever tell you the story of the time he made me sleep in the barn?  A horse kicked me in the elbow.”

Now that it’s the holiday season, you are likely to run into your family’s version of Great Uncle Ernest, that miscellaneous relative of yours who tends to tell really long stories with lots of digressions.

Now, Great Uncle Ernest is 1000 years old and has thereby earned his right to do this.  And out of respect for the dear rambling relatives of the world, we’re not going to hate on rambling, in general.

But let’s just say…your business doesn’t want to be like Great Uncle Ernest.

While families are usually pretty accepting of elderly relatives’ stories that segue from Christmas in Italy to an elbow-kicking horse, your customers are less likely to accept a rambling story from you.

You want your business to seem organized and professional, so that’s why branding is so important.  Instead of a little of this and a little of that, like Uncle Ernest’s story, you want a story that’s polished and put together perfectly.

Keeping your story from rambling starts with knowing your own story.  And once you’ve developed a vision of what you want your business to be, you can tell your story clearly through your policies, your products, your printed materials, and your promotional items.

Is your business Italian?  Beautiful and shiny?  Grandfatherly?  Does it kick people in the elbow?  As a business owner, you get to decide, but it’s best to try to stay consistent with whatever you choose.

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