Wouldn’t it be great if all small businesses had the budget to just redo all of their marketing materials at once, creating a completely new look for the company every time  it was time to update?  In reality, a lot of us need to do this updating piece meal.  To be honest, even for those of us who are working on our own materials (and at least don’t have the added cost), the very thought of doing them all at once can be pretty daunting. 

So how do we update our materials if we can’t do it all at once?  If we can’t update everything, why bother?  Won’t it be bad to have some items updated, while others are behind? 

Having worked with many small and medium businesses in southeast Michigan and beyond, I can tell you that even larger companies with big budgets don’t always update everything all at once.  So don’t be discouraged if your materials are in need of a major overhaul and you’ve only got the time or resources for a minor makeover.  The most important thing is to not be so overwhelmed that you just leave everything as is.

If your materials need that revamp, start with the materials that are most important.  What are seen first by your clients?  Where are you getting the most work/traffic?  If you get the bulk of your work from your website, start there.  If you are a bigtime networker, perhaps your business cards are the first thing for an update.  If you need a complete overhaul of everything, maybe you need to start with your logo. 

The key is, once you pick where to start, make sure you get that piece right.  Whether using a graphic designer or designing the materials yourself, you want to be happy with the look of your first updated piece, then you can base the changes of everything else on that piece.  It is vitally important that you don’t update one piece to look one way, and then do something completely different with everything else.  As you go about systematically updating all of your materials, they all need to coordinate, or match.  They all need to have your “new look”.

Another consideration is timing.  If you can’t do it all at once, try not to drag it out too long, especially if the new look is drastically different from your old one.  If you know it is going to be a long process, maybe the new look should be something that doesn’t stray too far from your existing image.  Much more of an update than a complete redesign.  This can accomplish two things… First it can help maintain your brand identity, and second it can make it so that if a client gets two different pieces of your marketing puzzle, they at least look like part of the same company.

What would you change first if you were updating your materials?  How long do you think is reasonable to update “everything”?

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