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Do you have hundreds or thousands of pieces of old marketing materials lying around? Perhaps you designed them a few years ago, and got a great deal on printing if you printed a huge amount. Are they doing you much good now?
It used to be that small businesses would redesign their marketing materials every so many years, and then print thousands of copies. This way you could get a good per piece price break. Unfortunately, this also meant companies were limited in their flexibility to change their materials, whether a wholesale redesign or simply tweaking them to work better. It also means that a lot of companies end up not as enthusiastically marketing their company because, as one client recently told me about some old postcards, “We’re just tired of looking at those things.”
In today’s business world, it doesn’t make sense to print huge quantities of materials. Say you put out a piece and find it isn’t working. Or perhaps it is working really well with one market and now you need to tweak it for another market. Or maybe the piece worked well six months ago, but the marketplace has now changed and you need to be able to adapt to it.
Sure, it might cost you a little more per piece to print a reasonable amount of marketing materials, but honestly, how much do you really save if boxes of those old marketing materials end up doing nothing more than taking up storage space, or maybe balancing a crooked table?
How long do you think your marketing materials should last? How long before they’re outdated or you’re tired of them?
Everyone likes new stuff. And this applies to marketing materials as well. I’ve worked in the marketing department of companies here in Michigan where we get the box of new brochures, or even pens with our logo on them and get all giddy at the newness of them. And I see this continue in my own business.
When I first started my Brighton basead graphic design business, I immediately got to work making a logo, and then got a couple clients and stalled on putting out new marketing materials. Then I finished the work for those clients and saw myself losing some of my enthusiasm as no new clients came in. Which could have been a death spiral. The less enthusiastic I was, the less chance of getting new clients and the less enthusiasm I would have.
The thing that eventually broke this cycle was when I got that push from my husband and actually put together my website, a new leave behind and other marketing materials. Seeing my information in a new light made me feel better about my company. It gave me new confidence to go out and get more clients and thankfully that has kept going.
I’ve seen this enthusiasm work for my small business clients as well. I can see the glint in their eyes when they get those new business cards or leave behinds – that new found pride in their company. And even if they aren’t in the horrible cycle I was, that new boost to their enthusiasm can be seen when they talk about their company. And when prospective clients see that excitement, it can be contagious.
What do you think? What could updated marketing materials do for your company? For your enthusiasm?
I do a lot of networking here in Michigan, giving out my business card to everyone I meet. And I’ve discovered a bonus to having a unique card. Have you ever been excited about giving out your card? Do you get a response to the actual card before it is put into the pile of other cards? Chances are, if you’ve had the same old card for a few years, or if you’ve just got a nice generic card, you give it to people so they have your information, but you fully expect them to not pay attention beyond your contact info.
Revamping your business cards can give you the opportunity to turn your business card into much more than just a bunch of contact info. Your business card is a tiny piece of marketing material for your small business, and should be designed as such. It should stand out when the people you have given it to take it back to their office along with all the other cards they were given. It should invoke a response when you hand it out.
Imagine handing out your card and having the other person actually look at it, and mention it… Something along the lines of “Ooh, nice card”, shouldn’t be out of the ordinary. The true beauty of this is that it makes one more impression on the person you’re talking to. One more thing they will remember when they leave the event and have to mentally file away everyone they met… And during this mental filing process, memorable is always better than blending in.
What are some memorable cards you’ve seen? Does a cool card help the owner of that card stand out to you?
I’m sure all of us are completely up to date on contacting our clients and potential clients right? I mean, as successful small business people, we are all always on top of making sure to regularly touch base with the people on our contact list… Or maybe some of us have fallen a little behind. Or maybe we’re looking for a reason to contact them so we don’t seem like pushy sales people.
Regular contact with this list is vitally important. Not only does it keep you in the minds of people who could either use your services or refer you to someone who does, each contact makes you one step closer to that magic number of “touches” we’ve heard it takes to actually make the sale.
So why not use a new marketing piece as an excuse for one of these contacts? Say you or your graphic designer come up with a snazzy new postcard, mailer or even electronic marketing piece. What better opportunity to touch base with your contact list.
How often do you send something new to your list?
My husband and I are in the process of updating our bathrooms – which in addition to being painted entirely horrible colors are full to the brim with outdated brass fixtures, including a particularly heinous brass shower door in one of them. Once we’re done, the bathrooms should be much more modern, comfortable and clean feeling. And once the real estate market turns around, will be much more appealing to potential buyers.
What does this have to do with graphic design or small business? Well, take a look at your marketing materials. If’ it’s been awhile since they were revamped, they too may be filled to the brim with the graphic equivalent of brass – outdated graphics that turn off potential clients.
Do you still have a huge stack of brochures that were printed 10 years ago, but you want to use them up before doing new ones? Unfortunately, it’s probably better to just let the old ones go unused. Outdated materials send the wrong message to your potential customers. They say, “We’re stuck 5, 10 or even 20 years ago”. And with the speed at which business is now done, you cannot afford to send this message.
Can you think of marketing materials you’ve seen that were obviously outdated? What did this do to your opinion of that company?
