Is your marketing collateral working for you or against you?

Printers in NHIf it’s one thing every entrepreneur and small business owner needs to succeed it is great sales and marketing collateral. It is often the first impression a potential customer or client will have of your company. Your first step in the process of producing great collateral is meeting with your printer because the quality of the materials you use will make all of the difference.

  • The challenge with most entrepreneurs and small business owners is that they tend to lack sales and marketing backgrounds. Bringing your printer into the mix will get an experienced hand to make certain recommendations that can make your collateral sparkle.
  • Perhaps your most important piece of collateral is your business card. Most business owners don’t give them a second thought and, because of this, their cards are ineffective and a waste of money. You need to use the best stock you can afford because this is, generally, your first impression. Forget buying cheap stock at the office supply store and printing them off yourself. They look cheap and amateurish and reflect badly on you and your business.
  • Design, of course, is everything. You need to keep your card simple and clean. Many are far too cluttered with useless graphics and too much text. Also, in many cases, more than a third of the card is taken up by the business owner’s name. No one cares who you are. They only care about what you can do for them. What you do needs to be prominent and take up the most space. Don’t forget to use the back of the card, too. It offers you the opportunity to spread things out so as to avoid a busy and cluttered look.
  • Brochures are your second line of offense and need great care in their design and preparation. Work with your printer to get the quality stock you want and the design expertise you will need to put together a professional brochure that will actually drive sales.

Creating an alliance with your printer will deliver the results you want and the great and engaging sales and marketing collateral you will need to succeed. These will be your first impression. These will be your tools for success. These are not a cost but, rather, an investment in your future.