Table of Contents || Directory of Advertisers

The primary things to consider when branding your business are quality, consistency and message. Before you start promoting your business, you need to give serious thought to how you want your business to be perceived by the public. Remember, the first impression of your business is important and not easily overcome. You may be a “one-person” home-based business, but it may not serve you well to look that way.

Even if your business is a “start-up,” you are competing against established businesses and quality matters. You want to come across as polished and professional. Many owners of start-up businesses make the BIG mistake of trying to create a brochure and Web site without the proper skills.

The temptation is great because most people already have some kind of desktop publishing software and a way to create a simple Web site. Why not stay up late one night and learn how to use the desk top publishing software, software and just make your own brochure? And you can puzzle through the Web site the next night, right? How hard could it be? The business owner who goes this route is invariably proud of his/her work, perhaps thrilled to discover the ease of using a template. To the outsider, however, the results usually scream, “Too bad! She is so poor he can’t afford to have someone design a decent brochure or Web site.” The tell-tale signs of a “do-it-yourself” job include obvious template, uneven margins, printing done on an ink-jet printer that is running out of ink, mixing many fonts, funky spacing, dark photos, clip-art and sloppy folds. But the more troubling outcome is that the potential customer will conclude: “What if she wants to fake her way through the work she is doing for me? I can’t take the chance. I’ll go with someone more professional.”

You don’t have to break the bank to afford good design. There are lots of fine design firms to choose from and most will give you a free consultation and proposal. Ask about possible discounts through your

business organizations Many design firms will extend a special discount to members of the same business groups if asked. A good designer will ask you many questions to determine just the right look. Further, many designers can incorporate these same elements into a Web site. It is true that some graphic design firms only work with print, while others only work with Web. If you intend to have print publications and a Web site, it is convenient to use one firm for both. Most start-ups will need letterhead, envelopes, business cards, return address/mailing stickers, a simple brochure, and a basic Web site. Other “nice-to-haves” include presentation folders, postcards, informal notes, memo pads, and promotional items.

Consistency is extremely important. Note that the nation’s biggest companies take great pains to always use the same typography, colors, texture, and overall feel. This is no accident. They know that each time a potential client sees their materials, regardless of whether in print, Web, TV, signage, etc. it represents another opportunity to send the company’s message. We know that the human mind responds well to repetition. If you promote your brand effectively, your potential customers will be more likely to contact you if they have encountered your “brand” at least seven times.

But your message is even more important the quality and consistency. Some experts say that a brand is best described as “a promise.” Often this is done with a slogan, reinforced by the look and feel of the materials/Web site. Think about some of the slogans you have heard repeatedly and how they are presented. A great example is Maxwell House’s “good to the last drop.” The best slogans differentiate your company from others doing the same type of work or selling a similar product.

Before you meet with a designer, ask yourself the following questions. You will then be better able to give the design firm the information they need to help you.