How many times have you asked yourself if it’s better to invest in a printed brochure verses updating and improving your website? What is best for your business, knowing that you communicate with clients and greet prospects in person, in writing, within emails, and via social media? Here are some recommendations:

Business cards

Some things never change. A business card is still your most valuable leave behind because it can be easily placed in a pocket or wallet and pulled out for reference. But, in many cases, they’ve become boring and lacking in personality. Make sure your card stands out among the stack with a unique design, photo, dye cut, or interesting material like clear plastic or metal. The investment (around $200 extra) will be worth it. Keep the word count low. It’s no longer necessary to include your address on the card, just your web address, email and phone number.

Business card brochures

Interestingly, the function of the business card is expanding. Since attention spans are shorter and time is tighter these days, companies are creating business card brochures that give a quick overview of products, services, credentials, and a web address. These cards compliment your standard business card in brand, size and, appeal and replace standard size brochures that are often misplaced or discarded. And, the concept will make you more memorable.

Letterhead

Letterhead is still important for credibility and two-sided letterhead is growing in popularity. Be sure to create a digital version in a format that can be easily utilized by your staff and saved as a PDF.

Envelopes

When it comes to business envelopes, jazz up your flap! Surprise the recipient with an attention getting message or your phone number on the inside of it.

Invest in Design

Spend the money to hire a professional designer to create your collateral materials. Once you have them in hand, consider investing in a design program like Adobe Creative Suites with a CS package of InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, and Acrobat. It’s a small investment upfront that will save you money down the road because you can make your own minor changes to titles, phone numbers, and services.

Build and support your brand with good and relevant collateral materials.

Here are three essential graphic design tips for capturing and holding your audience…

1. Invest in quality photography

Contrary to popular belief, photos shot on an iPhone are not high enough quality/resolution for inclusion in your marketing materials. Take the money you would invest in stock images and hire a professional to photograph your business and your people. Make a shot sheet of images that you think capture the essence of your company, products, and services, and leave some wiggle room for the photographer to inject their own ideas and creativity as someone looking in.

IPhone photo resolution is often fine for online, as long as the subject matter makes sense and supports the copy.

2. Cut the Copy

More is not better when it comes to words on a page, a business card, or your website.

Copy-heavy marketing materials are cumbersome to read and overwhelm the recipient. We live in a sound bite society where people are busy and stressed, so make the most of your writing. Be specific, to the point, and leave the reader wanting more. After all, if you tell them everything before you’re face to face, they’re most likely to make up their minds without giving you the chance to paint a clearer picture of how you can meet their specific needs.

3.  Invest in a professional designer

Your logo is not just an icon; it’s your brand, so take time and invest in creating or enhancing it. Logos should have longevity, so your investment pays off as you utilize it to attract business and recognition over a long period of time. A professional brand specialist/graphic designer will lead you through the strategic process that is necessary to build a sustaining logo and other brand elements. Professional design will position you to stand out amid your competition and speak effectively to your target market.

Once the process is complete, be sure to request a “vector” file of your logo and other file formats, so printers, vendors, and partners can easily utilize them.

Here’s an example of how it all comes together:

When the Northern Kentucky Urban & Community Forestry Council came to CEL to create an educational campaign with supporting graphics, a campaign logo was at the top of our “to do list.” In order to get the target market to listen, stand up and implement tree care in their communities, we knew we needed to grab their attention first.

The Kentucky Roots campaign logo rose out of a desire to bank on the pride Kentuckians have for their state and empower them to care for trees to keep Kentucky beautiful. The shape of the state and the color of their rolling hills were brought together to speak to our audience creatively, effectively, and in a lasting way with short and effective copy and other images. The logo and brand message was pivotal in attracting and securing a major sponsor for the campaign and The Kentucky Roots campaign is positioned for longevity and growth – pun intended!

Building one-page websites doesn’t mean that you lose your navigation system. You can still include sections like About Us, Services, and Contact Us. However, when you click on those navigation buttons, they simply link to a lower section of the page, instead of taking you to a whole new one.

Visuals Guides are Key

Graphics and animation are also becoming more popular because they are more “show” than “tell.” And reducing the amount of copy on a page is a winning strategy. Images can be activated by scrolling, creating an interactive experience for website visitors. This hot technique is called “parallax scrolling,” and it makes the background move at a lower rate than the foreground, creating a 3-D effect.

Video is also becoming more prevalent and can tell your company story quickly and effectively. YouTube is the number two search engine, so adding video to your site not only adds energy, but it also boosts your search engine ranking.

Mobile First

Mobile-first is now paramount for website design. In 2015 mobile traffic on the internet reached 51% and surpassed desktop use. The majority of people read and conduct business on mobile devices, which allows transactions anywhere, anytime and increases business revenue. If you are not yet mobile-first, contact us to get started on your web-redesign. There is no question, it’s worth the ROI.

Assess before you build

What’s right for your business? Assess your goals and audiences. Clearly define your target market before you build or update your website. Regardless of what’s popular, you need to speak to your customers in a way that they will embrace, understand and act. Enhance the user experience and see your business grow.

Branding and Graphic Design

1. Invest in your brand – Hire a good designer to create or update your logo and public relations professional to help you write your brand message. It’s the face of your business, so make it look good!

2. Protect your brand – Search to make sure it’s not already being used, trademark it, write guidelines for using it, monitor it, and keep it fresh.

3. More design isn’t always the best design – More isn’t always better and sometimes less is more. Be creative, but concise with your design. Share your message clearly and concisely with color and style.

4. Pantone Matching System colors matter! – Select a good, reputable printer and demand a press check. Make sure your colors are right and consistent before hitting the presses.

5. Pay attention to detail – Always get a second set of eyes on your design and on the copy to catch errors.

From our humble beginnings in a home office with a Mac Plus II computer and no Internet access to a staff of six, laptops, iPads and wireless, we’ve enjoyed the journey. We continue to be proud to help our clients bring their message to the marketplace in a Creative, Effective and Lasting way.

Author Sherokee Isle was our first client in 1988 and together, we increased awareness of the impact of pregnancy and infant loss on mothers, fathers and families. Sherokee has now written 17 books and continues to support families on a national level.

We have branded and rebranded businesses, helped non-profits raise millions, designed websites and marketing materials, secured local and national media coverage and produced a national television special called Faded Photographs – The Faces of Alzheimer’s.

Our passion for making a difference fueled our success with taking Alzheimer’s disease out of the closet and helping the public and the media realize that it strikes young and old and has a devastating impact on families.

We have also helped educate and influence military leaders and politicians to protect service men and women from sexual assault in the military.

As social media opened the door to new marketing opportunities, we greeted it by launching The Social Media Incubator (SMI). SMI gives small to midsize businesses affordable access to communities of prospective buyers and helps them manage the execution of their social media in a way that is relevant, measurable and effective.

CEL continues to help businesses and organizations get their message to markets across the country with strategic public relations, marketing, branding, graphic and web design, media relations and social media.

We look towards the next 25 years with gratitude to each one of you for the role you have played in bringing us to this milestone and we look forward to continuing to serve and celebrate success together!