branding
Droopy Leaflet Syndrome
19/08/10 14:46 Filed in: Business Advice | Ten Top Tips
Welcome to the third article in our series of TEN TOP TIPs that will help you get a clearer idea of what marketing materials are right for your company.
If you haven’t read our first two then you can click on these links:
The Humble Business Card gave you some practical advice about how to produce good business cards and how to get maximum use out of them.
To Brochure or Not to Brochure will help you decide if your company needs a brochure... and if it does, how you can use it constructively.
Here is the third of our 10 TOP TIPs on how to avoid...
The Droopy Leaflet syndrome
We’ve all experienced this type of leaflet that droops as soon as it’s picked up, acting like it’s been on the booze all night. It’s reluctance to be helpful to the inquisitive reader as they struggle to unfold its relaxed leaves without ripping, borders on the perverse. It’s as if the leaflet is saying “I have nothing of importance to say anyway so just leave me to slump on the leaflet stand!”
Which is exactly what happens, except the leaflet, after the reader’s attempts to engage with its contents, now looks old and rumpled as well as sozzled!
Another affliction of the droopy leaflet is that it will invariably be crammed to the hilt with text. So if you were lucky enough to unfold the droopy leaflet successfully, you’ll be assaulted by billions of very small words all holding their breath like ten burly men squeezed into a telephone box! Where does one end and another begin!
The entire experience is fraught and unpleasant, especially if they haven’t used deodorant!
The moral...
All this kind of leaflet is saying is that the company is in trouble because they can’t afford to produce a good quality leaflet and do not put a value on attention to detail. Ultimately you would not want to do business with this company.
The moral of this story is, take time over your leaflet, treat it as if it were being presented to royalty. It is your one and only chance to impress so think how your customers and peers will see it.
A paper megaphone
If you need to produce a leaflet it is because you NEED to inform your audience of
• Your services – changes or additions
• Products
• Offers
• Prices
• Competitions
• Events
• News to shout about
• That you are the best in your field
• You are trustworthy
Your leaflet is standing alone out there in the market place shouting on your behalf. Make sure it stands out proudly against the thousands of others!
Anti Droopy Laws
Make sure:
• It is printed on good quality paper that will endure being handled many times
• It is On Brand
• The information is concise and easy to read
• Pictures are relevant
• Include your contact details
• Something to be proud of
Sent to the four winds
Where and when are you going to use these leaflets that are now beautifully designed and crafted? It could be used to:
• Send out to clients/customers
• Sit in your beautifully decorated reception area
• Placed provocatively on your exhibition stand
• Alongside hundreds of others in a public forum
• As part of your company information pack
• Sent out to the media
• Demonstrate products during meetings
• Invite clients/customers to an event
Leaflet Review
Your leaflet should be designed by a professional to be in line with your Branding. If you have not carried out a branding exercise then invest in getting this done first. Your branding should clearly define who you are and where you stand in the market.
If you’d like us to review your leaflet, send it to us and we’ll get in touch with an honest impartial opinion.
Look out for the next instalment in the series of TTTs.
A full list is available on 10 Top Tips index.
Is your Branding working?
16/07/10 11:31 Filed in: Branding
A lot of people are unclear about what branding actually means, and how it works. If this is the case then it's possible that your branding is out of date and/or generally looking tired. Does it...
1. Make a good first impression?
2. Show that you are professional and serious about your service/product?
3. Demonstrate that you are a market leader in your field?
4. Memorable?
5. Clear and concise?
6. Reassuring and confidence building?
7. Consistent with your vision for the company?
8. Represent the reality of what your company delivers?
9. Encapsulate what your company sells?
10. Work well across all mediums: e.g. social networking, printing, signage, adverts, magazines and newspapers, badges, letterheads, brochures, pens, vehicles, packaging, presentations, conference material, products?
When you look at your branding are you sure it does everything that you need it to? Even if it misses just a couple of the points listed in above, then it is under performing and you will need to revisit it. I can guarantee that your competitors are strengthening their brand!
If you would like a brand review to make sure your brand is fit for purpose, contact us today and we'll arrange a free consultation.
Beeston BID Campaign Roll-Out
The Beeston Business Improvement District initiative has been an excellent working exercise for PNDesign as it required a strong PR strategy, a marketing plan, creative branding and design to work together. We devised and branded the campaign that informed Beeston about the BID over a four month period and brought them to an open public meeting.
The next stage of the BID is another campaign running up to the crucial vote and will incorporate an Open Public Meeting in August. This requires designing the right mix of marketing material that will reach everyone in the business community from large corporate companies to small independent shops.
Working together with the BID Manager Matt Robinson, PNDesign has been able to create a high level of engagement with the BID from the business community, which has outstripped neighbouring Nottingham City's Retail BID. As you can appreciate we are extremely proud that our work is being hailed as a good example by British BIDs.
Further examples of our work for the BID can be found on our PR page.
Broxtowe Youth Council
“Broxtowe Youth Council decided they wanted a magazine for young people in Broxtowe and we approached PNDesign as they had been recommended to us by Broxtowe Borough Council. This was to be a magazine made by young people for young people and we met with them to discuss what sort of design, layout and material was to be put in it.
Their enthusiasm and patience has been paramount ever since!! It is not easy working with a group of approx 25 young people all shouting out their ideas but this is what they did and brilliantly.
It has been quite difficult in a lot of ways to collate articles and photographs from different areas of Broxtowe by different young people and get them over to PNDesign. Their designer Louise has come over to us, looked at what we have gathered together, discussed what we wanted to do and sorted out many of the technical problems we had. Her input has been invaluable and we could not have asked for better help. Her expertise and guidance has been second to none and without her personal help we would not have been able to produce such a glossy and successful magazine.
It has been so successful that it as been used as a model for other youth service areas.”
Jan Key, Youth Worker, Broxtowe Borough Council (Nottingham)
BID Event a Success for all
28/02/10 12:51 Filed in: Events | Public Relations
MD Paul Newson and PR Manager Vivienne Tregidga worked hard to provide a Marketing and PR strategy which successfully attracted over 60 local businesses to the event - many more, in fact, than the Nottingham BID attracted to their recent meeting, according to local radio station Trent FM.
Presentations were made by BID Manager Matt Robinson, PNDesign, Trent FM and Nottingham University, on a wide range of proposals designed to promot Beeston to a wider audience over the next few years.
The branding, marketing and public relations strategy devised by PNDesign has been so successful in fact that it is attracting interest from BID UK as well as one or two other towns who may need our help!
PNDesign win tender to produce Beeston BID materials
06/08/09 19:01 Filed in: Branding
PNDesign founder Paul Newson has also been welcomed onto the board of the BID itself, which will be rolling out its campaign for a better Beeston in the forthcoming months... watch this space! To find out more about the Beeston BID, visit www.beestonbid.org