Droopy Leaflet Syndrome
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.
To Brochure or not to Brochure?
The first of our 10 TOP TIPs:
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.
Here is the second of our
10 TOP TIPs to help you decide if your company needs a brochure...
and if it does, how you can use it constructively.
To Brochure or not to Brochure?
First you have to ask this vital question - How will I use a brochure? A lot of time and expense goes into creating a brochure so it is important that the information contained in it is well thought out and structured. How you will use the brochure should determine what goes in it.
Your brochure should be engaging and inspiring, and reflect your corporate branding. The language used within the brochure should reflect your sector. For example, an easy relaxed language would not be appropriate for solicitors or accountants, equally dry and factual would not suit a creative industry.
Being careful not to include specific dates will significantly extend the brochure’s life span. The information within a Brochure should remain as generic as possible.
How can a Brochure be used?
• Prominently situated in your reception area for visitors to browse
• Given to new contacts at events
• Featured on exhibition stands
• Featured on your website
• Sent out with products
• Left with client/customer after a meetings
• Sent to prospective clients after an enquiry
• Used as a cold marketing tool
• As part of your campaign strategy
• A flagship for you branding
• A platform about services on offer
• An Introduction to the staff and their roles
• A platform for testimonials/success stories
• Vital information about where you are and how people can contact you
• A call to action tool
Brochure Review
Your brochure 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 place.
If you’d like us to review your brochure 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.
The Humble Business Card
Welcome to the first article in our series of 10 TOP TIPs that aims to give you no nonsense pointers on improving your marketing material.
The Humble Business Card
What does your business card do for you? What do you want it to do? And what do you expect it to do? These may seem silly questions but it is amazing how many businesses underestimate the power of their business card. This should be made a criminal offence in the business world!
Your business card, in a lot of cases, will be the first impression a new contact will receive about you and your business. This might be at a networking event that you’ve spent good money attending in order to gain new contacts or clients. Or you might be attending that first introduction meeting with a new client. This is what normally happens...
Interaction one:
You will introduce yourself to a new contact you are hoping will become a client or customers.
Interaction two:
You exchange business cards.
Interaction three:
You feel the card and turn it over.
Then what? What do you want to
happen now?
You want this new contact to be impressed with your business card, and keep it in a prominent place so that they call you first before your competitors. You want them to recommend you to their contacts. This wish list may not happen at once; it may take weeks, months or even years after that first meeting before that contact does anything with your card.
Your card has to have endurance. It has to
• Impress, Inform and Reassure
• Inspire them to give you their loyalty over your competitors
• Demonstrate your company ethics and professionalism
• Be a physical reminder of who you are and what you do
For example, if you are a Consultant, exactly what kind of Consultant are you and what do you specialise in?
How to make your Business Card work for you
We have established that your business card has to work hard the moment it leaves the starting blocks. So why do we at PNDesign see a high percentage of rubbish business cards that are either boring, uninspiring, omit important information, and are produced on thin wobbly card that crumples at the first hurdle?
Here are the important elements that should feature on your business card.
Front: Contact Details
1. Company name and logo or Corporate Branding
2. Your name and title
3. Company address
4. Telephone numbers
5. Email address
6. Brief description of what the company does
7. Website address
Reverse: Mini-Brochure
Don’t waste the opportunity to tell people more about yourself and your business. Use the back of the Business Card as a mini-brochure, with a short bullet-point list of your main services and the benefits of those services to your potential clients.
Business Card Review
Your business card 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 place.
If you’d like us to review your Business Card 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.
Introducing our Ten Top Tips
PNDesign are celebrating
10 years in business this November.
Over the next 10 weeks we’ll be spreading this joy around by sharing our 10 Top Tips for producing great marketing material.
Because we are all busy people,
the 10 Top Tips (or TTTs) will be explained in easy language and get right to the point.
Coming soon over the next 10 weeks:
1. The Humble Business Card: Is yours a throwaway or a keeper?
What does your business card do for you? What do you want it to do? And what do you expect it to do? These may seem silly questions but it is amazing how many businesses underestimate the power of their business card.
2. To Brochure or not to Brochure... that is the question!
A lot of time and expense goes into creating a brochure so it is important that the information contained in it is well thought out and structured.
3. Droopy Leaflet Syndrome… a problem that can afflict any business!
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.
4. Making an Exhibition of Yourself: Are you drawing the right kind of attention?
with more to follow soon... watch this space!
Bookmark this page or subscribe to our RSS feed to make sure you don’t miss each TTT as it’s posted!
Ten Top Tips for New Businesses
PNDesign have published a simple 10-point guide for new or young businesses, featuring very simple no-nonsense yet practical advice.
The guide was originally produced for the recent NewBusinessLive! event at Nottingham Arena, but has since been picked up by several publishers and training organisations who have asked up for permission to publish the article themselves, or include it in their training materials. Of course we are honoured to do so! It has even led to some mentoring work for Paul at Nottingham Trent University.
You can download our Top 10 Tips for New Businesses here, or read the guide on www.enterprisenation.com, by following this link