Be Successful with an Effective Business Image
In the past, when someone made the decision to go into business
for themselves, there was seldom a question of whether they
would succeed. Many business people had no business plans, had
done no market research or even understood good management
skills. They just opened their doors and grew. Today, the
marketplace is much different. Competition is fierce. Businesses
must compete daily in order to stand out from the crowd, to be
unique and to achieve brand recognition for their products and
loyalty from their customers. It is not enough to know your
business; you must be perceived to be successful, to provide the
best product or service, and to stand by your product. Not only
must you know your business, you must have a business image that
reflects this.
Many businesses get so caught up in the every day promoting and
marketing of their products or services that they often neglect
one very important item: a quality, consistent business image.
Today, with so many businesses competing for the ever-shrinking
consumer dollar, a professional image that stands out more than
your competitor's becomes even more essential. It is important
to be recognized in a consistently positive manner.
Because you may only get one chance to create a positive first
impression, you want it to be the very best one.
Where do you Start?
Working with a graphic design professional will ensure that you
achieve a successful image. All of your marketing and corporate
materials will be consistent and reflect your success.
Start with a Logo
Careful consideration must go into a logo design in order to
achieve the look you want. The type of business (including a
home based business), profession and product will guide you in
various directions. It is important to share your business
expectations and market focus with your designer so she or he
can better design an effective logo.
Deciding on a designer is important--someone who can relate to
your business and to your competition, and someone who takes the
time to find out about your business. A good designer asks a lot
of questions before beginning the design process and should give
you several good designs to choose from.
Good designers will keep in mind the ever-increasing uses for
your logo. It must be adaptable for use not only on cards and
letterhead, but on signage and perhaps the Internet. Your logo
must be able to grow with your company. Remember,
your logo is the image you present to the world - be sure it's
an impressive one.
Fonts, Ink Colors, and Paper Choices
Various fonts (typefaces) are also used to reflect your image.
Simplicity and professionalism are the key.
The next consideration is your choice of ink colors and paper
choices for producing your stationery packages. Take note of the
correspondence that you receive daily in the mail. Corporate
professionals tend to use conservative and strong colors of ink.
Blue and dark gray are the most popular choices for this group.
But with more women in the boardrooms and young entrepreneurs in
the technological and computer fields, colors are
changing--becoming brighter and more adventurous. Popular color
trends are desert colors--rust, green and indigo, for example.
Trends to recycled papers are the result of our environmental
focus. Today, the recycling process is so advanced that most
quality papers are recycled in varying percentages of recycled
content. The speckled fiber look is not as popular as it once
was; even many high-end papers have recycled content.
Business Cards
Business cards are often the first and last impression that you
give a customer; so it is imperative that yours be the best it
can be. A quality business card and logo reflects favorably on
you. It shows that you have taken the time to properly market
your products, and states, "We're important." even
before you say a word. It reflects the quality of work that you
do. In other words, ordinary card, ordinary work; great card,
great work. A quality card will give you the competitive
edge, especially if your card and that of your competitors' are
in the hands of a customer trying to make a decision.
Conclusion
Your image should reflect who you are. What image do you wish to
project? And maintaining consistency with all your printed
materials (logos, business cards, letterhead, invoices,
brochures, advertisements and signage), as well as your web site
design, will reinforce your credibility and professionalism, and
enable you to build consumer confidence in your business.
With a great product, a successful business "persona"
and a quality, consistent business package, your company and
home based business is off to a positive start. Success is just
around the corner.