When the latest, most exciting technological development is supposed to supersede all others, some might argue that SMEs could save a lot of money by rejecting business cards, letterhead and brochures in favour of a stupendous website. However, the human race evolves rather more slowly than the technology designed for it, so we are still tactile and respond to the satisfying feeling of a piece of quality, well designed print.
There are other arguments for going to the trouble and expense of having physical print designed. After a cogent, inspiring conversation with a potential client, you hand over your card. Says managing director of New Brand Vision and Newtomarketing Ben Harris: “If you hand over a good quality card, it will confirm what the conversation was like. A cheap business card is not credible.” Harris also points out that for a consultant, who does business by networking, business cards are the most important bit of marketing they have.
Quality is not the only argument. “A card can be the first impression people get, so creativity is also important,” says managing director of digital marketing agency Moonfish Roberto Simi, whose cards have a box for taking notes on the back: I met this person on X date, we discussed Y, etc.
Simi points out that even those who store contact details on an electronic device such as a PDA can still have difficulty exchanging information. However, technology may not be far behind. “A Japanese client was here recently and took pictures with his mobile phone of everyone he met and stored them against their contact details,” he says.
Logo logistics
Even though email is most people’s main means of communication, quality letterhead is not redundant and can be used with versatility. Moonfish has designed its letterhead to double as invoice stationery; and although branding is an essential part of marketing, emails get neglected. Says Roberto Simi: “They do not get branded well by most businesses but a logo or letterhead can be used on email.”
Downloading an off-the-shelf logo from a website, however, is not the way forward. “Customers only care about what they can see but people will buy a fantastic accounting system and then scrimp and save on a few pounds elsewhere. It does not give a company the right start,” says Ben Harris. “A logo needs to work in black and white and on the Internet, it is vital to consider the fundamentals. It communicates what you are about, so it makes sense to spend a few hundred pounds more at the beginning.” A logo off the Internet might set you back £200, against around £695 from New Brand Vision but the agency would argue you get what you pay for.
Says managing director of Base One Richard Bush: “It is important for any small business to decide how it is different, what it stands for. Everything it produces has to reflect that and a templated logo does not say a lot about you. A handwritten letter with no logo says more.”
Websites should also be constructed with care. They are not an alternative to brochures but an essential part of an integrated campaign. Says Roberto Simi: “A website is your shop window, it is even more important than a business card.” And Ben Harris of New Brand Vision warns: “For 99.5 per cent of businesses, it is crucial to have a good website. After you have a conversation with consumers, they can validate their opinion on the website. If it is designed well, people are impressed and want to call you. If it is terrible, they will revise their opinion and will not want to deal with you.”
A better brochure
The greatest debate is over brochures. Ben Harris emphasises that brochures are not a direct marketing tool. “People think brochures will bring in business, so they put every possible bit of information in them and send them out willy nilly,” he says. “But if the recipient did not ask for it, it will end up in the bin. They are expensive to produce and I often do not recommend them.
“The sales process is a series of stages and marketing needs to reflect that by starting conversation in a more simple and engaging way,” he says.
However, there is still something emotive about holding a piece of quality paper that looks and feels right. “There is a role for well produced literature,” says Base One’s Richard Bush. “People will use it to make a judgment and part of that assessment will be the quality of the material.” Creative marketing agency Folk communicated with clients via a newspaper and moved to an email newsletter. “But it was impersonal,” says managing director Matt Butterworth. “Viral communication has to be funny or different, so we went back to the newspaper. We get fantastic feedback from that, it involves people in what we are doing.”
Folk took the unusual route of producing a bible for insurance company Alliance. “It is an integral part of their marketing, alongside their website, to move them forward,” says Butterworth. “It does not contain any case studies but gives a wider picture of what insurance is about and stays true to the company’s business values, giving no nonsense, personal service. It was a £10,000 project.”
It is, however, not necessary to part with that much initially. Richard Bush advises: “An SME would need to be working on between two per cent and five per cent of turnover to invest in collateral, so with a turnover of £100,000 that would be £2000-£5000.”
And sometimes a fully-fledged brochure is not necessary and a flyer will do a powerful job. “A flyer can drive interest online or an email can be followed by a printed flyer,” says Roberto Simi. “Combining channels is very effective.”
Keep it current and relevant
The speed at which things change has also altered people’s attitudes and they expect an instant response. Says Richard Bush: “The early part of a sales process is handled remotely – telephone or email – and you can produce electronic communication that can be tailored to the people you are talking to, so that you can produce five versions of the same item to satisfy the five sectors you are attacking. That way, you can make sure it is current, with recent case studies and relevant content. It can be much more effective than printing 5000 brochures and using them for the next three years.”
Technology allows enormous versatility but the power of paper is not to be underestimated: holding a well-designed piece of print on quality paper is an emotional experience.
You are proof of that, you are reading this magazine.
DIY collateral
Although many design and marketing agencies advise against downloading a logo from a website, there are ways of creating your own collateral without compromising your brand. One of these is Mailshots Online from Royal Mail. Says media products and tools manager for Royal Mail Donald McLaren: “We aim to remove barriers so that companies can build their own campaign. We give advice on how to target customers and we use professional templates. Little or no experience is required, it is a step-by-step modular guide and people can see how much it costs before they have to purchase anything. And users can pull in their own creative material or use what is on the site, which is of a professional standard,” he says. “Print capability is physical and Royal Mail fulfils the postage.”
