I’m cutting to the chase on this one. Although online media seems to have taken over the world, physical stationery pieces are still widely used. It’s really all about making a great first impression and your organization should have the kind of printed materials that are both interesting and useful, otherwise, you’re just making waste.
Here are my rapid-fire thoughts on the foundational communication pieces that every organization can benefit from:
Business cards should offer a memorable first impression and a brief introduction to you and your company while reinforcing brand consistency. You don’t need to squish all your information onto a business card, but make sure it provides brief answers to the questions “What do you do?” and “Why should someone contact you?” A high-end and creative business card is an absolute must for premium service providers or businesses operating in the value quadrant. The smaller number of touch points, the better your business card should be. If your business changes and you’re not sure about your address, leave it off. Just have your brand mark, cell phone number, email alias and website address.
Letterhead turns a simple communication into a document that is treated with more respect, plain and simple. With the advancement in technology, you can easily save resources—and trees—by creating your own letterhead with a Microsoft Word template (or Pages for those Mac users) and print it off in-house as needed, rather than purchasing boxes of letterhead from a print supplier (unless you communicate this way in large quantities). Stunning letterhead sets the tone and gives you the opportunity to convey your professionalism.
Envelopes can help you seal the deal (see what I did there? seal? ha!). For those times when paper communication is the required method, your printed materials should be delivered in a cohesive package (scribbly handwriting is not going to help your cause, that I can guarantee). Reasons to consider investing a bit more into the design of your envelope could be if you’re in the high-value quadrant or if you send a lot of direct mail—then you’ll want your envelope to stand out and be noticed by your target audience. We pushed one of our law firm clients to invest more in envelopes and the results spoke for themselves.
Sales folders are like a giant business card. The sales folder offers the opportunity to get more creative with die-cuts, print treatments, varnish finishes and other design features. Because sales folders are generally reserved for more special occasions, this is a great medium to enhance the image of your business and make a solid first impression. We’ve even combined the brochure and sales folder into one to save money but not compromise on value.
Brochures are an excellent resource to educate others on who you are, what you do and how to get in contact with you. Even though we’re moving away from brochures in exchange for digital tools, most organizations still need them. Brochures can be as standard as a tri-fold pamphlet or as robust as a 24-page magazine. Determining the right brochure for you depends on budget, target audience needs, industry standards, how you’re going to use it (sales tool, direct mail, etc.) and the amount of space required to communicate your message. Depending on the industry, we try to use online resources more effectively rather than creating a lot of collateral material. However, a good brochure is a strong souvenir for customers and clients and can be especially effective in denoting quality for a high-value product or service.
Thanks for reading!