Many small businesses struggle to find a balance between producing professional-looking documentation and keeping the budget on track. Graphic designers often charge large fees to produce something that you could perhaps have done a lot of yourself, at no cost except your time. Printers dictate a minimum amount of copies, when you may only need a few, at a cost that is beyond the project budget.
Many businesses decide that the costs involved are prohibitive and produce the documentation themselves. The result is often a document that is produced in-house that looks like it's been created in Word or Paintbox and does little or nothing to distinguish you from your competitors. In short it turns customers off rather than enticing them in.
There are, however, ways you can produce professional-looking documentation (such as letterhead, business cards, brochures and reports) in-house and at a minimum cost - you just need to think a bit differently.
This article will give you some ideas on how you can improve your marketing ideas without breaking the budget. It will NOT replace the services of a graphic designer - but almost all small businesses see a time when the budget isn't there and you've just GOT to do it yourself...
Design
Good design is not just something that makes your document look attractive. A good design should consider your type of business and your potential clients and customers. Stop for a minute and have a think about your business. What makes you different from your competitors? What are you best at? Take a good, hard look at your existing clients and customers. Who are they? What do they like? All of these things should be taken into consideration before you even start.
Have a think about the type of layout you want to use. Would a three-fold A4 brochure or a postcard be better? Split A4 flyers and newsletters into multiple columns rather than a single column page. Select a font to use for headings and one for normal copy and stick to them. Make sure that all your documentation is consistent and looks like it belongs to one "family".
Get a designer to create and set up a template in a program you already have, such as Microsoft Word. Then you have a ready-made document that you can change and reprint whenever you like.
You can even use the same template to produce letterhead, flyers, newsletters and fax headers. Microsoft Word has a huge array of features that many people don't even use, such as style sheets, headers and footers, tables, borders, envelopes and labels (you can even print your return address on the envelope as well).
Take the time to learn how to use some of these features - it will save you a lot of time and can help you create a much more professional look. Alternatively, have a designer produce a pre-printed page that you over-print yourself using a Word template or similar document.
Printing and Output
Printing costs are often one of the most expensive components of producing marketing material. What type of printing you choose to use will depend on how many copies you need. If you only require a few copies, printing on your desktop printer may be the best option (but keep in mind how much it costs to replace colour cartridges on your printer and how quickly you will go through them). If you need more than a handful but still don't need enough to require an offset print run (usually a minimum of 250 or 500 copies) try using digital printing - most photocopying shops can print your document directly from disc (though this usually incurs an additional download fee). But if you require more than a handful of copies offset printing is definitely the most cost-effective way to print.
Short Run Printing
Just because you run something out on your desktop printer doesn't mean it has to look boring. Stationary shops such as Officeworks and craft stores supply specialty papers designed for use with laser and inkjet printers.
Use a coloured, transparent or textured paper to give your document a lift and to make it stand out. Print on adhesive paper to create stickers and CD labels. Or use unusual sizes or shapes - perhaps a square brochure that you print on an A4 page and cut out. You can trim them yourself or get your local photocopy shop to do it for you (provided it is a straight-edged cut). If you only have a few you could even cut them into unusual shapes by hand.
Large Run Printing
Even within the realm of offset printing, there are ways to get the best value for your money. You could use single or two-colour printing instead of full-colour. Or pre-print large quantities of a "base" document that you can overprint for multiple purposes. There are also print brokers, who can give you a much better price than many independent printers. Print brokers reduce their costs by buying paper and inks in bulk and printing many jobs at the same time, rather than just yours, but there are a few catches.
First you have to work to their schedule, they may only run off brochures once a week, so you'll have to wait for the next print run rather than going into production straight away. Secondly, you will have a limited selection of paper stocks to choose from, or no choice of paper stock at all, so specialty papers are out of the question.
Digital Output
One way to reduce your printing costs is to not print at all! Most businesses these days have personalised email addresses for their employees, giving you an opportunity to promote your business and market your products without even having to print anything.
E-newsletters are now a familiar form of marketing for many companies and are a good way to keep reminding people of your services, but make sure you give the user the option to unsubscribe and that nothing is sent unsolicited.
Get a designer to produce an html template for you or have them design an html invitation or product brochure that links to your website. Acrobat PDF documents are also acceptable file formats to be sent as attachments.
Binding and Presentation
Never underestimate the power of first impressions. There are many ways to give your presentation a more "finished" look. Check around stationers and craft shops for specialty or coloured envelopes and presentation folders.
Rather than just handing potential clients and customers a couple of typed pages of your corporate profile, give them a folder that includes your business card and a flyer as well as the profile - a far more memorable product. Have the document wiro bound and a label designed and printed to stick on the front of the folder and voila!
So don't let your image ruin your chances - take a little time to think a little differently to get to that next step.
Jane Long has worked with small businesses for over 10 years helping them find ways to balance their marketing material and their budget.
She is the owner and operator of mirage design, a graphic design and web design studio based in Brisbane, Australia. You can view more articles, see samples of her work or subscribe to her newsletter at www.miragedesign.com.au.
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