It's That Time of Year... Professional Beach Body/Image Check-Up

Are you dreading putting on that bathing suit this summer? The time has come to face the facts. I think a lot of people do try dieting and work out to look good in summer clothes, especially the swimsuit. But how many of us take the same care when it comes to our professional image? What does your business card look like? Is it plain or have some graphic design interest? Is your website interesting? Do you have a brochure?

For a lot of companies-these are items of short investment-especially now with the economy - and why companies stop marketing efforts when they need it most is beyond me. But, these items are what your prospective clients see first. Business cards, brochures, websites are your calling cards-don't scrimp on your professional image-work on it.

Why is now the time to do the image check up? Because most of you are planning your vacations, dieting to fit into that suit, taking a breather before the Fall starts up again. I know this - I've worked with a lot of companies and this is the truth. WE ALL DO IT. So, if things are a bit slow around the office-now is the time to get your professional image in gear.

Business Card Design
Does your company have a logo or some graphical font treatment for the company name? If not, now is the time to look into creating a unique mark that speaks to the type of business you do. However, stay away from suggestions like, "Oh, my cousin is a graphic designer..." Ask business associates to recommend a graphic design firm, interview two or three and get quotations. Let a professional designer develop your mark and this should be done after an extensive conversation between the designer and the business owner or marketing manager, depending on the size of the company. Don't forget to utilize the back of the card too- this is a great place to put your tag line, or bulleted points about the focus of your business.

Business cards printed from your computer just don't cut it. Digital printing has really developed and you can have business cards printed on a decent (100#,110# or 120# cover) stock at very reasonable prices. It will be worth every penny when you hand your card to someone and they say, "Hey- I really like your card!" That's a great first impression.

Brochures
Brochures are a necessity. Not everyone is in front of a computer 24 hours a day. There are people who like to read the written word on a surface that isn't backlit! Can you imagine? Your brochure doesn't have to be lengthy. Give enough information and provide enough images to make your product or service interesting and compelling. Be honest, don't over inflate your offerings.

Again, employ a graphic designer; make sure you put your best face forward. They will offer great ideas on creative design, size, number of pages, stock and printing services. Also, if you don't need thousands, digital printing can produce splendid results at a lower cost, although there are size limitations with digital.

Websites
Don't make your website look or read exactly like your brochure. I recommend working on the collateral first-taking the time to make sure everything in your brochure is correct and that the graphic design is top notch before starting on your website. Use different images and change up the copy for the website- because when someone requests your brochure (and you capture their information) you want them to read that as well, becoming more impressed with your company.

Yes, I'll say it again: use a graphic designer experienced with website design or webmaster to design and code your site utilizing the general look and feel developed for the brochure. There is so much going on behind the scenes of a website, like key words and phrases, meta tags, SEO and more that only a professional should be used to get this going for you.

In the end, all marketing materials from business cards to websites should have a consistent look and feel: professionally designed and produced, with consistent messaging. It sounds like a lot of work- but take one project at a time and before you know it you will have an arsenal of marketing magic to attract new clients.

Eileen Wilkins
President- Business Development
Blue Wave Design, Inc.
824 US Hwy One
Ste. 345
North Palm Beach, FL 33408
V: 561-775-9607
F: 561-775-1633
www.bluewavedesign.com

Blue Wave Design is a full service graphic design firm providing creative solutions that integrate marketing strategy, communication and graphic design. Our goal: Giving our clients the competitive edge in order to grow their business.