January 25, 2012
OPEN Forum Message
Company Culture
Can you recognize signs that your company's culture isn't working? Get advice from the experts on what to look for–and how to fix it.
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You’re probably a lot more concerned with how your business operates than about the design of your logo, business cards, brochures, signs, stationery, website and other collateral materials. But making sure these items represent your company in attractive and effective ways can pay big dividends. “Your collateral is your silent salesperson,” says Vicki Lynn Morgan, an entrepreneur, consultant and counselor with the New Jersey Small Business Development Centers. “If it’s not up to snuff, you lose credibility.”
Control your firm’s image
Your brand—the perception prospective customers or clients have of your business—is among your company’s most important assets. As the outward face of your firm, your collateral materials present the greatest opportunity to make a positive impression. “You create your brand identity through your typeface, colors, logo and other elements of your materials,” says Morgan. “That identity builds trust in and awareness of your firm.”
Branding is critical whether you’re targeting jobs for the government, private businesses, or consumers. Indeed, a good brand can be especially helpful when courting the public sector: Government employees may need to justify their spending decisions to constituents and multiple layers of bureaucracy, so they’re especially likely to select a vendor with a highly professional image. “The decision-maker doesn’t want to look like a fool for choosing your company,” says Morgan.
Beauty tips
You may have little time—and less budget—to devote to your collateral’s look. Consider the following suggestions, which can help you make the most of your resources.
- Be consistent. Maintaining a consistent look across your materials can reinforce your firm’s brand identity. Use the same logo, typeface and color palette on everything.
- Save money with letter logos. A graphic designer might charge $1,500 to design a logo. But your company’s name, displayed in a distinctive type face, may be equally effective and considerably cheaper. If that sounds unlikely, consider GMC Trucks, which sports one of America’s simplest—and most effective—corporate logos.
- Tailor your materials to your audience. Men tend to respond to a more angular look; women to curved shapes. If your firm targets customers and clients of both sexes, you might use a combination. Your business may serve more than one audience—for example, if you perform certain tasks for the government, but provide other services to consumers. In that case you may want to have a different sets of materials for each. (This is the exception to the “be consistent” rule.)
- Include your contact information. “You’d be shocked how many business cards don’t have an address on them,” says Morgan, who recommends putting your firm’s business phone, e-mail address and street or mailing address on each item. “It’s important to be accessible,” she says. “These days a client might e-mail or text you rather than call. If a job opportunity comes up, you don’t want to miss it.”
- Consider how the material might be used. The context in which people see your collateral can change the effectiveness of its look. For example, if your business card might be photocopied—say, at networking events—you may not want to use dark background colors or type that’s small or pale.
- Go with a pro. You might be tempted to save money by making business cards or other materials yourself. That’s usually a bad move. “Materials that look homemade completely undermine your credibility,” says Morgan. You’re generally better off hiring a professional.
Focusing on the cosmetics of your website or business card may seem less important than, say, overseeing production or managing workers. But your company’s look says a great deal to prospective clients—and you want to make sure it’s saying the right things. “It really pays to make sure you have your look right,” says Morgan. “It conveys your firm’s professionalism, which is a big part of convincing a prospect.”
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