Invest In My Idea

At the height of the e-commerce boom, an executive from a well-established “old economy” company was hired to be the new CEO of a young, brash, well financed Internet start-up. For his first day at his new company, the CEO decided to look his best. He dressed in an expensive suit and his favorite tie. That day, he was to address the company’s 100plus employees. As he tells the story, he felt sharp, and looked great. The new CEO gave an enthusiastic, short introductory speech and then opened the floor to questions. The room was utterly and completely silent. Seconds seemed like hours as people refused to participate. “Come on,” he implored, “ask me a question.” Finally, someone yelled out, “Why are you wearing a tie?”

As in life, first impressions are awfully important in business too. After someone encounters you and your business for the first time, they will leave with an impression. It may be positive, it may be negative. They may think yours is a well run, professional enterprise that will provide them with a great service, or not. One thing you can bank on though is that the first impression will very likely be the lens that they use to view your company forever.

Think about it in your own life. If you meet someone for the first time and he acts like a real jerk, don’t you label him a jerk? It doesn’t matter that he might have been having a bad day. He becomes “the jerk.” When you go to a business for the first time and get bad service, don’t you usually conclude that their business doesn’t deserve your continued patronage? That is why they say that you only have one chance to make a great first impression.

 

Although image isn’t everything, it is not insignificant. Your signs, business cards, letterhead, logo, and store/office say much about who you are. Combined, these things constitute your business identity. A professional business identity says that, even though you are new, you are to be taken seriously.

Of course, you will have to back up that great image with great products or services and customer service. But to get people to understand that yours is a business worth patronizing, you have to open the door by having a sharper image. That is the task before you.

 

Your Logo

 

A logo is one of the first things you need to create because it will be used on your letterhead, business cards, and other documents. It will distinguish your company, set a tone, and foster your desired image. A logo can be a symbol (the Nike swoosh), a graphic interpretation of your business name (Yahoo!), or both. Either way, it needs to convey the tone of your business. In that sense, it is not unlike naming your business. You want a logo that exemplifies who you are and what it is you do.

When creating a logo, you have two options: you can do it yourself or hire someone to do it for you. If you decide to design your own logo, you will need a software program that offers graphics, clip art, and photographs that can be incorporated into your logo. It is important that you not use any material that is copyrighted in your logo design.

You can find a great, free logo generator at <www.cooltext.com>.

If you can afford to hire someone to create a logo for you, do it. Prices vary widely; you can expect to pay anywhere from $100 for a graphics student to $10,000 for a seasoned pro. While such high fees can be scary, remember that a good logo can last for 20 years (or more, if you are lucky), which makes a good logo a bargain.

 

1.   What are the three most distinguishing features of your business?
2.   What are the three best benefits customers get by patronizing your business?
3.   Make a master list of your best features and benefits.
4.   Narrow that list down to the top three features or benefits of your business.
5.   Incorporate those into different short, quippy sayings. Be creative. Be wild. Come up with ten different possible mottos based on your features and benefits.
6.   Pick the best one.

Also consider making a slogan part of your logo. A good business motto should quickly and memorably convey the essence of your business. And like your logo, your business slogan should be simple and should embody your business. For example:

•   Avis: We Try Harder
•   Burger King: Have It Your Way
•   BMW: The Ultimate Driving Machine

Once you have your logo (or logo and motto), it is time to start putting it on your marketing items—your brochures, business cards, and stationery.

Letterhead and Stationery

For many new businesses, their stationery becomes the most important marketing tool they have. Your stationery is one of your basic links to the outside world (along with your Web site). It is how people will perceive your business. Thus, if you fail to have professional stationery printed and instead simply copy your letterhead and logo onto the top of every document, you will look like an amateur. And a new business can ill afford that.

Stationery need not be boring or expensive. You can get some great ideas about your options, and even order it online at a discount, by visiting these Web sites:

•  <www.printglobe.com>
• <www.printingforless.com>
•  <http://dir.yahoo.com/Business_and_Economy/Business_to_ Business/Printing/>

Begin with your letterhead. It is as integral to your business identity as your logo and name. What you are looking for is an overall theme for your business that conveys the image you are hoping to create in the mind of consumers. This is done by creating graphic materials that are simpatico with one another, that reinforce each other and your corporate identity. Your letterhead may be the first thing people ever see when looking at your business, so be sure that it is professional. It needs to include the following:

•   Name
•   Logo
•   Address
•   Phone number
•   Fax number
•   Email address / Web address

The card stock, font, and color of your stationery are equally important. An offwhite linen paper gives a professional image, whereas a fluorescent yellow one gives a festive one. It all depends on what you are looking for and what theme you are trying to create. The graphic artist who helps with a logo can certainly give some good advice here as well.

 

These items need to be coordinated and thematic in order to create a dynamic business identity and image:

•   Logo
•   Stationery
•   Business cards
•   Brochure
•   Signs
•   Web site

Business Cards

The same font and stock that you used for your stationery should be used for your business cards as well. In some places in the world, Asia, for example, a business card is given out at almost every meeting and is the single

You can get an idea of what some great, original business cards look like or you can design your own card by visiting these Web sites:

•   <www.colorbusinesscards.com>
•   <www.ebusinesscards.com>
•   <www.businesscardsworld.com>
•   <www.iprint.com>

most important marketing tool people use. Although you certainly cannot expect to say a lot on that little piece of card stock, how you say it says a lot.

The key to creating a successful card is to have it reinforce your image without being too busy. Keep it simple, use your logo, make sure it is legible, and include only the most important, relevant information. If you want your card to stand out from the crowd, consider the following:

•   Use a nontraditional size or shape.
•   Use a cartoon, if appropriate.
•   Use colored paper.
•   Emboss your cards.

Your Brochure 

Not every business will need L or use a brochure. Even if a brochure is not traditionally part of businesses F like yours, it still might be a great way to create a professional image M and bring in business. The thing to be wary of is spending money on a brochure if it really does nothing to add to your business. A brochure can A be an expensive item and thus not worth the money if you really don’t E need it.

When creating T a brochure, avoid the following:

•   Making it too busy. Creating a brochure that is so jam-packed with information that it is unpleasing to the eye and difficult to read is a sure way to waste money. It is much better to keep paragraphs short, use white space, use bullets, and keep it simple.
• Making the cover boring. Too many businesses think that headlining their brochure with their business name is a sure way to entice people to read more. If you want people to read your brochure, you must catch their attention (usually with some benefit they could get by reading more) and draw them in.
• Ask yourself: What is the purpose of this brochure? Is it an introduction to your business, a selling tool, both, or more? Whatever your answer, your brochure needs to reflect the same values, tone, and theme that will be found in your other image creating materials. Use your logo. Use your colors. Reinforce your desired image with text and graphics that reflect your business image.

Signs

 

A big, bold, visible sign in the right location(s) can be one of the best tools for creating an image, as well as generating new business. Signs are obviously most used for retail businesses, especially when drop-in traffic is a key element to your business model.

Signs come in many forms, from cheap wood ones to expensive electrical and glass models. The same considerations that are used in your other materials apply here. If you can get the image of each of your materials to reinforce an overall theme, busy people who don’t yet know of your business will easily understand what it is you are about if they are met with consistency.

Choosing the right sign especially is an area where professional expertise is useful. How big should the sign be? What should it say? How big should the letters be? Are there zoning restrictions for the type of sign you want? A sign company will help you figure this all out.

 

Your Web Site

 

Even if your business has nothing to do with the Internet, you cannot pass up the chance to create an online image. Indeed, a Web site has become a business necessity. Not only is it an inexpensive way to buttress your image and tell people who you are, but it is also an opportunity to sell more, get more customers, make more money, and impress strangers.

And you need not be Amazon.com to be successful. In fact, you probably don’t want to be. Your business Web site should, in all likelihood, be a clean, simple, elegant place that does a few things very well. Your home page should explain what your business is and what the Web site is about. It should be simple and easy to load. Inside, your business address and contact information should be easy to find. Features and benefits of working with you should be prominent.

Beyond that, what you do with your site is up to you. You may want to consider having some features that keep people coming back, because the more they come back to your site, the more likely it is they will buy from you. You can offer such things as:

•   Interactivity. E commerce interactivity means providing interactive tools that enable potential customers to learn more about your products. It could also mean offering chat rooms, message boards, or newsletters. Streaming video is a possibility.
•   Members only areas. Some businesses offer members only domains on their Web sites, where they offer access to premium information, tools, and services. Think about AOL for a moment. It is nothing but a huge members only Web site; not a bad model.
•   Content. On the Internet, content is king. A site without good, arresting, useful, timely content is a site that is probably going nowhere. Think about the sites you like. What is it that draws you there? In all likelihood, good content is near the top of your list.

Even sites that are product oriented can use good content. Dan Harrison is the owner of <www.poolandspa.com>. For Harrison, content makes the difference. When he started his Web site back in 1994, visitors could purchase thousands of spa and pool products and, at the same time, learn what to do if their pool turned cold or their hot tub got moldy.

Articles are written by Harrison and his staff and include “Ask the Pool Guy” and “Ask the Spa Guy” features. Chat rooms and message boards are also available. Harrison must be doing something right; he saw revenues double to more than $2 million in the first half of 2001.

Where do you get your content? You can write it yourself or hire someone to create content for you. Another option is to buy syndicated content. Syndicated columns, news, horoscopes, weather, sports, and comics can be an economical way to go. Consider the following options:

•   <www.isyndicate.com>
•   <www.alternet.org>
•   <www.clarinet.com>

How do you get a good, clean professional site without spending a fortune? You can hire a Web designer, you can do it yourself, or you can go to a onestop shop. Web designers are expensive for most businesses ($2,500 and up). If you can afford one, great, because they can give you a great look. Web designers can be found in the Yellow Pages or online by looking for one on a search engine.