Essential Marketing Materials For Small Business Owners
As a small business owner, it’s easy to dismiss the importance of working on your brand with all of the other demands placed on your time, but branding is an essential element to your company’s success. Even with a referral from a trusted friend or family member, 7 out of 10 people will go online to check you out for themselves. Without strong branding and cohesive marketing in place, you may lose prospects to your local competitors. Here are a few of the essential branding and marketing materials you need to set a foundation for achieving your business objectives.
Corporate Identity
It doesn’t matter if you are a start-up or have been in business for decades, you should have a professional corporate identity that you use as as the cornerstone of all of your marketing materials. Every product or service you launch, marketing initiative, and communication needs to be in line with your established visual identity. These clearly defined business essentials help you engage your target demographic and build brand awareness. Some of the elements of your initial or revised identity should include:
Your vision, values, and mission statement
What distinguishes you from the competition
Who you serve and why
Your company culture
Your communication style
The look and feel of your logo and how it translates to your website, and other creative materials
Social Media Icons & Digital Graphic Design
Even if you already have a logo that you love, you will require a few variations to ensure your brand is easy to identify online. For example, social media icons are often too small for your full logo, so you need an alternate version that includes elements of your primary logo. Or a color scheme that works on both light and dark backgrounds. You may also need variations for digital ads, banners, and other online marketing locations.
Offline Marketing Materials
Offline marketing materials are required for in-store advertisements, networking events, direct mailers, menus, service brochures, business cards, leave behind materials, and more. Not only do you require marketing collateral, but each of these creative elements should be designed by the same company who has developed your branding and marketing. This will ensure your messaging, both visual and written, is consistent. Offline marketing material plays a key role in sales and should always include how to connect with you digitally.
Promotional Items
Promotional items can be used as gifts for clients and employees, giveaways at community events, online sales, in-store sales, and more. For promotional items to be effective they must first and foremost be functional items that people want or need. Next, they must be branded in a way that does not detract from how the item will be used—so there must be some creativity behind the design. When designed right, promotional items are the perfect balance of function and branding.
If you have yet to consider branding, require rebranding, or are ready to take your marketing to the next level—we invite you to reach out to Proper Business + Brand Strategy. We work with you one-on-one to create custom creative that helps you increase awareness, boost engagement, drive new leads, and optimize sales.