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The world is obsessed with looks, and when it comes to businesses, it isn’t any different! The branding and PR departments have become some of the most important parts of the business. The advent of social media has contributed to consumers having a more direct link to businesses, and it has also made consumers much more conscious about what sort of businesses they want to associate with.
Branding has also become important because it helps to distinguish one establishment from the hundreds of others that have not only come up, but are using social media to increase their influence. Iconic companies have recognized that their recall value, tied to the branding, has led to their exponential growth. Additionally, when you use branded products in client or consumer outreach, you are far more likely to get your foot in the door if you have a well-branded, good-looking product.
What are some options for branded or printed products?
Every enterprise has its own criteria of what is best for it. What would be great for a t-shirt company obviously will not work as well for a restaurant. Thus, it is very important that you try and narrow down what is best for your establishment and your customer base. Having said that, however, there are some options that work well across the board, and give a professional sheen to any operation.
Business Cards
Business cards are imperative for any business and are essential to give out to potential clients or customers. It also gives an impression of unity to clients if all employees have visually-similar business cards, and makes the establishment look more professional. There is also the added advantage that having the same business cards means that the aesthetic of the card is not left up to chance, and the risk of any employee having disruptive visuals is completely negated.
Envelopes
Not everything has been replaced by email, and businesses still need to send out paper mail. It is the first impression of a business that a client who receives the mail has, and it needs to be impressive. In order to separate the wheat from the chaff, a company’s envelope needs to be branded well to ensure that it isn’t thrown out with junk or spam mail. A well-branded envelope is also much more likely to be opened. A good practice would be to have more than one design and designate them for different purposes, such as envelopes for newsletters or envelopes for checks.
Pens
Pens are one of the most commonly branded products in use around the world. It is essential because it has nearly become expected for businesses to have branded stationery like pens. Being one of the most used tools in the world, the humble pen can also work as nearly free advertising if given away as gifts to clients or potential customers. People like receiving free gifts and this is an easy way to create a positive association between the customer and the company.
Letterheads
Letterheads can seem dated, but it is a very easy way to not only give a sense of unity throughout the company but also lends a sense of authenticity to any business. It seems to be a small detail, but customers and clients tend to notice these small details and adjust their view of an establishment because of it. Letterheads can be used in official communications and during presentations with clients. Clients can take away written communication on letterheads and be reminded of your company as the first contender for a service when they look at it at home.
Is branding only for printed materials?
The short answer is no. Branding is definitely not only for printed materials. The need for a well-branded image on the internet is of prime importance, though branding on the internet can be slightly different than just printing the logo, tagline, and relevant information on a web page. In conceptualizing a branding strategy for an online presence, one needs to account for the printed branded materials that the business has already invested in. Both offline and online strategies should be congruent with each other in terms of color scheme, fonts used, designs used, etc.
An easy way to introduce branding into the online aspect is by using a branded email signature across all email communications. While using a logo is a must, all communications should be in the same tone of voice, and should not carry conflicting messages. Social media should be utilized to the fullest with targeted strategies for different platforms.
