Perhaps a more suitable title might have been ‘You only make a first impression once’… remember we mentioned this last time too!
Jerry Maguire said it. “We live in a cynical world”. A world of instant gratification and immediate responses. We have no time (or rather, we think we have no time!) to digest anything. If something doesn’t grab our attention immediately then we dismiss it. Just consider how much time you give a web site before ditching it and moving on – thirty seconds? Less?
And the same applies to stationery. If we don’t like it, if it doesn’t pass our instant and unquantifiable “quality test”, it will get ignored.
So, rule number 1, make sure your stationery is professional
But what do we mean by “professional business stationery”? Isn’t it subjective?
It is, to a degree, but most people know what “professional” looks and feels like, without perhaps being able to articulate it. Many of the same criteria apply as they do for leaflets and flyers, covered previously – the design, the content, the paper its printed on – they all add up to an image that makes a statement about your company. That wonderful marketing buzzword “brand” springs to mind…
The importance of brand
If this was a marketing web-site, there would now follow thousands of words on “brand awareness” and “positive image” and “identity”. Hundreds of business books cover the subject, and numerous business courses and MBA’s delve into the topic in fine detail.
There is no room for doubt, as we said at the start, that image is crucial. Does your stationery have a part to play, however small? Well, it’s the one thing that you leave behind with your clients and potential clients – that they might look at regularly. In a way, you’re almost hoping for a “non negative” reaction – if it’s of poor quality your clients will certainly be unimpressed, while if it’s high quality – that’s sort of expected isn’t it? And all you then need to do is back up what you leave behind with a high quality customer service – easy isn’t it?
Rule number 2 – find the right printer
Print Made Easy know all about the importance of professional business stationery – and how to work with you to produce it. We have a range of Business Starter packs available to cater for different requirements, and a wide choice of stationery options. To save you time, it can all be done on-line, but we’re always here to help out and answer any questions that you may have.
Contact us for details about our Business Stationery packs by visiting our contact us page, or call us on 020 8449 6688 and once more enjoy being on the path of excellence!