In the first part of this article, we discussed the different fundamentals you need to serve as the basis to your identity kit. In this article, we will dive into some suggested elements of an identity kit and how to get started creating them.
Business cards The standard staple of old school business. While less important for a web based enterprises, business cards will still add an air of "realness" to you and your business. When getting your cards printed, make sure to do it right. Nothing says cheesy like a business card printed on your own ink-jet and showing perforated edges.
Things that matter: Stock weight, color, double sided.
When I get cards printed, I tend to use a double-sided full-color card on the heaviest stock I can get. The reason for the double siding is to add more color, not more text on the card. Having your business card stand out in a pile of 1000 other white cards is always important. A slick card can help.
I use Vista Print for my card printing. Their prices are much more reasonable than your local print shop and you have the option of creating the entire design of your card, rather than simply choosing a font and filling in a few lines of text.
* Special note about Vista Print - ALWAYS look for coupons or special deals for Vista Print on the web. Often you can save up to 50% of your entire order costs by just finding an online promo code.
Letterhead/Fax: With the advent of affordable quality inkjet and color laser printers, you no longer need to have your letterhead done at the printer. For me, I usually start with the contemporary letterhead and fax templates found in MS Word (I use both 2003 and 2007) and then modify to suit.
If you have an iconic part of your logo, try using the watermark feature in Word. Just make sure that it is subtle enough to not overpower the content of your document. The washout settings in Word 2003 are limited, so you may need to use your favorite design tool to adjust the opacity.
Also remember, your faxes will be sent at limited resolutions and in black and white. Make sure the design elements on your fax take that into consideration (Yellow, light blue, or any other light hue'd colors will often disappear entirely when sent via fax)
Lastly, after creating your fax or letterhead template, make sure to save them in the .dot format in your templates folder. That way, you can choose your own template when you create a new document.
Invoices As with letterhead, I use a free Office Online template as my base and modify. Once an invoice is created, I usually find it is easiest to send a digital copy to my clients. To protect your invoice from being edited and to guarantee that it will be readable on all machines by all clients, make sure to save and send it in Adobe Acrobat PDF Format. I have the full Adobe CS3 package, so I can create a .pdf on the fly from any document.
Another great option for creating pdf's is Primo PDF. It's free and installs as another printer driver. Just go to print, and choose Primo PDF as your printer. It will convert whatever document into .pdf format and dump it into the folder of your choosing.
I don't know about you, but I send hundreds of emails. Why waste that advertising space with a crappy sig. MS Outlook and Outlook Express have options for setting up several signature files. Just make sure you have an alternate non-html(no picture or formatting) sig that your system can default to when responding or sending to known text only email addresses.
*special note: make sure to keep your logo file size VERY small - Optimize it as much as possible. Many email packages will block larger pics from being downloaded, or even worse, treat as an attachment even if embedded and block your email all together.
Envelopes If you send a lot of physical mail, custom envelopes present a very slick appearance. Again, I use the built in MS Word envelope printing option and customize with my own logo and formatting.
What I like to do is pre-print a bunch of envelopes with my design already set up. Then when sending out mailings, I'll have someone handwrite the send to address. I've found that this has a much higher open rate for whatever reason.
Having pre-printed envelopes also allows you to print a bunch of envelopes quickly if you are using a mail merge from your favorite contact management software (which usually do not allow any type of envelope printing customization)
Other Stuff Folders When sending out a high-end mail solicitation, or any contact with clients, I include the documents in a custom folder. Even with online discounts, full color folders are pricey (from $.75 to $2 each) but the level of professionalism it exhibits is well worth it.
On a related note, I ALWAYS send packages via FedEx. The reason is simple- it works. My open rates for FedEx blow away any other type of mail. While a standard overnight package does run about $15, you can also send with them as a 3 day mailer which costs the same as a post office priority mail (Around $5) but looks exactly the same as a standard FedEx mailer.
Datasheets/articles Make sure to use your business color and font standards across all documents. I have a standard article template that I use for all .pdf's that I create for download. Consistancy and cross-marketing are the big key items.
Remember, people will find your stuff all over the place, and that includes completely out of the context of your business. Make sure to include your logo, business name, urls, and cross marketing content on anything that a person can download. Having your stuff show up on torrents or obscure file sharing sites is not always a bad thing if you plan accordingly.
Postcards I use postcards all the time for new client solicitation and reminder advertising. I use full-color, double-sided, oversized postcards. They are super cheap, and even if they get dumped in the trash, seeing your prominent logo and business name will just fill in one of those seven contact points needed before somebody implants your name in their brain.
While cards are cheap, postage is not. I've found it very cost effective to hire a college student for $10 an hour to run around to different locations and distribute postcards to businesses, parking lots, dorms, or whatever niche you are targeting.
Like business cards, I usually use Vista Print for printing my postcards. Don't forget to search the web for coupons before ordering. I've had $1000 orders drop to $500 with a coupon I found after a few minutes of searching.
Video Lastly, don't forget to incorporate your logo and branding into your videos. A catchy opening animation with your logo will go a long way. While not cheap to get produced, it will add both an air of professionalism to your business and set a tone for your content even before it is seen.
Wrapping it up My final advice is this: Slick matters! Don't skimp on this part.
Blogs and web videos can get away with looking amateurish and unprofessional. Your identity kit can't. In fact, none of your marketing can. The difference between looking like Joe Schmo working from home and a polished professional will come entirely from your marketing package. Customers will decide long before they ever hear you speak what they think of you.
I encourage you to explore and learn all the tools at your disposal. However, if you are not 100% sure your promotional materials rock, hire a professional. It will be well worth it down the road.
As a shameless pitch- My main company, Evil Genius Interactive, just so happens to be rockstars at creating identity kits for both large and small businesses. And in a giant cosmic coincidence, we are currently offering a 50% off promotion for small business identity kits. Convenient hunh?
JJ Kennedy is founder and CEO of Evil Genius Interactive and Evil Genius TV. He holds an MBA and is the former VP of Internet Marketing and eCommerce at Pitney Bowes, a Fortune 500 company with over $7 Billion in yearly sales.
Prior to starting EGI, JJ was VP of Marketing and a Principal of the investment division of Action Real Estate and one of the most successful producers in Gainesville history with over $35 Million in single year sales.
Disclaimer: All information on this site is provided for informational purposes only! By no means is any
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