In order for branding awareness to work all your marketing materials have to maintain a consistent “look & feel.” This is what I work with clients to achieve, and recently I got to experience it first-hand while at a workshop in Chicago.
The Material Handling & Equipment Distributors Association (to which I belong) was holding a workshop in Chicago, and I attended with one of my clients to learn the latest and greatest with what’s going on with rentals and used forklifts sales and operation among our members. Bill Rowan, president of Sunbelt Industrial Trucks in Houston had just finished speaking and we took a break. Bill has been receiving my direct mail and e-newsletters for some time, but we had never spoken. I think I addressed the fact that as a one-man band, I don’t get a lot of opportunities to get on the phone, so I rely heavily on my marketing materials, website etc…to create awareness. I wanted to introduce myself to Bill and let him know I enjoyed his presentation. So we shook hands and as I handed him my business card his first words were (I’m paraphrasing here) “Oh yeah, I’ve seen this on your emails and post cards” and immediately I thought “bing” that’s how it works. Sure it was aided awareness, but no doubt my logo has been burned in effectively. Below is the image I use on all my marketing materials including brochures, business card, and each carries the same tag line “Marketing Your Dealership.”
Most products, like the service I provide, are bought and not sold. This means when it comes time for someone like Bill, who runs a forklift dealership, to require marketing assistance, I want to be sure my company is at least on the top of his mind. If it is, I stand the best chance for that all important phone call that leads to an opportunity. And THAT is all we can ask for…for now anyway!
So give thought to everything you put out, from business cards, proposals, invoices, envelopes, direct mail, email, web and the like. Make sure it carries a consistent theme and/or logo, colors, fonts etc…Make sure everything you do creates no doubt about from where it came.
Good selling!
Symbion Marketing 