Thursday, September 19, 2013

Business Advice from Twyla Garrett

There are a lot of entrepreneurs running around in today's business culture. Everyone has these larger-than-life plans to succeed. Their focus is on social media and getting the best rates to help increase a profit margin. However, many entrepreneurs are failing to provide a key element to customers and potential business partners/investors. What is it? Basic marketing materials.

That's right- most of today's entrepreneurs are so involved with Google rankings, SEO reports, etc. that they forget to develop a strong brand and print hard marketing materials. This oversight can cause failure to launch.

CEO of Eyeflor Phil Laboon recently said "Sales pitching, handshaking, and business-lunching are the behind-the-scenes reality of a growing start-up." His advice couldn't me more on the money. Business cards, brochures and flash drives have to be memorable. It is a part of your growth strategy- at least it should be! Laboon went on to say "business cards, brochures, and other promo items are the face of your company when you're not present, so spending top dollar to make these marketing tools professional and memorable is money well spent. These materials are what get people to return phone calls and schedule meetings. When customers sees a nice marketing piece, they have confidence in your business and remember you later on. Budgeting for analog advertising materials should be a priority rather than an afterthought."

There are many printing website that make cookie-cutter brochures and business cards easy to obtain and at inexpensive rates. Skip these websites. You should be developing custom logos and branding for your materials. Don't print on crappy stock either. Yes, I said crappy. Nothing is worst than meeting someone who has a flimsy business card. It sends a message that the owner ins't willing to invest in him or herself and neither should you! Budget to do things right the first time. Spend extra money on your marketing materials and it will pay off in the long run.

Until next time,

Twyla Garrett

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