Small to mid-sized business owners are wearing more hats than ever. This can lead to time poverty stretching into aspects outside their day-to-day business lives. When this happens, important things like marketing and branding tend to end up on the back burner. They may even understand the importance of marketing and branding their company to create leads and sales, but finding the time to spend on it, no matter how essential, can be near impossible.
There are plenty of traditional media representatives (radio, TV, newspaper, magazine, cable, advertising agency, IT, etc.) who want to help the business owner “figure it out”. Many of these well-trained professionals in the industry understand growing a client’s company through their own specific source of media. However, owners need the basics of developing their company’s brand before they go to the traditional media representatives.
A company must have a foundational brand image in order to build out it’s brand. Without the basis of a strong brand, owners will spend quite a bit of time (and potentially money) creating an identity that they are unsure of, or worse, one that is disjointed. Yes, they know who they are and have an idea of their respective value-proposition, but that is just the beginning. A company needs a strong brand to communicate not only their identity, but also what they have to offer to clients. By spending a few hours of research time to find the right company to partner with, a business owner can put this responsibility in the hands of a partner better suited for the task.
A great place to start is with professional graphic design services. Many pieces of the marketing plan will require graphic elements to make up the brand assets.
These assets include materials such as:
- Design of Logo(s)
- Creation of Brochures
- Direct mail pieces
- Creative services
- Website development
To help create the representation, the owner must find a design partner who is knowledgeable in creating a variety of elements from graphic design and web development to marketing. There are graphic designers, there are web developers and there are marketers out there. Finding the right fusion of the three is key, but not always easy to come by.
To get the most out of your dollars spent, don’t piece-meal different aspects of developing your brand image and marketing materials out to several different individuals or companies. Spend your time up-front researching professionals online that specialize in brand development. A professional worth their salt will be able to guide both you and your company through the entire process.
Tips on finding the perfect fusion partner:
- Research potential partners
- Spend quality time talking to all potential partners
- Ask about their skill sets and capabilities
- Ask for a detailed outline of services provided and to include investment levels
- Ask for a timeline of when the task is expected to be completed
- Get any other questions answered
Partners are out there who provide the right fusion of graphic design, web development and marketing. By taking the time to do the tips listed above, business owners will find a partner that is a perfect fit for their company. In the end, they will feel comfortable letting their branding partner wear the marketing hat so the business owner can focus on what they need to – running their business.
About the Author: Danny Traffas has an extensive background in the electronic media business. His career started in radio sales and management in 1990. For the past 17 years, he has worked extensively in the Radio, Television, and Cable advertising field as a revenue-generating vendor in the custom publishing segment. As the Media Industry has developed, so to, have the marketing needs of business owners. The team at DARTCO Media was assembled with new media in mind.
