Entrepreneurs are hardy stock. But sometimes hardiness can get you into trouble.
Especially when you're over committed and could use a little help.
All too often, new business owners decide they don't need to hire any outside services. You know how it goes?."I can do this myself. How tough can it be? It's just a simple direct mail campaign."
Big mistake! Trying to do it all yourself ?unless it's your area of expertise?.usually costs you more in the long run. And most of the time, the work looks pretty unprofessional.
Here's the scenario?
You're starting a consulting business. You decide you need business cards, a logo, a handout of some sort and a website. Pretty basic. You figure you can hire the right people and manage these projects yourself.
So you do. You brainstorm some names for the company, run them by a few friends and select one for your business. Next you find a designer whose work you like and meet with her. You describe the services you'll offer and what colors you do and don't like. Maybe you'll even have some sketches of what you think your logo should look like.
So the designer (working with minimal direction) starts to work. Unless you've given her detailed information on your target market, your niche, how you see your identity developing, this designer is pretty clueless. But she comes up with some designs. Once again, you go to some friends and family members for feedback. Based on the general consensus, you select a design (hopefully, it will fit with your company name and what you do). You can now either leave it up to the designer to get printing quotes for your business cards and stationary. Or you can do it yourself and get some price comparisons. You'll need to know what type of stock you'd like, paper weight, quantities, etc.
Next you want to start on some sort of handout or brochure. Do you stick with your logo designer? If so, better make sure you've seen some samples of brochures she's done. Often designers specialize in one product or another. I've worked with great logo designers who can't do other collateral.
And what about your web site? Is your logo designer also able to do site design? What about development? Not all designers are developers. In fact, most aren't. The best developers I've found started out as web folk, whereas my best designers are sticking to what they do best ? graphic design.
You also need to decide how many pages your site will be, what they are (the menu), how you want the site to lay out (site map), whether or not you need a dynamic or static site, what elements need to be included, etc.
Still happy with your decision? Better make sure you nail down the costs on all of this so you're not surprised upon completion.
Lastly, don't forget about the copy. You need some for your brochure. You need different copy for your website. They're different types of marketing tools and the copy needs to be written in a different style for each. But everything needs to work together (be integrated) so you don't look like a fractured company. Your brochure and website should have the same look and feel?.but the approach is different.
If you're still managing this yourself -- kudos. Especially if you have time to do any selling or networking or research. Because you've taken on full-time work as a marketing person/project manager.
To think?. you could have saved yourself a lot of aggravation and time if only you'd called in a marketing specialist at the beginning. Then you'd have one person who could manage all the above projects for you:
? working with the designer (or designers) and developers to making sure everyone involved understood what you do and who you do it
? reviewing, rejecting, and/or approving designs before you ever see them
? writing copy appropriate for each product
? proofreading ? overseeing all the various vendors to make sure workflow is on schedule and work is correct
... and only calling you for selection, fact verification or final decisions.
Then again, maybe you like a challenge. Or maybe you just need to micromanage everything. Because by the time you're done, you're likely to end up with a disjointed marketing "program" (for lack of a better word). And when and if you finally do call in a marketing person to revise your marketing material, you'll probably find that turning everything over to a specialist -- who does this all the time ? would actually have cost you less than doing it yourself.
At least you'll know better next time.
Rickey Gold & Associates is a small, hands-on marketing communications firm that helps clients identify, reach, entice and sell to their target markets. http://www.rickeygold.com
http://www.rickeygold.com
773.348.4973
Your product is dying. With the same inevitability that we... Read More
Whether it has been thrust upon you by external market... Read More
Managing cash flow is every small business owner's most important... Read More
You know what makes me really happy? Drinking a Starbucks... Read More
If an organization lacks a mission statement, it is worthwhile... Read More
The choice of financing is an important determinant of whether... Read More
Large corporations use employee manuals to both educate employees about... Read More
When starting a business, you have to determine the method... Read More
Small businesses need Public Relations, possibly more than large corporations,... Read More
The success of your business is critically dependent on how... Read More
Where do you find the right people for a business... Read More
What does it take to grow a business and run... Read More
The temporary staffing industry continues to expand, with yearly double-digit... Read More
The Federal Trade Commission which governs the franchise industry thru... Read More
One of the best marketing strategies a business or organization... Read More
Achieving real success should be the goal of any good... Read More
If you own a small business, you should know that... Read More
Do you like animals? Would you like to work for... Read More
One major issue not being addressed right now in the... Read More
We're birds of a feather, public relations and small business.... Read More
The Operations Plan is a critical component of any business... Read More
There is significant competition in auto detailing and car washing.... Read More
Starting your own e-commerce business can be quite the adventure.... Read More
You've heard it before; we're living in an information age.... Read More
At first blush this idea might be difficult to wrap... Read More
house cleaning company Lincolnshire ..You've heard it before; we're living in an information age.... Read More
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF PRICINGIn case you hadn't noticed, people can... Read More
Here are some of the questions that you need to... Read More
Cash flow. To stay in business, you've got to keep... Read More
Forget everything you've ever heard about the U.S. Small Business... Read More
A corporate shell could be liken to a house that... Read More
Remember those drawings from science class of how a lever... Read More
More sales and more profit. Isn't that what you want... Read More
No matter type of business you operate you've got to... Read More
I frequently give presentations at small business gatherings, providing me... Read More
There are only a handful of car wash franchises in... Read More
In my previous article, Step 1, your challenge for the... Read More
There are countless ways to save your business money. Unfortunately,... Read More
The Federal Trade Commission which governs the franchise industry thru... Read More
I have a confession to make. My name is Caroline... Read More
Part of the power plan is making sure you have... Read More
Security Professionals provide the products and services necessary to create... Read More
As an entrepreneur you can learn a lot by following... Read More
Mr/Ms, 'not me' is often on holidays in your business.... Read More
When do you need to get more involved with the... Read More
After over thirty years advising small business it still comes... Read More
Cleaning the trailers towed by big trucks is not easy,... Read More
You've been meaning to tend to the administration part of... Read More
Should you buy a business opportunity or Franchise if you... Read More
When is the Chamber ideal for your business?Joining a Chamber... Read More
Small Business |