Articles

It can be easy to become overwhelmed with advertising and marketing possibilities when you are in charge of promotion, whether it is for a business, non-profit club, or event. Even though much of today's world is focused on digital means of communication, it is important that you not underestimate the importance of collateral. These are the items that people in your intended audience can bring with them as tangible reminders. Two of the most used time-tested pieces of collateral that any organization should use are brochures and custom business cards.

Brochures are multi-fold pamphlets that can be distributed to your target audience, whether that is customers, donors, patrons, or volunteers. They contain information and statistics that is most important to your organization. Most brochures consists of three or four panels that are peppered with text and pictures, both front and back.

The personality of your organization should be represented as accurately as possible through the design of your brochure. Brochures are either printed on glossy or matte paper, and the ink used can either be four-color for bold color or two-color for a more classic and dignified appearance.

Be sure that you keep your goal in mind when designing the brochure. For instance, if you want people to come to an event, be sure to put all of the pertinent information on the brochure, such as date, time, location, event details and perhaps even a map. If you want people to mail in donation pledges, ensure that one panel of the brochure can be torn off and used as a pledge form.

Getting cheap business cards might seem like a great way to save on overhead, but remember that business cards leave a lasting impression that will remain after you have gone out of sight. Will your low-quality business card actually hurt the reputation of your business? Absolutely. Ink smudges or flimsy paper will be a red flag to people that that organization you represent is cheap, lazy, or habitually cuts corners instead of doing quality work.

Consider, though, that it is a fine line when choosing between high quality and extravagance. Especially when it comes to non-profit or volunteer organizations, you do not want to give the impression to potential donors or volunteers that your firm is wanton with money by wasting it on unnecessarily expensive collateral items. It is possible (and recommended) that non-profit and civic organizations aim to create sensible brochures and business cards while keeping budgetary concerns at the forefront.