Even in today’s digital world, physical advertising remains as important to business success as ever. We still need to do business face-to-face, with our community. We still want to draw new customers locally, therefore we promote. And we still need to make a solid brand that takes a huge share of the market marketplace. And for all this, business stationery advertising materials are a solid foundation on which to build your brand. Frequently physical marketing collateral is your first formal experience an individual will have with your organization information. In addition, it pays dividends to provide a quality, professional picture of your business in the get-go, even if it’s just you working independently. There are a host of reasons why this is good practice, by the truth a branded business card is more likely to be kept and discovered than a scrap of paper with a handwritten telephone number on it, to how an invoice on branded static is a lot easier to spot in an in-tray heap than a blank piece of paper.

So what do you want to do to create impressive business stationery?

Get your design right

The apparent first challenge in designing your company static is the creation of a company logo. If you do not already have one, it is worth investing in a general printing business that uses colour, style, and messaging to communicate what you do and that you are to new audiences. A low excellent design or amateur attempt will do more damage than good. Be sure to get different variations of your logo so you can use it on and offline. By way of example, you’ll require a square cut for social media profiles and a longer version, maybe with your own strap line, for letterheads. If you include text in your layouts, make sure it is legible, and ensure to give your message the opportunity to ‘breathe’ — attempting to crowd too much into any available space will simply seem busy and put people off reading it. Rather use white space carefully and let your most important message shout loud and clear.

Consider your audience

Be sure to concentrate your business stationary designs on the end audience. Who are you making them for? What will they love? What message would you like to communicate to them? Are there any essential elements to think about, like providing materials in larger print for seniors or individuals with sensory disabilities?

What info do you want to include?

Then think about what information you need to add on your business stationery. You clearly need to guide people to the ideal source if they have a question or feedback, so contact details are significant. Invoices will also require key information like your tax registration number and company postal address.

Business cards

While many modern business owners are on LinkedIn, and may well have a social presence for their small business online, including a Facebook Page, business cards bring the personal touch. It’s a great idea to integrate more of your electronic marketing into this specific product to maximise your link opportunities and grow your online audiences simultaneously. That means signposting people to your website and profiles online, in addition to adding your email and telephone contact details.

Letterheads

Letterheads are a very important part of any business. It should ideally filter down through each interaction you have with outside stakeholders, such as mundane printed communications such as letters and invoices. For legal reasons it is advisable to use branded letter thoughts on things like employment contracts, but in addition, it produces a formal tone on your entire documentation. If you would like to try a design that is a bit different to the usual right-top-corner-logo, consider using a huge watermark design that fills the page, or geometric coloured shapes around the page within that you can set the text.