When creating a brand from scratch it is tempting to go for free stuff every time. There are compromises to be made when shopping the free way however, the biggest being quality and originality. If you are shopping for free templates for a website or stationery then you can guarantee other people are too. Everything from nametags to business cards are available for free online, with varying degrees of success. It is tempting to just accept the norm, or to be conservative, especially when first starting out. We are often risk averse until we know our field a lot more, or have been in business a while. After all, just starting up on your own is risk enough, right? The problem with that mindset is that more often than not without risk there is no reward. Unless you have a unique selling proposition you are going to need to do all you can to stand out from the crowd and get noticed.
One of the most prized accomplishments in business is originality. It can make or break a company, product or service. A newcomer to any market isn’t going to get anywhere if they just offer the same thing for the same price as everyone else. When shopping, people tend to go with what they know. Established brands spend millions of dollars creating an emotional connection between their brand and their audience. They want buyers to think of their products as the only one to buy, the most reliable, best value or whatever. Unless you have an advertising budget of at least seven figures you aren’t going to be able to compete with this. This is where originality comes into its own.
If you can devise a product, service or offering that’s original, or done in an original way then you don’t need millions of dollars to sell it. Once you can spread the word about it, it will sell itself if done correctly. The same with your business brand. Come up with something original and it instantly becomes memorable. Go with the standard and it becomes forgettable. When competing in any field, with any competitor you have to have or offer something they don’t in order to win, succeed or often to even be noticed.
Think twice before doing something supposedly mundane like ordering business cards online. What does the design say about you? Is it going to grab the attention of your target audience? If it sits among others on a table does it say “look at me”? If it doesn’t, it needs to. It is a marketing and promotional tool, just like your website, flyers, leaflets and whatever else you use to advertise yourself. Being run of the mill isn’t acceptable nowadays, especially if you want to be a success. Business cards like anything else need a great deal of thought and most of all originality in order to make them worthwhile.
Filed under: Business Cards
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