Be Brave Not Safe

Marketing collateral (a.k.a. “leave behinds) become important when someone responds positively to your elevator speech by indicating they’d like:

• To learn more
• Your contact information for future reference
• To pass your information on to someone they know who could use your services

Let’s start by talking about common “wastes” of money and time in this area. That would include brochures and business cards. Realize that 99% of these are tossed, lost or forgotten. While you may still wish to produce and provide these items, it is important to identify ways to STAND OUT from the crowd!

Realizing this, I decided to give out USB memory sticks (as my business card).

• On the outside / cover is my company name, logo and web address
• Installed on the memory stick are files including:
  • An overview of our services
  • A short cut / link to my company’s website (when someone clicks on it they go straight to my website)
  • A vcf file containing my contact information (when someone clicks on it, it drops my contact information into their MS Outlook contact database)
  • A few whitepapers and articles I’ve written which have been published in trade rags.

Since memory sticks are useful items they are not as likely to be tossed or forgotten. And, they can even make it through “at least” one trip through the washing machine without blowing away all the information contained within. I should know, after testing dozens :-). More importantly, the nature of these devices is that they are likely to be handed off between individuals (for file sharing purposes) and therefore further promoting my business. All good!

While a memory stick is a bit more expensive than a brochure and/or business card the impact is significant. In fact, the most common response I get after handing one of these to someone (as my business card) is, “wow, this is GREAT – THANK YOU!” And, I’ve become disciplined to only hand these out to individuals I’ve qualified as a potential “partner” (someone whom I may be able to build a mutually beneficial relationship with).

In closing, you are encouraged to determine unique and high-impact methods to get your message across as part of your marketing plan, ensuring you stand out from the crowd. What I’ve shared here seems to work well for me / my business.

More to come on the overall marketing plan.

Click here to review the next article in the series.